Weekend Roundup

Here are the top 13 things to do in Austin this weekend

Starting Thursday, Austin will be buzzing with things to do and places to see and be seen. Whether you’re in the mood for a music festival or a day at the flea market, we’ve got the events you need to know about. For a full list of weekend happenings, visit our events calendar.

StarTalk Live!
What better way to start the weekend than nerding out? Science and comedy collide when popular science radio show StarTalk takes the ACL Live stage. Listen in to everyone’s favorite scientist Bill Nye the Science Guy and comedian Eugene Mirman as they keep the audience laughing with science and pop culture. Tickets are $34.50 to $49.50.
Thursday, November 5 at 8 pm

Blue Starlite Drive-in presents Harry Potter Fest
Gryffindor house, rejoice! Harry Potter hits the drive-in screen this weekend. Visit Blue Starlite for a month of magic featuring the world’s favorite boy wizard and his gang. This opening weekend starts with fan-favorites Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Tickets are $7 to $27.
Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 pm; Friday, November 6 at 7:15 pm; Saturday, November 7 at 7:15 pm

Monkey Town 6
A legendary New York City cinema and dining installation is coming to Austin for a three-month run. With two seatings each evening, Monkey Town 6 is the perfect event for a special night out or a chic dinner party with friends. Guests sit inside a 27-foot cube and watch a two-hour video program with a delicious accompanying meal. Tickets are $65 Wednesday through Sunday (Tuesdays are $45). This weekend features a live performance from Austin's LOLA Opera.
Thursday, November 5 – Sunday, November 8 at 6:30 and 8 pm

Boys & Girls Clubs Austin presents Bright Lights Big City Fall Gala
Head out for a night on the town for a good cause at the Boys & Girls Clubs fall gala. Get dressed to the nines with your sweetheart and dance the night away at the downtown Hyatt Regency in support of 12,000 Austin-area children. Tickets are $300 for the gala and after party, $100 for the after party only.
Friday, November 6 at 6 pm

Bernina presents Fashion X Austin: Blanc
Mingle with the city’s most fashion forward at Fair Market for a can't-miss collaboration. The stylish spectacle features a runway show and photo shoot presentation from Texas-based designers and brands. The winner of the first-ever national Bernina Blanc Design Challenge will also be crowned. Round up your group of fashionistas and get your $35 ticket now.
Friday, November 6 at 7 pm

Fun Fun Fun Fest
Festival season is in full swing with Austin favorite Fun Fun Fun Fest making an epic return. For three days only, Auditorium Shores transforms into a musical hotbed of awesomeness. This year’s lineup includes music acts Wu-Tang Clan, Jane’s Addiction, Lauryn Hill, Chvrches, and more. Passes are still on sale.
Friday, November 6 – Sunday, November 8 at 11 am

Austin Flea
Spend your Saturday hunting down one-of-a-kind trinkets and gifts at Austin Flea. Shop The Highball in a market of Austin proportions and snag rare finds from some of the city’s most talented vendors. Admission is free.
Saturday, November 7 at 11 am

Boss Crafts presents Friends & Neighbors Backyard Bazaar
Tap into your creative side at this fun maker’s mini-fair. The backyard of Friends & Neighbors transforms into a crafting party, complete with exclusive shopping, sake cocktails, and tastings treats. Admission is free.
Saturday, November 7 at 11 am

Austin Celtic Festival
The largest gathering of Celts in Central Texas is returning to Fiesta Gardens for the Austin Celtic Association's 19th annual celebration. The event will include four stages of Irish and Scottish music, dance, storytelling, food, and workshops. Tickets are $18 to $30.
Saturday, November 7 at noon

Art Alliance Austin presents Artbash
Prepare for a night of art, fabulousness, and festivities at the inaugural Artbash. Your $85 ticket to the art extravaganza at The Belmont includes four drink tickets and a look at some of the city’s most prolific artists. Up the artsy ante and snag a $250 VIP pass for valet parking, drinks, and an exclusive dinner.
Saturday, November 7 at 9 pm

Renee Rouleau Pop-up Spa
Celebrity esthetician Renee Rouleau is bringing her beauty and skin care talents to Rare Trends for a pampering weekend pop-up spa. Rouleau and her team will rejuvenate your skin with her line of beauty products. Consultations are by appointment only, $400 with Rouleau or $150 with one of her team members.
Saturday, November 7 – Sunday, November 8

AIDS Walk Austin
Bring the family to Republic Square Park for a walk to remember. The annual event is a great way to help in the fight against the disease and feel good doing it. The family-friendly event will feature food trucks, live music from local bands including Riders Against the Storm, and a two-mile walk through downtown to raise funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS. Former NFL player and LGBT advocate Wade Davis will lead the walk as honorary chair. Organize a team or hit the pavement by yourself. Admission is free.
Sunday, November 8 at 11 am

Austin Food & Wine Alliance presents Wine & Swine
Your taste buds are in for the meal of a lifetime. The Austin Food & Wine Alliance brings Central Texas’ top chefs together at Star Hill Ranch to showcase their best pork dishes along with their finest whole roasted pigs for your consumption. Wrangle your foodie friends and snag your $95 ticket before they’re gone.
Sunday, November 8 at 1 pm

Indulge in the Wine & Swine feast on Sunday.

Courtesy of the Austin Food & Wine Alliance

Indulge in the Wine & Swine feast on Sunday.

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Paradise Lost

Popular Austin dance club Outer Heaven to close in 6 months

Outer Heaven Disco Club/Instagram

Outer Heaven Disco Club is closing, as announced in a fiery message from the founder.

In a long Instagram post that could anchor a museum exhibit about Austin's growing pains over the last 10 years, the founder of the popular nightclub Outer Heaven Disco Club announced it would be closing to make way for condos.

"Our landlord has declined to renew our lease for the bar as they are tearing our entire building down to apparently build 'luxury condos,'" the post by owner Sean Daigle says. "So essentially we have 6 months left to operate, ending March 2025."

So far, there do not seem to be any pending Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) records about construction at the address (1808 E. 12th St.), nor those directly adjacent, which currently house Skinny's Off Track Bar and Trona. CultureMap has made contact with Daigle, who has declined to share additional information until it is cleared with the involved parties. A spokesperson for Trona confirms that its team is also waiting to make an official statement, but that it will be staying open with no plans to close doors.CultureMap also sent a message to Skinny's and is waiting for a response.

Outer Heaven's public message on Instagram is broken up over six slides of text. It is both an elegy to the business' past five years, dating back to its start in 2019, and a promise to go down swinging by making the club everything it was envisioned to be, regardless of propriety.

"One point I do wanna make is that we are not 'going out of business.' We are an economically sustainable bar, literally despite doing most everything the opposite of how bars are 'supposed' to operate ..." writes Daigle.

Earlier in the slides, Daigle writes, "It is ironic in a way because its the most 'new Austin' reason that could possibly happen[,] and an encapsulation of why I rail on about why everything will eventually be swallowed by the people with the checkbooks."

See on Instagram

Outer Heaven has become known for its authenticity, not just for Daigle's unfiltered social media approach, but also the word-of-mouth popularity, great karaoke, and impressive interior art. The same thing that drives some customers away is what keeps others around: the staff's zero-tolerance policies for inadequate tippers and homophobic behavior. Much like any dive bar, this queer paradise knows its core audience and is willing to ruffle feathers when it deems appropriate.

"I think there is a freedom that comes with knowing when you're gonna be executed and that freedom for me is doubling down on everything I've tried to do here," the post says. It also promises continuing "unwelcome" energy (in scare quotes) for "'haters' ... and your bullsh*t West 6th homophobic normie friends."

For patrons who do support the bar's vision, though, Daigle pledges to live out the rest of its days in pursuit of happy moments, from tiny ones, to those that lead to life-changing relationships as they have in Outer Heaven's run so far.

"Old Austin forever, burn the rest to the ground," Daigle concludes. "I love you all."

More information about Outer Heaven Disco Club is available at outerheavendiscoclubatx.com.

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