16. The Mighty Texas Dog Walk
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (512) 891-9090
Description: The route changes each year as Central Texas dog lovers and their pooches gather to try to set a new Guinness World Record for a dog walk over their rivals in England. In 2010, some 8,000 furry participants made the march, not quite enough to beat the Brit record of 10,000, but plenty to help raise money for the Texas Hearing and Service Dogs organization.
17. Old Settler’s Music Festival
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (512) 346-0999
Description: This folk music festival originated in Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock, north of Austin, hence its name. But as it grew, the celebrants sought a larger site and moved south to Driftwood, a tiny community about 12 miles south of US 290 on FM 1826, southwest of Austin. The 2-day celebration of acoustic, bluegrass, jazz, and folk music is usually held on the first weekend of the month, drawing crowds that make a weekend of the event by camping out on-site. A 2-day ticket costs about $50, but book early since tickets, especially camping sites, sell out early. One-day tickets are also available.
18. Taylor Jaycees National Rattlesnake Sacking Championship
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Not for the faint of heart, this annual event takes place in the small community of Taylor, northeast of Austin. Amateur teams compete for the prize; even young snake handlers test their skills. Visitors can also answer that age-old question—does fried rattlesnake meat taste like chicken? Admission fee.
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
20. The Texas Relays
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (512) 471-3333, (800) 982-BEVO
Description: The relays have been run at UT for more than 70 years and feature top high school and collegiate track and field competitors from across the nation. Usually scheduled for the first weekend in Apr, sessions begin on Fri morning and end Sat afternoon. The preliminaries are held on Wed and Thurs and are free. Tickets available for one day or the entire event. An all-session ticket costs $10. Call the toll-free number for additional information and advanced ticket purchase.
21. Wildflowers Days Festival
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (512) 292-4100
Address: 4801 La Crosse Ave.
Insider Pick:
Description: The research center celebrates the Hill Country spring wildflower season with a daylong festival featuring native plant experts and authors, an arts and crafts exhibit, and live music. Admission is $3.50 for adults, $2 for students and seniors, and $1 for children 5 and younger.
22. Yesterfest and the Salinas Art Festival
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (512) 321-2419
Description: Bastrop, the historic small community just east of Austin on Highway 71, is a town that has worked hard at maintaining its ties to the past. Several historic buildings line Main Street, where the art festival takes place on the third Sat of the month. Out at the city park, the locals celebrate their pioneer past with historical exhibits, reenactments, craft demonstrations, music, and food. It all winds up in a Main Street dance at night and a campfire stew dinner. Admission charge to the park. Parking is available at the Bastrop High School, and shuttles run to the park. Yesterfest begins at 10 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m.
23. Catholic Church Spring Picnic
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (512) 594-4180
Description: Shiner is a small Central Texas town southeast of Austin well known as the home of Shiner beer. The town retains much of its German-American flavor, and one of the best ways to experience that is to visit the annual Catholic church picnic. The event, which dates back to 1897 and is one of the biggest church picnics in the area, is free and features a country store, food, games like horseshoes, and dancing all day to polka bands. The fun continues into the evening with more dancing and a church dinner, featuring Shiner Picnic Stew, sausage, fried chicken, and all the fixin’s. The event is held the Sun before Memorial Day.
24. Cinco de Mayo
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 2101 Bergman St.
Description: On May 5, 1862, Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza (who was born in Texas) defeated the army of French Emperor Louis Napoleon at Puebla, east of Mexico City. That blow against European imperialism is now a special holiday celebrated in song and dance both in Mexico and Texas. In addition to celebrations at Fiesta Gardens in East Austin, folkloric dancers and mariachi bands often perform at the State Capitol in the rotunda. Most Cinco de Mayo events are free, but some of the evening celebrations at Fiesta Gardens may charge an entrance fee. Another place where celebrations of Mexican-American life are held is the new Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River St., (512) 478-6222, www.ci.austin.tx.us/macc.
25. FUSEBox festival
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: A 10 day contemporary arts festival celebrating theater, film, dance, music, and art on Austin’s downtown streets and in buildings, even bridges—the emphasis here is on modern.
26. Historic Homes Tour
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (512) 474-5198
Description: On Mother’s Day weekend, the Heritage Society of Austin offers history buffs an opportunity to tour some of the city’s most historic homes. Each year, the tour has a different theme. The society has played an important role in saving Austin buildings. One of its first projects was to rescue the Driskill Hotel on Sixth Street back in the 1970s. Tickets are available in advance or at the homes on the tour.
27. The O. Henry World Championship Pun-Off
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (512) 472-1903
Address: 409 East Fifth St. in Brush Park
Description: If you are a pun-lover, and apparently there are hundreds of them in Austin, this is the event for you. Each year, on the first Sun in May, up to 2,000 people gather at the O. Henry Museum to watch and participate in the pun-off. The famous short-story writer William Sydney Porter, who wrote under the nom de plume of O. Henry, was a master punster. The event is free. To join the pun-off, simply show up.
28. The Summer Concert Series
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (512) 440-1414
Description: Organized by the Austin Federation of Musicians, this series of free outdoor summer concerts is held every Wed in May at 7 p.m. on Auditorium Shores, the south shore of Lady Bird Lake, just west of South Congress Avenue. Concerts also are held on Sun afternoon at the Zilker Hillside Theater at 3 p.m. The concert series features a variety of bands and music, including rhythm and blues, Tejano, samba, and jazz. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair. Some refreshments are sold at concession stands, but many music lovers bring along a picnic.
29. Austin Symphony Orchestra Children’s Days
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (512) 476-6052
Address: 1101 Red River St.
Description: Each Wed in June and July the symphony entertains and educates children in the little stone amphitheater at Symphony Square. There’s music, dance, stories, and a little education thrown in for good measure.
30. Blanco Lavender festival
City: Austin, TX
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (830) 833-5101
Description: The Hill Country is now home to a burgeoning new crop—lavender and this festival celebrates its role in the culinary and home-keeping arts. Tours of local lavender farms are offered and stalls on the courthouse square demonstrate lavender arts and sells crafts and food. There’s music, also.