Since August, Austin PBS has taken a confident approach to existence after federal funding. One of its returning initiatives, the Big Deal Raffle is "back and better than ever," the organization announced January 5. Austinites can purchase tickets to support community programming and possibly win a gigantic package of local festival tickets worth more than $10,000.

One ticket is $30, and entrants can purchase as many as they'd like. (Note that they must be bought separately.)

The "better than ever" part comes from new festivals added to the prize package. The country-focused Two Step Inn and semi-underground alt-rock Levitation are two major additions in music. Plus, the winner can snack and sip to their heart's content at the Austin Food & Wine Festival.

The package contains two tickets for every festival, so a pact with a reliable plus-one could be a smart strategy to maximize chances of winning. All festivals listed take place in 2026.

The full package includes a pair of tickets to:

• South by Southwest (SXSW): March 12–18
• Moontower Comedy Festival: April 8-19
• Two Step Inn: April 18-19
• ATX TV Festival: May 28-31
• Levitation: September 10-13
• 3-day pass to Austin City Limits Music Festival: October 2-4, and 9-11
• Austin Film Festival & Conference: Around October
• One Austin City Limits Season 52 non-restricted taping: Anytime
• Texas Monthly BBQ Festival: November 1-2
• Texas Tribune Festival: Around November
• Austin Food & Wine Festival: Around November

Tickets are available now via pledgecart.org. The raffle closes February 18.

PBS funding is a hot topic this January. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), founded in 1967 to fund PBS, NPR, and other public media stations, will dissolve after a January 5 vote among its board of directors.

Laypeople who have been following the President Donald Trump administration's initiative to federally defund public media may have known this day would come. CPB had already announced it would shut down this summer when Trump signed a rescissions package canceling its funding among other expenditures. CPB would still exist in an inactive state. However, the January vote ends the organization itself.

Austin PBS only received a portion of its funding from CPB — about 12 percent, CEO Luis Patiño told CultureMap at the time. The loss is felt, but it doesn't necessarily mean Austin PBS will fall apart or even scale back. Locals who want to keep programs like Austin City Limits, which runs on Austin PBS, have a vested interest in keeping the station funded.