Festivals and fun abound in the days ahead. Tune into the 34th annual aGLIFF festival in person or virtually, or head out to Bat Fest to witness a magnificent migration. Check out the top five things to do in Austin this weekend.
Thursday, August 26
City Running Tours & Saucony present East Austin Taco Run
Hit the ground running and explore Austin’s east side via the East Austin Taco Run. City Running Tours and Saucony have teamed up to provide runners of all experience levels with a fun fitness experience that culminates in local tacos and ice-cold beverages. Participants also have the opportunity to try on the fleet of Saucony shoes and can demo a pair for the entire run. For more information and to register, visit the East Austin Taco Run website.
aGLIFF presents PRISM 34
Austin’s oldest film festival returns in hybrid form for its 34th year. AGLIFF (All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival) presents PRISM 34, featuring more than 90 films, exclusive festival events, private screenings, and more activations during the course of two weeks. Highlights include a special advanced screening of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and the North American premiere of Blitzed: The 80s Blitz Kids Story. To purchase tickets and for a full schedule of events, visit the festival website. Festival programming is scheduled through September 5.
Friday, August 27
Sara Vanderbeek presents “Pop-up Show”
Artist Sara Vanderbeek debuts her mobile exhibition at McKinney Falls State Park. “Pop-up Show” will showcase Vanderbeek’s new artworks, installed both within and around the pop-up camper in which she and her family have lived and traveled since the onset of the pandemic. The evolving exhibition pops up in woods, galleries, and more locations connected to the country’s interstate highway. “Pop-up Show” will be at McKinney Falls State Park August 27-30 and the Museum of Human Achievement November 20-21.
Shinyribs in concert with Don Leady’s Tail Gators
Austin’s own Shinyribs takes the stage at Paramount Theatre in support of new album Late Night TV Gold. The American country-soul band will be joined by special guest Don Leady’s Tail Gators. Select tickets are still available.
Saturday, August 28
16th Annual Bat Fest
Witness 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats embark on their regular migration as part of Bat Fest. This family-friendly event at the Congress Avenue bridge will feature food and drinks, children’s activities, local arts-and-crafts vendors, a bat costume contest, and more. Live performances by The Unlikely Candidates, Fetty Wap, Kevin Fowler, and other special guests will take place on two stages. For a full list of events and to see the entire lineup, visit the festival website. Admission is free and open to the public.
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UPDATE: Bat Fest announced late Wednesday, August 25 that the annual event, scheduled for this Saturday, will be rescheduled to 2022 because the City of Austin denied its permit, despite officials previously approving its COVID Safety Plan. In a letter posted on the Roadway Productions website, Bat Fest 2021 organizers said: “It is with utter shock and great disappointment that we must announce that we were notified via email at 4:57 pm by the City of Austin Special Events Program Manager-Austin Center for Events that our special event permit was denied for this Saturday’s Bat Fest. Therefore, we have been strong-armed into canceling our event.” Bat Fest goes on to say it will provide full refunds to patrons or the option to transfer tickets to the 2022 Bat Fest event. Organizers say ticket holders should expect an email from Front Gate Tickets regarding the issue soon.
The Unlikely Candidates, Fetty Wap, Kevin Fowler, and more are slated to perform at the 16th annual Bat Fest this Saturday.
