Weekend Event Guide

Here are the top 5 things to do in Austin this weekend

Music, performing arts, and a mega wine tasting top this weekend's best events. Catch the Broadway classic Mamma Mia! or witness the unveiling of a new exhibition. For a full list of happenings around Austin, visit our calendar.

Thursday, January 26

Willamette Valley presents Pinot in the City
The Willamette Valley, a wine-making region in the Pacific Northwest, is hosting a Texas-sized tasting at the JW Marriott that is well worth the ticket. More than 60 wineries will bring their best sips, and guests will get to meet and mingle with winery owners, winemakers, and other vino VIPs.

"O N E E V E R Y O N E": A Conversation with Ann Hamilton
Visual artist Ann Hamilton will unveil her newest exhibition, "O N E E V E R Y O N E," part of Landmarks, the University of Texas' public art program, with a series of events. This free reception features a discussion with Hamilton and readings by Matthew Goulish, Brian Rotman, and Natalie Shapero. The exhibition is on view at the Visual Arts Center Gallery until February 27.

Friday, January 27

Broadway in Austin presents Mamma Mia!
Broadway favorite Mamma Mia! takes center stage at Bass Concert Hall for performances through Saturday. Don't miss your chance to sing along to ABBA's greatest hits, including "Dancing Queen" and "Super Trouper," during the musical's farewell tour.

Saturday, January 28

Dance Waterloo presents Panorama Playground
Dance, art, and music combine for a unique experience at Orly Genger's public installation, Hurlyburly, down by the Waller Creek Boathouse. The Panorama Playground is a pay-what-you-can, customizable experience using headsets, which must be reserved ahead of time. Performances run through January 29.

Austin Opera presents The Daughter of the Regiment
Settle in at the Long Center and get lost in the comedy and romance of Gaetano Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment. The two-act opera follows the love story between a soldier and the adoptive daughter of an entire French regiment.

Don't miss Mamma Mia! at Bass Concert Hall.

Photo by Kevin Thomas Garcia

Don't miss Mamma Mia! at Bass Concert Hall.

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Hot Headlines

Salt Lick's new concept heats up Austin's most popular stories this week

Photo by Alie Jackson

Roxie's will open in the spring.

Editor's note: The top Austin news of the week includes a new concept from barbecue favorite Salt Lick and three luxury fashion brands making their Austin debut. Plus, we've rounded up all the ways to meet new people this winter. Read the five hottest Austin headlines of the week below, and find fun things to do this weekend here.

1. Salt Lick BBQ branches out with new restaurant concept in Austin suburb. Storied barbecue restaurant Salt Lick will extend its legacy with a new concept coming to Buda. Roxie's, a homey Southern restaurant fit for families, will debut in the growing Austin suburb sometime this spring.

2. 3 major luxury fashion brands move into famous North Austin mall. Austin's hottest shopping district will add the first three standalone stores in the city for Christian Dior, Balenciaga, and Zimmerman.

3. Way more than 15 ways to meet new people in Austin this winter. The new year is here, and maybe that means you want to meet new people. We've rounded up great ways — from classes to volunteering and, yes, apps — to do just that.

Students in a wheel throwing class. Meet fellow creatives in a wheel throwing class at the Doherty Arts Center. Photo from Doherty Arts Center Facebook page

4. Austin faces highest rent prices in Texas for 2025, new report says. A new cost-of-living index underscores what many Austin renters are painfully aware of: Local rents rank among the costliest in the U.S.

5. 14 Austin coffee shops band together for day honoring Daniel Johnston. Hi, How Are You Day is back on January 22, encouraging Austinites to meet up in community spaces and check in on each other's mental health.