Editor's note: As 2024 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Austin this year. In the Capital City, that includes world-class entertainment, from international racing events to buzzy festivals and your favorite singer's favorite singer. Here are the top 10 Austin entertainment headlines from 2024.
1. ACL Fest moves Chappell Roan performance without ticket refunds. Austin City Limits Music Festival got a lot of heat from ticketholders after announcing that pop sensation Chappell Roan would be performing Sunday of both weekends, instead of Saturday.
2. Linklater and cast reunite in Austin 30 years after Dazed and Confused. In late September, the reunited cast was recognized by the Linklater-founded Austin Film Society and Focus Features, including a special 30th anniversary screening of the cult classic and Q&A.
3. 11 events and afterparties rev up for Formula 1 weekend in Austin. Besides offering the thrill of racing, the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas is famous for bringing out fun brand activations, events, and afterparties throughout the week.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc won the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday, October 20, with Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen rounding out the top three.
Photo by Daniel Cavazos
4. Hybrid record shop and salon dolls up fabulous new East Austin home. The small move kept Vinyl Beauty Bar in the beloved East Austin neighborhood that perfectly encapsulates the eclectic vibe of the salon.
5. Here are 10+ SXSW events that are free for everyone. Whether you have a wristband or not, South by Southwest brings so many events to Austinites' doorsteps that it's hard not to engage with the festival's Austin takeover.
6. Oldest dance hall in Texas tunes up for 4-day music and wine festival. The beloved festival benefits United Way of Comal County, a local chapter of a global organization that addresses poverty through health, education, and other opportunity gaps.
7. Austin icon Gary Clark Jr. to play free show launching wife's maternity pop-up. Clark played a free hometown show to celebrate the opening of his wife's trendy maternity pop-up, Bumpsuit, at Domain Northside.
8. Popular Austin dance club Outer Heaven to close in 6 months. The founder's lengthy Instagram announcement was 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.
9. More than 20 Texas bands come together for San Marcos metal festival. This homegrown festival brought many local artists from San Marcos, Austin, and San Antonio, with a few other Texas visitors from farther afield.
10. ACL Fest 2024 in photos: Dua Lipa domination, Khruangbin's fashion, and more. The anticipation of Chappell Roan’s Sunday evening set fueled the buzz surrounding this year’s lineup, but it would be criminal to not pay tribute to the rest of the ACL Fest 2024 ensemble.
