Tunes and Brews

Popular Texas music and beer fest returns with new name for 2017

Goodbye Untapped, hello Index Fest.

UPDATE: The brewery lineup for Index Fest 2017 has been released. Austin Beerworks, Hops & Grain Brewing, and Jester King Brewery are just a taste of the 75 names on this year's bill. View the full list here.

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Austin's spring festival season is heating up with another new addition.

In an announcement on Tuesday, March 28, the folks behind Untapped Festival revealed their decision to rebrand the celebration in 2017 to Index Fest, a Texas-based event series that continues its predecessor's obsession with live music and craft beer.

Local Natives will headline the inaugural fest, which will take over the Austin American-Statesman parking lot on May 13. Also on the bill are Frenship, Grizfolk, Calliope Musicals, and DJ Mark Markus. The beer list has yet to be released, but you can look forward to over 80 visiting breweries.

There's more in store too. "The same focus of securing a highly curated selection of craft beer and music will remain a top priority, but the long-term vision for Index Fest now includes elevating the new components of high-quality food and arts," reads a festival announcement.

"We can't wait to share this rebranded festival and all of the delicious craft beer, fun musical performances, food, and art with Austin," Index Fest owner Brad Weiss says.

Just like Untapped, Index will make the rounds across Texas. The festival is scheduled to pop up at Fort Worth's Panther Island Pavilion on June 3 and Dallas' Fair Park on November 11. Dates and locations for the San Antonio and Houston events will be announced later.

Early bird tickets are on sale now for $20 each. Act fast, because prices will go up Thursday, March 30. Sampling and VIP packages are also up for grabs, starting at $35.

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Reexamining Don Draper

Jon Hamm, Henry Winkler, and more headed to Austin for TV festival

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Jon Hamm is coming to Austin to talk about Don Draper.

From May 29 to June 1, 2025, the ATX TV Festival will take over downtown Austin, and this year Jon Hamm will be joining the festival for the first time.

Hamm will be here for an event called A Mad Men Retrospective, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show's finale. In this panel (the moderator of which is not yet announced), Hamm will reflect on his Emmy-winning performance as Mad Men's Don Draper, the uniqueness of the character in the TV canon, and the show's influence 10 years after it ended.

Jon Hamm may be best known as Draper, but he's also given celebrated performances in several movies and other shows like Fargo, Black Mirror, and — fun fact! — Gilmore Girls.

Celebrating TV is what the ATX TV Festival is all about. This annual summer event is put on by ATX TV and consists of screenings, Q&As, and panel conversations; plus all sorts of parties, live music, happy hours, and other events. It's known for reunions of classic series and cult hits, and according to the website, it's like "TV camp for grownups."

Jon Hamm isn't the only heavy-hitter in this year's lineup.

Programming also includes an acting class and Q&A with Henry Winkler himself, a live script reading of classic episodes from The Golden Girls and Designing Women (guest actors to be announced), a reunion of the creatives and cast of the HBO hit series The Leftovers, a live recording of the podcast Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast with Suits stars and co-hosts Sarah Rafferty and Patrick J. Adams, and much more.

Additionally, the festival's annual Pitch Competition is still accepting open pitch submissions through January 17. This gives creatives in Austin a chance to pitch their show idea in front of some of the industry's biggest showrunners and executives. Those in the top 10 will receive a year of support to make the next steps in their TV careers.

Festival badges and passes ($150-535) are on sale now.

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