Lite + Brite Monthly: August
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the monthly edition of the Lite + Brite newsletter.
August is home to one of our favorite events in Austin’s annual calendar; namely, the Amy’s Ice Cream Trick Olympics. “What is the Amy’s Ice Cream Trick Olympics?” you may ask. Words cannot do it justice, but this video starts to give you a sense. It is arguably the raison d’être for this newsletter.
Ice Cream Trick Olympics are not the only Olympics going on this month. There’s also the actual Olympics. Maybe you’ve heard of it. Scroll down for the official Lite + Brite guide to bringing that Paris Olympics vibe into your Austin life.
Olympics are not the only things August has on offer. We’ve rounded up roughly 30 of this month’s upcoming events that you might want to know about. Wondering what tunes to blast while you’re at it? For August we’ve got a new, Paris-themed playlist with French House, French Pop, + Gallic indie, disco, + more.
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Let’s do fun stuff!
—Leila + Brian
liteandbriteatx.com
L+B Olympics 2024 Playlist
Since we’re deep into watching Olympics events and opening ceremonies, we thought we’d mark July with an Olympics-inspired playlist. Rather than everything being about sports, we’re paying tribute to France with mostly French songs, many with French lyrics. We’ve got French House, French Pop (aka Ye-Ye), France Gall, and Gallic disco, indie, balearic, + sophisti-pop tunes for you to feed your inner Serge Gainsbourg.
Listen on
Spotify / Apple / YouTube
Tracklist
Grace Jones – La Vie en Rose
Stardust – Music Sounds Better with You
Cerrone – Supernature
Bibi Flash – Histoire d’1 Soir (Bye Bye les Galères)
France Gall – Musique
Gérard Blanc – Dis Tout Bas Dis
Isabelle Antena – Seaside Weekend
Stereolab – Pinball
Serge Gainsbourg – Qui Est “In” Qui Est “Out”
Dimitri from Paris – Sacré Français!
Alan Braxe & Fred Falke – Intro
Yelle – Ce Jeu
Lou Rebecca – Bonbon (Johnny Jewel Remix)
Joakim – I Wish You Were Gone
Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better
Bleu Toucan – Imagine
New Paradise – I Love Video
Miss Kitten & the Hacker – You + Us
Bob Sinclar – Beat the Clock
Paradis – La Ballade de Jim
The Paradise – In Love with You
Looking Ahead to Upcoming Events
Our weekly newsletters will include many more listings, but here are a handful of events that we know are planned for the next month. We’re giving you the heads up now in case you want to pre-buy tickets or block off the time.
- Aug. 2-4: Night Birds at the Cathedral
“Unique immersive ballet experience surrounded by local art” - Aug. 2, 16, + 30: Float Films at the Austin Motel
Watch classic blockbuster films while floating a pool w/themed cocktails - Aug. 3: The Office Olympics at Vacancy Brewing
Recreate The Office’s Olympics ep w/games + prizes - Aug. 3: Mini-Workshop Day at the Future Front House
Learn lots of creative skills from workshops led by queer creatives - Aug. 3: Night Market + Fantasy Karaoke at Tiny Minotaur
Costumes-only karaoke in concert + night vendor market - Aug. 3-4: Cat Video Fest at Violet Crown Cinema
Why watch cat vids on your phone when you can see ’em in a cinema - Aug. 3-4: Black Austin Film Festival at ColdTowne
Film fest “highlighting shorts by Black artists, Q&As, panels” - Aug. 4-5: POP Cats at Palmer Events Center
Celebrating cats + pop culture w/adoptions, photo ops, workshops - Aug. 6: Heavy Metal Potluck at Tiny Minotaur
Part board game night, part potluck, + part celebration of metal - Aug. 8: Amy’s Ice Cream Trick Olympics at Southpark Meadows
Slingers from across the Amy’s empire creatively toss + catch ice cream - Aug. 10: Pride Parade and Festival at Fiesta Gardens
Celebrate Austin Pride w/parade + outdoor performances - Aug. 15: Austin Arts Mixer at Draylen Mason Music Studio
30+ local arts orgs share info about upcoming projects + opportunities - Aug. 15: Latino Moonlight Serenades at Lady Bird Lake
Float on the river under moonlight listening to live Latino music - Aug. 16: Realms of Fungi at ArtUs Co.
A night of mushroom-themed art, beverages, + costumes - Aug. 16: Analog Night at Motion Media Arts Center
Watch short films made by students in an experimental analog film class - Aug. 16-17: Finding Alice (in Wonderland) at Austin Ventures Studio Theater
Alice in Wonderland-themed modern dance + ballet performances - Aug. 16-18: Bar(d) at the Vortex
Theatrical reimagining of Shakespeare in a karaoke bar - Aug. 17: Uncanny Attractions at Highland Lounge
Fantasy + LotR-themed pro wrestling + drag performers - Aug. 17: There I Ruined It at the Spiderhouse Ballroom
Live performance by internet remixer who intentionally ruins songs - Aug. 17: Endless Summer at Elysium
Summer party w/DJs, parasol + “Summer Goth Bae” contest - Aug. 17: Role Call at Moontower Cider Company
Zine release w/live music, spoken word, artist panel - Aug. 17: Paramount Estate + Vintage Poster Sale at the State Theater
Buy items used in theatrical productions, instruments + vintage posters - Aug. 18: Lagers and Literature at Meanwhile Brewing
Drink locally brewed beer + shop for books to read - Aug. 19: Camera Obscura at the Vortex
Showcase for narrative films by Texan filmmakers + Q&A - Aug. 20: LuxeArt Battle Royale at 211 Alpine Rd.
Watch artists w/ “30 minutes to paint a masterpiece” live - Aug. 24: L’Inferno at Alamo Mueller
Watch a silent film-era horror film w/a live musical score - Aug. 24: Close Encounters at MASS Gallery
Art opening for collaboration between performance + fabric art - Aug. 24-25: Le Garage Sale at the Palmer Events Center
Fashion shopping bonanza with an eye for gallic naming - Aug. 25: Free Day of Dance at Ballet Austin
Engage in dances from across the world w/varying energy levels - Aug. 29-Sep. 1: The Front Festival at various venues
Films, music, + experiences by Texas women + LGBTQ+ folks - Aug. 30-31: Mortified at the Highball
Folks tell tales of adolescent angst in a new comedic light
Lite + Brite’s Guide to Living That Olympic Life
Although we are watching roughly ten hours of Olympics coverage per day (you’re welcome for taking enough time away from the Peacock app to write this newsletter), we are not technically in Paris right now. Technically, we are in Austin. As are you, presumably. Sad! So Leila has come up with a few ideas for how to feel like we’re in the City of Lights for the 2024 Summer Games without actually traveling farther than ten miles in any direction.
Dine at a French restaurant. We love the vibe at Justine’s. Of all the places in Austin, being in Justine’s feels closest to being in Paris. Hopfields and Bureau de Poste also have good French food.
Drink a chocolat chaud. Rocheli Patisserie has the thickest hot chocolate I’ve found in Austin. They may serve this only seasonally, so yes I am including it here to try to bully them into serving it year-round. If they don’t have French hot chocolate on the menu when you go, that is a tragedy, but they do still have good pastries and aesthetically pleasing bistro chairs. If you need to make your own French hot chocolate, here’s how.
Shop French clothes. If I were in Paris right, I would be ducking into charming boutiques on every little winding road and trying to make sense of European sizing. Given that I am in Austin, my options are more limited, but I will duck into the Sézane pop-up on the little winding road that is South Congress.
Spectate at local sporting competitions. Okay, we can’t watch Olympic sports here, but we can still watch other sports. Texas Roller Derby bouts are a blast. (The next one will be on August 17.) You can watch sandlot baseball at the Long Time, which has excellent vibes. (The next game is September 7.) Skinny’s occasionally hosts small dog races, which is maybe sort of like track and field? (They don’t currently have one announced, but we’ll list it in the weekly newsletter whenever they do.) If you’re looking to watch some athletes who could someday wind up in the Olympics, check out UT’s 2024-2025 athletic calendar. The season kicks off with women’s soccer on August 15.
Listen like a Francophone. You don’t have to smoke profusely and wear a beret to immerse yourself in all things French, just put on our Paris-themed playlist to be whisked away to the land of Serge Gainsbourg, Edith Piaf, and France Gall.
Stroll the Seine. Just kidding; it’s the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail.
All-the-Time Austin Artsy Fun
Our weekly newsletter features upcoming events, but sometimes the activity you’re looking for isn’t an event at all—it’s a place that’s always there. Next time you find yourself on an afternoon when nothing special seems to be going on, you could consider checking out one of these evergreen options.
- Tiny Minotaur
Drinking and costumed LARPing, Dungeonsynths performing in the dungeon w/lots of lore - The Eureka Room
Uniquely goofy, silly, + fun immersive games you play with a group. No spoilers! - Escape the Box on South Congress
So you think you can escape boxes. Sure, but what about time traveling boxes? - We Luv Video
The Alexandria Library of video rental. It’s community-run, you can rent movies or watch them in a cinema while literally surrounded by VHS tapes and DVDs. - The Goats at Jester King Brewery
More a theme park geared towards folks who like refermented cherries in their beer (me) than a brewery. I have not experienced the Goat Experience, but I have seen their goats, and I approve. - Cathedral of Junk
A towering achievement to collecting weird old stuff that will spark nostalgia and cause you to wonder at your last tetanus shot timing - West China Tea House
In addition to their events, West China is a wonderful place just to chat with interesting and welcoming people and drink some delicious tea - Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve
A lovely park + nature walk that is protected by a crack corps of dedicated peacocks and peahens. Good luck escaping without some flashy, feathery displays. - Laguna Gloria
The Contemporary Austin’s outdoor sculpture garden. Culture + Nature = Profit. - Austin Creative Reuse Center
A nonprofit shop where you can get any art, craft, or office supplies you can imagine for literal pennies. Eat your heart out, Office Despot. - Museum of the Weird
It’s right there on Dirty 6th but worth a visit. From famous fake paleontology to recreations of horror film sets, there’s lots to see. - James Turrell’s Skyspace
Like Turrell’s best works, this is an art experience which unfolds slowly over time. Watch as the changing colors of sunset remake the space.
Thanks to our Patreon subscribers
A huge thank-you to our Patreon subscribers Bones Malones, Amy Hayes, Katie Green, Christina Jue, Colleen MB, Lilly Ettinger, Lena Long, Amalia Litsa, Alexander Freed, Spencer, Kristen Backor, Timon A., Kate Murray, and Amy Wilde. We’re deeply grateful for your support, which allows us to do things like “pay our Mailchimp fee” and “spend hours researching Austin events when technically we should be working.”
If you’d like to support us on Patreon and get access to exclusive member-only benefits, you may do so here.
Socials
Recent weeks found us watching brass bands at HONK!TX, watching the eclipse at Bobo’s Snack Bar, and watching dancing forklifts at The Way of Water at Onion Creek. Follow Lite + Brite on Instagram to keep up with our adventures. And come chat with us and the rest of the L+B community on our Discord server!
About Us
How do we choose which events to feature?
Honestly, it’s pretty random. We might include anything in Austin that we, personally, would conceivably want to go to, generally excluding normal concerts, comedy shows, and movie showtimes because there are many other good resources for finding those. (We especially recommend Showlist for live music, The Darker Side of Austin for goth and metal stuff, and the 60+ Weirdest Things in Austin for exactly what it sounds like). This list is by no means exhaustive; it’s just stuff that caught our eye this week. If you have an event that you want us to consider including, send it over.
Who are we?
We are Leila + Brian. We make this newsletter. We do our own events, most often No Lights No Lycra (every second and fourth Thursday of the month), + also BYOT, a party where we share very good YouTubes (here’s a playlist from the last one). We go very hard seeing bands at SxSW (here are playlists of our favorites from 2024). We once got called “local Austin couple” by KXAN. We do some other stuff here and there. We love going out to creative events in Austin, and we want you to join us. Visit us at liteandbriteatx.com, and support us on Patreon if you like what we do.