Viva Austin!

Viva! Streets Austin Festival: Encouraging Austinites to have fun while beingactive

On May 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., two miles of Sixth Street – starting atBrazos St. and ending at Robert Martinez Jr. – will be completely closed off tomotor vehicles and instead, open for biking, rollerblading, skateboarding and aslew of other activities that encourage Austinites to be active.

Those who frequent West Sixth Street on Friday and Saturday nights are probably used to seeing part of the road completely blocked off to automobiles so people can safely roam amongst themselves.

Viva! Streets Austin, a new free festival set for this Sunday, plans to take that idea and spice it up a bit.

On May 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., two miles of Sixth Street — starting at Brazos St. and ending at Robert Martinez Jr. — will be completely closed off to motor vehicles and instead, open for biking, rollerblading, skateboarding and a slew of other activities that encourage Austinites to be active.

The festival’s mission is to “transform a street into public space and encourage active living through recreation, fitness activities, and healthful food options.”

Viva! Streets was inspired by a tradition in Colombia called, Ciclovía. During each Sunday or on various holidays, the main streets of Colombia would be closed off to automobiles and would be open primarily for bicyclists, runners, skaters.

The tradition has exploded internationally, from Australia to New Zealand to Canada to here in the United States. El Paso and San Antonio have previously held similar events, but this year will be Austin’s first.

The festival will feature two different zones of activities: in the green zone near Brazos, attendees can enjoy Zumba, yoga and a cooking demo/exercise sponsored by various organizations. Over at the blue zone, Viva! Streets will also be hosting exercise classes, an opening ceremony and various live music events.

Festival go-ers are encouraged to bring their dogs, ride their bikes, tango and simply enjoy the streets. According to their website, the festival’s mission is to “transform a street into public space and encourage active living through recreation, fitness activities, and healthful food options.”

And for those interested in exploring the various “healthful food options,” be sure to check out the healthy food cooking demos as well as free samples from various vendors throughout the street.

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For more details about Viva! Streets Austin, take a look at their event schedule.

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Taste of 2025

Austin's Wine & Food Foundation announces 3 big events for 2025

Photo by Erica Wilkins Photography

Theses Wine & Food Foundation events raise funds for local initiatives.

Austin's food scene is booming, but smaller businesses could always use support. The Wine & Food Foundation is one of Austin's leading industry protectors, and it's just announced three events to help support its mission over the next year.

The three events — Big Reds and Bubbles, Toast of Texas, and the Rare & Fine Wine Auction Gala — are spread out between March and November of 2025, and all offer something a bit different.

They'll all benefit the Wine & Food Foundation and, by extension, the local organizations it supports. Those include Keep Austin Fed, which diverts food surpluses from grocery stores, catered events, and other sites of professional food service; and Sustainable Food Center, which helps Texans access healthy food through SNAP and WIC incentives, hosts farmers markets, connects farmers with resources, and more. The Wine & Food Foundation also offers scholarships for hospitality professionals.

Big Reds and Bubbles, held Friday, March 28, will bring together more than 100 red and sparkling wines for a tasting event. In addition to comparing wines back-to-back, guests will get to try them with bites from popular Austin restaurants to discover interesting new pairings. They'll also get to dress to impress and see the new LZR space — formerly La Zona Rosa, an old Austin music venue that had its last official performance in 2013.

Next up is Toast of Texas on June 8. This is another tasting event that focuses instead on 20 local wineries. The food menu at this event is also more specific, featuring local barbecue and paella, among other local tastes. It'll be located at Assembly Hall, an event space on East 7th Street adjacent to the East Austin Hotel.

Finally, there's the premier event: the Rare & Fine Wine Auction Gala on November 8. This is a big fundraising opportunity not just because of potentially high auction tickets, but the chance to experience something truly out of the ordinary for the wine industry. Guests will also enjoy "an elegant dinner" according to the press release and wines by a featured maker. It'll all happen at the JW Marriott Austin.

The release counts more than 50 other events slated for the year, so there are plenty more opportunities between the big three. Some of these include wine tasting courses, which will be available again soon.

wine tasting small businesses wineries nonprofits galas