September events in Austin 2026

September Events in Austin: 40+ Things to Do This Month (2026)

August 19, 2026 | by Heywood Hotel
Austin Events, Heywood Picks

September in Austin kicks off the busy fall season, and it’s one of our favorite months. The month includes annual festivities like Bat Fest on the Congress Avenue Bridge and LEVITATION Festival across the Red River District and East Austin. This year also brings the first-ever Austin edition of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival. Add J. Cole, Brandi Carlile, Chance the Rapper, Fantastic Fest, and a Texas Longhorns home game against Ohio State, and there’s no shortage of reasons to make the trip.

Here are the Heywood Hotel concierge team’s picks for September 2026.

Austin, TX in September: 16 Events and Things to Do

1. Austin Restaurant Weeks 

August 28–September 13, 2026

Austin Restaurant Weeks is a two-week dining event where top Austin restaurants offer prix fixe menus at reduced prices, with a portion of each meal going to the Central Texas Food Bank. Diners can choose from a $25 lunch or brunch, a $50 dinner, or a $75 dinner. Intero, Lenoir, Old Thousand, Apt 115, Hillside Farmacy, and Odd Duck are just some of this year’s participating restaurants. 

2. Come From Away (Touring)

September 2–27, 2026 at ZACH Theatre

Come From Away is a Tony Award-winning musical built around the true story of the 7,000 air passengers stranded in Gander, Newfoundland after the September 11 attacks, and the small town that absorbed them in the days that followed. The touring production runs September 2–27 at ZACH Theatre, Austin’s anchor resident theater company, with performances most evenings through the month. It runs 100 minutes with no intermission and covers more emotional ground than most two-hour shows.

Lone Star Le Mans, September in Austin, TX

3. 2026 Lone Star Le Mans

September 4–6, 2026 at Circuit of The Americas

The FIA World Endurance Championship makes its only North American stop of the 2026 season at Circuit of The Americas, September 4–6. The Lone Star Le Mans is a six-hour endurance race with LMH Hypercars and LMGT3 cars covering the 20-turn, 3.426-mile COTA circuit. Friday is practice, Saturday is qualifying, and Sunday is race day. Three-day grounds passes give you the run of the circuit all weekend. Single-day tickets are available for race day.

4. Bat Fest

September 5, 2026 at the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge (3:00–11:00 p.m.)

This year’s Bat Fest is the 20th annual celebration of Austin’s most famous natural phenomenon: the 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats that live under the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge and fly out each evening from late summer into fall. The festival takes place on September 5 on the bridge from 3:00 to 11:00 p.m., with three stages of live music featuring performances by Ben Kweller, food and drink vendors, arts and crafts, a costume contest, and educational displays. The bat flight typically begins between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m., so come early for the festival and stay for the flight. Tickets are $15 for general admission, or $25 if you purchase them the day of the event.

5. Austin FC September Home Games

September 5 and September 9, 2026 at Q2 Stadium

Austin FC hosts two home matches this month: San Jose Earthquakes on September 5, and the Colorado Rapids on September 9, both at Q2 Stadium. If you’re looking for a high-energy experience, the south end supporter section is worth standing in at least once if you’ve never done it.

6. Brandi Carlile: The Human Tour

September 6, 2026 at Moody Center

Brandi Carlile brings The Human Tour to Moody Center on September 6. She plays with a full band and longtime collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth, and her Austin shows tend to run long. If you’re already in town for Bat Fest on the 5th, staying through Sunday for this is an easy call.

Levitation Festival, September in Austin, TX

7. LEVITATION Fest

September 10–13, 2026 at Radio/East and multiple venues across Austin

LEVITATION returns to Austin for four days of psych rock, darkwave, punk, indie, metal, and electronic music spread across The Far Out Lounge, Stubb’s, Mohawk, Hotel Vegas, Elysium, 13th Floor, and other venues through the Red River District and East Austin. The festival is back in its original multi-venue format, which lets you build your own schedule across 20+ individual shows night to night. The 2026 headliners include Bikini Kill, Molchat Doma, Sleep, and Die Spitz. Four-day passes are sold out, but 3-Day Far Out Lounge Passes ($185 + fees) and single-show tickets are still available.

8. MotoAmerica at COTA

September 11, 2026 at Circuit of The Americas

MotoAmerica’s national road racing championship returns to Circuit of The Americas on September 11 with the full series in action across Medallia Superbike, Stock 1000, and other classes. COTA is one of the better road courses in the country for motorcycles, with long straights and technical corners that reward real racing. The Lone Star Le Mans is the weekend before, and if you’re making a COTA trip this fall, September gives you two weekends to choose from.

 

Stay in the Heart of East Austin This September

The Heywood Hotel is a MICHELIN-rated boutique hotel one mile from downtown, walking distance to dozens of East Austin restaurants and bars, and a short drive to Moody Center, Moody Amphitheater, and Circuit of The Americas. Our concierge team can help you plan around any event on this list.

Book Your Stay at the Heywood Hotel →

  

9. Texas Longhorns Football vs. Ohio State

September 12, 2026 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

When Texas hosts Ohio State at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 12, the city reorganizes around it. The stadium holds more than 100,000, and the pregame energy runs up and down Sixth Street and through the Drag for hours before kickoff. This is one of the few matchups that tests where Texas stands, and tickets for a game of this size move early.

10. Viva Mexico 2026 — FREE

September 12, 2026 at Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center 

Viva Mexico is Austin’s annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day, held at Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. The event brings live music, traditional food, folklórico dancing, and community gathering to celebrate the Mexican and Mexican-American culture that has been central to Austin’s culture for generations. It falls on September 12, the weekend before the September 16 independence holiday and it’s free to attend.

11. Chance the Rapper: Coloring Book 10 Year Anniversary

September 13, 2026 at Moody Amphitheater

Coloring Book came out in 2016 as a streaming-exclusive release and went on to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album, the first streaming-only project to receive that award. Chance the Rapper is touring its 10th anniversary this fall, and will be in Austin on September 13 at Moody Amphitheater.

12. J. Cole: The Fall-Off Tour

September 14, 2026 at Moody Center

The Fall-Off Tour arrives at Moody Center on September 14, following one of J. Cole’s most closely watched periods in recent years. Moody Center shows for artists at this level tend to sell through, and his Austin dates draw a crowd that knows the catalog well.

13. Fantastic Fest 2026

September 17–24, 2026 at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, 1120 South Lamar Blvd

Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the United States and one of the top three in the world alongside Sitges and Fantasia. Eight days, eight screens, all at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, with a program built on horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, and films that resist easy categorization. Past editions have included world premieres of Parasite, John Wick, and There Will Be Blood, along with secret screenings, filmmaker appearances, and late-night events. Badge options range from full eight-day access down to individual show tickets, so you can build your own program if a full pass isn’t the plan.

Austin Museum Day, September in Austin, TX

14. Austin Museum Day — FREE

September 20, 2026 at various Austin-area museums and cultural sites

Organized by the Austin Museum Partnership, Austin Museum Day brings free admission and special programming to participating museums and cultural sites across the city for one day. The Bullock Texas State History Museum, Blanton Museum of Art, UMLAUF Sculpture Garden, and the Harry Ransom Center are just a handful of participating museums. This annual event is a great opportunity to get into places you’ve been meaning to visit, especially if you have guests who haven’t been to Austin before.

15. HAAM Day Music Festival — FREE

September 22, 2026 at 120+ venues across Greater Austin

HAAM Day is the world’s largest one-day local music festival and it’s all for a good cause. The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians hosts it on September 22, turning 120+ venues across the city into a single citywide stage for 400+ local musicians across 250+ free performances. Every dollar raised goes to healthcare access for Austin’s working musicians. Shows take place at iconic venues like Stubb’s to neighborhood H-E-B locations and the Town Lake Trail. The full venue and performer map goes live closer to the event.

16. Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival

September 26–27, 2026 at Moody Center

Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival returns for its seventh edition and its first-ever Austin stop, September 26 and 27 at Moody Center. Clapton plays both nights and the lineup includes John Mayer, Trey Anastasio, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Billy Gibbons, Buddy Guy, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Pete Townshend, Jimmie Vaughan, Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Marcus King, and more than a dozen other artists. Proceeds from both nights benefit the Crossroads Centre Antigua, the addiction treatment facility Clapton founded in 1998. Tickets for each night are sold separately.

Austin Concerts in September 2026

Johnny Blue Skies, Brandi Carlile, and J. Cole perform in Austin, TX in September 2026

Johnny Blue Skies, Brandi Carlile, and J. Cole are coming to town this month.

Performing Arts & Shows in Austin in September

Stay in the Heart of Austin This September

East Austin puts you right in the middle of one of Austin’s busiest months. Located on E. Cesar Chavez, the Heywood Hotel is a MICHELIN-rated boutique hotel one mile from downtown, walking distance to dozens of restaurants and bars, and a short drive from Moody Center, Moody Amphitheater, and the East Austin venues where LEVITATION and HAAM Day take over the neighborhood.

Visiting Austin this September? Book your stay at the Heywood Hotel and our team will help you make the most of your time here.

 

Book Your September Stay at the Heywood Hotel

MICHELIN-rated and steps from East Austin’s best restaurants, bars, and event venues. Our concierge team knows this city and will help you make the most of your time here.

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