This is the sort of weekend Austin can still win with. Not because it’s trying too hard, but because the city suddenly gives you three very different plans that all sound right.
A weird old park party. A proper music festival. A film lineup that makes you feel a little smarter for leaving the house. That’s my favorite version of this place — loose, specific, and just unpredictable enough to feel alive.
So this week’s issue leans into that. Fresh picks, fresh stories, and nothing that feels like a rerun.
This Weekend
Date/Time: Saturday, April 25 at 11 AM
Location: Pease District Park
Price: Free
There are very few cities where a long-running birthday party for a gloomy cartoon donkey feels like legitimate civic culture, but Austin pulls it off. Eeyore’s is back on Saturday at Pease Park, and it’s still one of the clearest examples of Austin being weird in a way that actually feels earned. Costumes, drums, park energy, people fully committing to the vibe — it’s all there.
Date/Time: Saturday, April 25, to Sunday, April 26, from 11 AM to 11 PM
Location: Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park
Price: $89-$179
I like this pick because it feels big without feeling overpackaged. The Austin Blues Festival runs both Saturday and Sunday, and it’s the kind of weekend anchor that gives the city a little weight. Good live music, a strong setting, and enough room for the whole thing to feel communal instead of over-curated.
Date/Time: Wednesday, April 22, to Sunday, April 26, from 6 PM until 10 PM
Location: AFS Cinema & Event Hall
Price: $15-$20
This is for the people who want one weekend plan that doesn’t sound like everybody else’s. Indie Meme Film Festival runs through Sunday at AFS Cinema, and I’m always into anything that makes Austin feel a little more curious and international for a few days. A good film festival changes the rhythm of a weekend in a nice way.
Startup & Tech
Bescy Austin Meetup
Date/Time: Monday, April 27, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Location: Station Austin
Link: Capital Factory
I’m into this because it has an actual point of view. Bescy stands for Behavioral Science + You, and the meetup is built around behavior change, presentations, networking, and discussion. Austin tech is usually more useful when it gets a little more specific than “future of everything,” and this one does.
HighLevel Austin Chapter Event
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 28, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Location: Station Austin
Link: Capital Factory
This one is narrower, which honestly helps. Capital Factory’s event page says it’s for active HighLevel users who want hands-on insights and a look at what’s working inside the platform right now. Not every tech gathering needs to be for everybody. Sometimes a room gets better when it knows exactly who it’s for.
Eat & Drink
Why it’s worth knowing: because spring in Austin should involve a patio that actually feels worth crossing town for
Location: Sunset Valley
This week, I’d point people toward Leona. Eater calls it South Austin’s latest patio destination, and the details are strong: cocktails, food from Dee Dee Thai and Veracruz Tacos, fire pits, a stream, and a garden with more than 80 plant species.
That sounds less like a quick stop and more like the place your afternoon accidentally turns into.
Austin Life
South Austin just got 50 more acres of parkland, which feels like one of the better growth stories we’ve had in a while
A local story I actually liked this week: the City of Austin acquired 50 acres of parkland in South Austin, and the Parks and Recreation Department plans include trails along Onion Creek.
That’s the kind of city growth I can get behind. Not another abstract promise. Actual land. Actual public space. Actual room for Austin to breathe a little.
Only in Austin
Apparently, the elk question in South Austin is real enough to deserve an investigation
Only here would an elk-crossing sign turn into a full-blown local mystery. KUT’s latest ATXplained digs into whether wild elk actually roam Southwest Austin after one resident became completely obsessed with proving they do.
I love this kind of story because it’s specific, a little absurd, and weirdly sincere. Which is basically Austin in miniature.
This Week’s Links
Austin is still at its best when the weekend doesn’t make you choose just one version of the city. You can get the weird tradition, the live music, the film crowd, and the slower neighborhood moments all in the same few days, which is part of why this place still works on me.
The trick is not trying to do everything; just pick the version of Austin you want most and let the rest find you.
Excited to see you next week,
Owen
Owen Callaway moved to Austin in 2015 for a product manager position at a fintech startup. Although the startup didn’t succeed, Austin did. After spending his first year planning to return to Chicago, Owen was won over by tacos, Barton Springs, and the chance to explore new neighborhoods.
Having lived in East Austin, South Congress, and Bouldin Creek, he started This Is Austin to answer the same three questions his friends asked: “Where should I eat?”, “What’s worth doing?”, and “Should I move here?”