Weekend Event Guide

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

Get out and enjoy Austin's great outdoors at an al fresco music festival, floating water park, or open-air arts market. Check out the top five things to do in Austin this weekend.

Friday, May 14

Lucky Leaf Expo
Hemp is taking center stage during the massive Lucky Leaf Expo hosted at the Austin Convention Center. The two-day event will include more than 120 exhibitors, more than 40 speakers, panels, demonstrations, and even a pre-show Cannabis Crash Course for attendees. Special guest exhibitor and celebrity Angela Simmons is slated to display her CDB line, and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller will participate in a panel discussion on the future of Texas hemp. For a full schedule of events and to purchase tickets, visit the expo website.

Black Fret presents Keep Live Music Alive Festival
Celebrate local music and support nonprofit Black Fret during the inaugural Keep Live Music Alive event. Over the course of the three-day festival at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, more than 25 bands will perform, including a special tribute from Austin musicians to Bob Dylan in honor of his 80th birthday. The all-Austin lineup of artists includes Clarence James, Ley Line, Zach Person, Darkbird, Night Blooms, and many others. Visit the Black Fret website for more information and to reserve your spot through the purchase of a membership.

Saturday, May 15

Ghost Note Brewing Grand Opening Weekend
Dripping Springs welcomes its newest brewery, Ghost Note Brewing, with a two-day grand opening bash. Visitors can get their hands on merchandise, ice-cold beers, and fresh eats from resident food truck Hangry's StrEATery. Live music by Wyatt Weaver Band and Sophia Johnson Trio will keep the good vibes going while the brews are flowing. Admission is free.

Lake Travis Waterloo Adventures
Dive into the fun all summer season long at the reopened Lake Travis Waterloo Adventures in Leander. Attractions include a floating water park and obstacle course, private resort-style beach access, the private Adventure Island, and more. Safety protocols and timed admission is in place for all guests. Purchase tickets for your family trip on the Lake Travis Waterloo Adventures website. The park is open to the public through September 26.

Sunday, May 16

Bat City Artisans
Local makers collective Bat City Artisans brings back its community market after more than a year. Hosted at Shangri La, guests can shop a variety of vendors specializing in art, vintage, housewares, and more while taking advantage of food and drink specials offered onsite. Attendees are encouraged to wear their best beachy attire as part of the market’s tropical theme. Special guest DJs will also be performing live sets throughout the event. Admission to this outdoor event is free.

Head out to Dripping Springs for Ghost Note Brewing's grand opening weekend.

Ghost Note Brewing Grand Opening Weekend

Photo courtesy of Ghost Note Brewing

Head out to Dripping Springs for Ghost Note Brewing's grand opening weekend.

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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.