Weekend Event Guide

Here are the top 7 things to do in Austin this weekend

SXSW season is officially upon us, and this activities-packed forecast is proof. Catch some of the best, brightest, and rising talent during SXSW Film & TV Festival and SXSW Comedy Festival. Rodeo Austin and a proper garden party offer even more reason to welcome springtime in the city. Check out the top seven things to do in Austin this weekend. For a complete list of events, visit our calendar.

Thursday, March 7

Moody Center presents Dan + Shay in concert
Pop duo Dan + Shay perform live at Moody Center. The pair best known for songs such as “10,000 Hours” and “From the Ground Up” come to Austin in support of their new album, Bigger Houses. Get more information on Ticketmaster.

Texas Performing Arts presents An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma
World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performs a special concert at Bass Concert Hall. Ma has been acclaimed as one of the foremost artists in modern classical music. He will perform a specially curated selection of his favorite pieces and will also share stories of his life’s journey with the audience. A limited number of tickets are still available.

Friday, March 8

SXSW Film & TV Festival
The Film & TV Festival component of SXSW returns with a star-studded lineup that visitors, locals, and attendees have come to expect and are sure to enjoy. Featured film screenings include Immaculate starring Sydney Sweeney, Monkey Man starring Dev Patel, and Road House starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Venues include Paramount Theatre, Violet Crown Cinema, the ZACH Theatre, and more. Events are scheduled through March 16.

SXSW Comedy Festival
SXSW Comedy Festival is back with five consecutive days of diverse programming including podcast recordings, can’t-miss conversations, live showcases, and more. Guests can expect appearances from featured performers such as Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel, Judd Apatow, Lilly Singh, Nick Kroll, Samantha Bee, and others. Event venues include Esther’s Follies, ACL Live, and Sunset Strip Comedy Club.

Rodeo Austin
Giddyup action awaits at the largest carnival event in Austin kicking off this weekend. Visitors to Rodeo Austin can enjoy ProRodeo events, a livestock show, a beer and wine garden, special attractions, and food trucks on the Travis County Exposition Center grounds. Post-competition musical performers include William Clark Green, Wynonna Judd, Jake Owen, and more.

Sunday, March 10

Photo courtesy of Team Coco

SXSW Comedy Festival welcomes Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel, and more starting this weekend.

The Vortex presents its 14th Annual Garden Party
In celebration of the replenishment of its nationally certified butterfly sanctuary, guests are invited to The VORTEX for a day of whimsical fun. Partygoers can enjoy a special live preview of excerpts from Bridging with Mother, an original production created by Tyagaraja Welch and directed by Gunjen Mittal. Additional garden party highlights include art activities, planting, and live music from Ryan Radtke and Roland and the Roots Riddim. Admission is free and open to the public.

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Meet at the Moontower

John Waters, Aziz Ansari among added headliners for 2025 Moontower fest

Photo by Greg Gorman

John Waters is one of the longest-reigning comedy greats attending the festival.

Austin's main annual dose of comedy has been prescribed: Moontower Comedy Festival is returning April 9-19, and just the first wave of talent includes more than 100 performers across 10 venues. Now a second wave of talent has been announced for the festival's 13th year.

Attendees will see shows and stand-up showcases, live podcasts, sketch comedy, musical comedy, and more. There are also parties and other special events tying everything together.

New headliners in the second wave include:

Aziz Ansari, creator of the series Master of None and actor behind the whimsical, sometimes whiny Parks and Recreation character Tom Haverford.
Pete Holmes, star of HBO's Crashing and host of the You Made It Weird podcast, who is specifically bringing his Feelin' It Tour to Moontower.
Hank Azaria, the voice behind Simpsons characters like Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmers, and who will be playing with his EZ Street Band.
John Waters, known lovingly as the "Pope of Trash," having directed movies like Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. He's bringing a new show for his Moontower debut.
Tiffany Haddish, author of The Last Black Unicorn, known for standup comedy, and a breakout role in Girls Trip.
Zarna Garg, known for addressing the Indian diaspora as a self-proclaimed "overbearing Indian auntie," who is bringing her Practical People Win tour.

A bit more insight on some of the headliners:

Adam Ray parodies (and dresses up as) the famous talk show host Dr. Phil on Dr. Phil Live. He also interviews celebrity guests and uses audience interaction to get the crowd going.
Handsome Pod Livefeatures Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin — all big-name comedians in their own rights — and answer questions from friends about really any topic imaginable.
Atsuko Okatsuka's HBO special The Intruder has been lauded by The New York Times as the Best Debut of 2022, the same year she was named one of Variety's Top 10 Comics to Watch.
Joey “Coco” Diaz, bestselling author of Tremendous: The Life of a Comedy Savage, brings his storytelling skills to the stage.

Although there are tons of very famous performers on the lineup, there's also local talent: a press release lists Liza Splatt, Andrew Murphy, Ashley Sharma, Avery Moore, Brett VerVoort, Chris Tellez, Colton Dowling, Danny Goodwin, Doug Mellard, Dylan Carlino, Genivive Clinton, "and many more."

Badges (starting at $150) are available now at moontowercomedyfest.com. A promotion called the Bestie Badge offers $25 off of every badge to those who buy two or more. Badges can also be purchased at the Paramount Theatre box office or by calling (512) 474-1221. Like any festival lineup, this one is subject to change.