Although Austin may not be a common backdrop for breakdancing in movies and music videos, the culture here thrives — it's even three decades deep into a competitive tradition. BBoy City XXX is hosting its 30th annual competition this Labor Day weekend, August 30 to September 1, complete with a film festival, a block party, and two days of breaking battles.

This event is presented partnership with the Snipes Pro Breaking Tour, a national competition circuit, and this year is special for breaking as it marks the sport's Olympic debut. A release notes that some competitors may be in town for the more local competition.

American Victor Montalvo, or B-Boy Victor, won the bronze medal on the men's side, and no American women won medals. Breaking made headlines for somewhat unfortunate reasons as the world questioned Australian dancer Rachael Gunn's, or Raygun's, qualifications, but it also prompted series questions about accessibility and representation within the sport.

To bring more stories into the limelight, BBoy City XX is also partnering with Austin Film Society for “Shoot to Live,” a film festival that gets the festivities rolling on August 30. Of course, these films will focus on the art of breaking, and there will be a panel for selecting the best film. The festival is only two hours long, so there will be plenty of time to go to other events, like the kickoff party immediately after.

Held at downtown cocktail bar ReyRey, the party will feature music by hip-hop DJs, a VIP lounge, a cosplay contest, giveaways, and more. The 21-and-up party will welcome everyone to the competition, including the competitors and judges. The first 100 people will enter free, and then general admission is $10.

The competition gets underway the next day with preliminaries at the South Austin Recreation center, which a release notes is a home base for many Austin breakers thanks to its breaking classes. Admission to each competition day is $25.

After the larger pool of athletes is selected on Saturday, they'll come back together on Sunday for group and youth solo battles. Winners in both categories will receive trips to Los Angeles for two different advancements: a Freestyle Session (the West Coast equivalent of BBoy City) and the national championship for youth breaking. The group winners will also win $2,000.

This event has a social conscience, and was initially started in 1998 by Romeo Navarro and Roger Davis give kids an outlet for self-expression and staying out of trouble, according to the release.

More information on BBoy City 2024 is available at bboycity.com. Tickets for all the events are sold separately, but can be found via links on the website.

Event schedule for BBoy City XXX.Graphic courtesy of BBoy City