August in Austin: 31 Can’t-Miss Events, Concerts, and Festivals in 2026
July 14, 2026
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August in Austin is when summer is still going strong. Austin Pride arrives with its signature parade down Congress Avenue. The Zilker Summer Musical is still running its free outdoor shows every weekend. And a run of touring artists including Muse, Kesha, Lionel Richie with Earth, Wind and Fire, Santana, Franz Ferdinand, and more means there are live shows worth planning around nearly every week.
August is also when the city’s creative community stages its own version of festival season. There’s the ATX Sketch Fest at ColdTowne Theater just down the street from us and The Front Festival at the Red River Cultural District and Laguna Gloria to close out the month.
Here are the Heywood Hotel concierge team’s picks for events you can’t miss this August in Austin.
In this post:
August in Austin, TX: Events and Things to Do
1. Paddle for Puppies
August 9, 2026 at Rowing Dock, Lady Bird Lake
This is the 15th annual Paddle for Puppies, a charity paddle on Lady Bird Lake benefiting Austin Pets Alive’s Parvo Puppy ICU. Since 2009, APA’s program has treated more than 10,000 puppies with parvovirus, which used to mean automatic euthanasia and now means a second chance at adoption. You can paddle by kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard from Rowing Dock down Lady Bird Lake and back. Registration and rental fees go directly to the program.
2. Austin Sketch Fest
August 14–16 and 21–23, 2026 at ColdTowne Theater
Seeing a comedy show is one of our favorite East Austin nightlife activities, and this month, there’s a whole festival dedicated to it. Austin Sketch Fest is two full weekends of scripted comedy at ColdTowne Theater, all happening right down the street from the Heywood. The festival showcases groups from Austin, New York, Chicago, LA, and beyond, and this year’s headliner lineup includes Aly Dixon, Andrew Dismukes of SNL, and the Peabody-winning Shitty Mozart. Expert tip: Guests can park for free at the Heywood Hotel and walk one block over to ColdTowne Theater.
3. PBR Gambler Days
August 21–23, 2026 at Moody Center
The Austin Gamblers are the reigning three-time PBR Teams Regular Season Champions, and Gambler Days is their home event: three days of professional bull riding at Austin’s Moody Center. The format is team-based, which means every eight-second ride matters for standings, and the crowd energy reflects that. Single-night tickets are available, as is a three-day pass.
4. Austin Pride (Free)
August 22, 2026 at Congress Avenue and Fiesta Gardens
Austin Pride is one of the largest Pride celebrations in the South. The celebrations begin with a daytime festival at Fiesta Gardens, just one mile from the Heywood Hotel. The festival runs all day with live music, vendors, community organizations, and performers. At night, the annual parade starts at the Texas Capitol before making its way down Congress Avenue, through the Warehouse District, and ending on the Congress Avenue Bridge. The parade is free to attend while the festival is $20.
5. The Front Festival
August 27–30, 2026, multiple Austin venues
The Front Festival is an end-of-summer celebration of women and LGBTQ+ artists, musicians, and filmmakers, run by Future Front Texas, a local arts and culture nonprofit. The festival runs for four days across three venues: the LINE Hotel Austin pool, the Red River Cultural District, and The Contemporary Austin at Laguna Gloria.
The music lineup runs at the Red River Cultural District while the film showcase, which features short films by women and LGBTQ+ directors in Texas, screens at Laguna Gloria at the lake. One-day passes are $20–$40. Weekend passes that include both showcases and pool parties are $55–$100. All ticket sales support Future Front’s creative commission programs.
6. Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival
August 30, 2026 at Radio/East
The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival started as a small contest in 1990 and has spent the last 36 years becoming one of the city’s most beloved food events. This year it’s moving to a new location at Radio/East, but the format is the same. Around 20 makers from Central Texas and beyond bring hundreds of hot sauces to taste, with cold drinks, food trucks, and live music running all afternoon. The festival’s signature Hot Sauce Competition crowns a juried champion, and there’s a People’s Choice category where you do the voting. Tickets are $20 pre-sale and $25 at the door. All proceeds benefit the Central Texas Food Bank.
7. Shipwreck’d Pirate Pop-Up Bar
Through August 30, 2026 at The Eleanor, 307 W. 5th St.
The Roosevelt Room’s sister space The Eleanor has been running Shipwreck’d, a full pirate-themed pop-up bar all summer, and it’s still going through the end of August. The cocktail menu is organized like a treasure map, with sections for craft cocktails, sippers and shooters, large-format drinks, and non-alcoholic options, all created by the same team behind The Roosevelt Room. Happy hour runs daily from 3–6 PM and includes a complimentary shot when you purchase a menu cocktail. Come in full pirate costume and get 10% off everything. The bar is open Sunday through Wednesday 3pm to midnight, Thursday through Saturday 3pm to 2am.
Planning an August Trip to Austin?The Heywood Hotel sits in the heart of East Austin, a short walk from ColdTowne Theater, and a quick drive to everything else on this list. We hold one MICHELIN Key, earned in both 2024 and 2025, and we’d love to be your home base. |
8. The Art of Banksy: Without Limits (Ongoing)
Through September 7, 2026 at Fair Market, 1100 E. 5th St.
The Art of Banksy exhibition is in its final stretch, closing September 7. More than 200 works, including an infinity room, a hologram installation, and a reproduction of Dismaland, all less than a mile from the Heywood Hotel at Fair Market. Tickets start at $27.
9. Zilker Summer Musical: Singin’ in the Rain (Ongoing, FREE)
Through August 15, 2026 at Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater
The free outdoor production of Singin’ in the Rain wraps its run at Zilker Hillside Theater on August 15. Performances every Thursday through Sunday at 8:15pm. Bring a blanket, arrive by 7 to get a good spot, and expect the stage rain to be exactly as crowd-pleasing as advertised.
Austin Concerts in August 2026
- Melanie Martinez, August 3 at Moody Center
- Eagles of Death Metal, August 7 at Scoot Inn
- The Sword with Red Fang and Spoon Benders, August 8 at Radio/East
- Kesha, August 9 at Germania Insurance Amphitheater
- Don Toliver, August 9 at Moody Center
- Ne-Yo and Akon, August 11 at Moody Center
- The Drop-In, through August 13 at Long Center (FREE)
- Ella Langley, August 13 at Moody Center
- Franz Ferdinand, August 14 at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
- Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind and Fire, August 14 at Moody Center
- Muse, August 15 at Germania Insurance Amphitheater
- Willow Avalon, August 18 at Scoot Inn
- Santana and The Doobie Brothers, August 18 at Moody Center
- Chicago and Styx, August 19 at Moody Center
- BRENN!, August 21 at Scoot Inn
- Olivia Dean, August 28–29 at Moody Center
- Nic Vans, August 28 at Scoot Inn
Performing Arts & Shows in Austin in August
- Annie, through August 2 at Zach Theater
- Zilker Summer Musical: Singin’ in the Rain, through August 15 at Zilker Hillside Theater (FREE)
- Sally and Tom, through August 23 at Zach Theater
- Come From Away, August 19–September 27 at Zach Theater
- Paramount Summer Classic Film Series, through August 30 at State Theatre
- Art of Banksy: Without Limits, through September 7 at Fair Market
Your Home Base for August in Austin
The Heywood Hotel is a MICHELIN-rated, seven-room property on East Cesar Chavez. East Austin is where August makes the most sense as a home base. The Eleanor’s pirate pop-up is a few miles from the hotel in downtown Austin while ColdTowne Theater, where ATX Sketch Fest runs both weekends, is a short walk from our front porch.
Our team of local experts can help you navigate the events on this list and more, share recommendations for the best restaurants and bars around town, and help you make the most of your stay in Austin.
Check availability for August here.
Book Your August Stay at the Heywood HotelMICHELIN-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. |