it's rawe ceek

8 exciting events and specials gearing up for Formula 1 weekend in Austin

Better get out those good tennis shoes to walk around Circuit of the Americas.

Photo by Daniel Cavazos

It's race week, y'all. The United States Grand Prix has consistently brought in the largest crowds out of any Formula 1 race on the calendar, year after year. Its unrivaled success championed the expansion of F1 in the U.S., and helped bring in two additional races in Miami and Las Vegas.

If you’re coming in from out of town looking for some non-track events to feel your way through Austin, or you’re a local looking to avoid some of the trackside traffic, here are eight F1 events and specials happening throughout the city leading up to the race. We'll add more as we hear more.

Williams Racing Fan Zone
Williams Racing first brought its Fan Zone to Austin in 2022, and is coming back in 2023 with even more exclusive entertainment for fans. Located at 800 Congress Avenue downtown, the public is welcome to enter the Fan Zone beginning at 10 am Monday through Friday (and starting at 11 am on the weekend) to check out the FW45 car, catch a live Q&A session with Williams drivers Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon, grab some merch, and walk through a special Williams memorabilia museum. More information about Fan Zone activities, operating hours, and more can be found on williamsf1.com.

Aba's F1-themed cocktails
Just in time for the race weekend and lots of tourists checking out South Congress, this favorite Mediterranean restaurant has mixed up an exclusive F1 cocktail: Turn 15. Enjoy sipping on this passionfruit, lime, and tequila libation while sitting on Aba's outdoor patio or the new open-air Paseo Bar. The exclusive cocktail, topped with a checkered flag, will only be available for a limited time. Don't forget to pair it with one of the many brunch, lunch, or dinner offerings on the menu.

Formula Wonderfest in Bastrop
If you're looking to party anywhere that isn't Austin, you'll find yourself in great company at Formula Wonderfest in downtown Bastrop. The outdoor electronic music festival will feature an array of local talent, including DJ LA.D.DA, The Midnight Stroll, Deezie Brown, and Paul Oakenfold from 6 to 10 pm. Tickets ($35 per person) can be purchased via Eventbrite.

The Austin Pit Stop at Fair Market
Scuderia Ferrari team sponsor Global Poker is putting together a night of poker and racing fun on Thursday, October 19 from 6:30-11 pm at Fair Market. Attendees can test out their poker face and try their hand at driving like Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz while using the interactive racing simulators. The event promises live music from "top secret" bands, including Austin-based supergroup Shinyribs, which specializes in mixing blues, R&B funk, and soul into one spectacular performance. Plus, there will be a few special celebrity appearances, including Olympian Michael Phelps. Food trucks and beverages will be available on-site. More information about the event, including registration, can be found on globalpoker.com.

Enchanté pop-up at Big Henry's Vinyl & Gifts
It's no secret that AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo loves Austin. He takes any chance he can get to appreciate the Texas capital. Now, he's bringing his personal clothing line to a special pop-up at Big Henry's Vinyl & Gifts on Friday, October 20, from 11 am to 7 pm. His newest collection, Enchanté Records, is inspired by the Live Music Capital of the World. Shoppers can get 20 percent off and receive a free gift if they use Cash App Pay at checkout.

Celebrity parties at Superstition
F1 fans have two chances to party all night long at Superstition, on Thursday, October 19, and Saturday, October 21. Thursday's Race Week Bash will feature a live performance by country music duo LoCash, while Saturday's Maxim Party in America's Backyard will have Austin-loving DJ Diplo at the reins. Tickets for the Race Week Bash (general admission begins at $40) can be found at revcountry.com, and tickets for Maxim Party in America's Backyard (general admission begins at $125) can be purchased from vipnightlife.com.

Por La Familia pop-up at Allen's Boots
In collaboration with Mexican singer-songwriter Carin León and Red Bull Racing partner Cash App, Austin's longtime Western wear shop Allen's Boots will be releasing new merchandise to celebrate León's new song "Por La Familia." The pop-up will run October 20-21 from 12 pm to 8 pm, and feature a tattoo bar, hat shaping, and more. All proceeds will benefit Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez's foundation for underprivileged children. Plus, the first 20 attendees to make a purchase during the pop-up will receive an additional item signed by Checo.

Hotel Zaza's superluxe F1 Packages
Guests in town for the race can enjoy two deluxe packages from this downtown Austin hotel. The Helicopter transport package will get guests to and from the track for $1,500 per person, per day, with included car transport to and from the helipads. The COTA Memorabilia Package ($2,400) gives guests a special COTA hat, a Hotel ZaZa Richardson 112 hat, two seat cushions, two Nikon Monarch M7 binoculars, and a copy of Formula 1: The Impossible Collection.

f1 formula 1 formula 1 weekend austin austin circuit of the americas COTA racing events

Belles of the Ballroom

9 Austin bar and venue experts take over popular Old Austin space near UT

29th Street Ballroom/Facebook

Changes are coming at the 29th Street Ballroom, but the goal is to preserve what already makes it special.

The evolution continues at the 29th Street Ballroom, the music venue formerly attached to Spider House Café. It's no secret, Resound Presents CEO and co-founder Graham Williams says, that he and a large team of other industry pros are taking over the space; but now they're ready to talk about what comes next for the venue and adjoining bar.

Although Spider House Café closed in 2020, the Ballroom stayed open, and has continued serving University of Texas students and anyone else who wants to see a show outside of the ordinary: punk shows, burlesque revues, fundraisers, and more. It'll stay open through most of the renovations, scheduled through January of 2025, and is expected to hold a grand opening in March.

Now Resound — one of Austin's top live music organizers, which was itself born from the ashes of another Austin institution — is lending two of its co-founders to managing the space going forward: Williams and Ian Orth. They're joining seven other team members from venues around town, many of them overlapping: Amy Mullins, Brian Tweedy, Jason McNeely, John Yaklin, and Shannon LeBoeuf of Hotel Vegas, Chess Club, Kinda Tropical, Tweedy’s, and Yellow Jacket Social Club, in varying capacities; and Brian Buscemi and Mike Sanchez of the Little Darlin’.

Williams emphasizes that although things will be changing at the Ballroom, the goal isn't to change anything people already love.

"Over the next few months as we kind of ease into the spring, we're using this downtime to revitalize things, decorate, revamp some of the stuff in the venue and the bar, and just kind of get things moving in the right direction," Williams says, "taking what's already popular about the venue and just adding to it, really."

Bar updates
The biggest shift will be turning the bar from an accessory to live shows into its own entity that's open even when there's nothing else going on. Amy Mullins, best known as a co-owner of Yellow Jacket Social Club, is overseeing that transition. She's never operated a venue that is primarily focused on music, and has been enjoying learning more about how to do it; she even worked the door recently when a staff member called out sick.

Mullins echoes Williams in assuring that the change is more about logistics than tone. It'll still feel like Old Austin, but she does express a hope to run more than the "typical venue bar," handing out simple drinks as quickly as possible. She's working on a new menu that includes wine, beer, craft cocktails, and non-alcoholic options like tea, kombucha, or mocktails. Regardless of what's on the schedule on any given night, Mullins says the menu will stay the same.

"There's no drink too complicated for us to make, however busy we are," she says.

Food options
Another goal for the team will be making sure the space works when there's not someone onstage to crowd around. They'll expand the front and side patios and create a food truck food court that features the same trucks that are there now, plus one newcomer. All in all, that includes Yalla Burger & Wings, Gyro Center, Li’l Nonna’s Vegan Pizzeria, Guppy’s Indian Fried Chicken, Waylon J’s BBQ, and Ay Chihuahua Tacos.

The expanded patio will connect to Tweedy's Bar next door, which also has its own food trucks. The idea is to create a space to hang out after shows that feels fit for the purpose. It's possible to stick around after events now, but the layout does create a vague feeling of loitering.

Artist and fan-friendly tweaks
On the entertainment side, Williams says some of the renovations include putting in a new sound system, redoing the green room, updating the facade, and repainting signs. Since the winter is a slower time for live music, they'll be taking advantage of the extra time to work on things before packing the calendar with more events than before. Resound will handle most of the bookings in live music, comedy, and DJ sets, welcoming both national and local talent.

Whatever the details end up being, this team has proved to Austinites that they know how to run venues worth visiting. And since they're all friends and business partners on multiple levels, it sounds like having this many cooks in the kitchen just isn't an issue.

"Some of us have been roommates and known each other since we were young," says Williams. "It's a good mix of people who are all very like minded, so a lot is being brought to the table per decision. So yeah, it's it's really exciting. Sometimes that's not the case. .... But with this project, it's a lot of really great, creative people that are good at what they do [and] they trust each other."

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