Lite + Brite Monthly: December
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the monthly edition of the Lite + Brite newsletter.
It’s 66 degrees as we write this, which means that it’s winter now (at least by Austin standards). Embrace the chill with Brian’s new wintry playlist. The advent of the season also means the arrival of scores of local holiday markets—scroll down for some highlights, or see them all listed on our website. And while you’re shopping for presents, might we be so bold as to suggest that you give the gift of a Patreon subscription to this very newsletter?
Should you want yet more holiday entertainments, Leila also wrote up a very little feature (a featurette, if you will) about one of her favorite overpriced seasonal activities: holiday high tea. And of course, as always, we’ve provided a list of some of this month’s most interesting-looking events, as well as our suggestions for all-the-time Austin fun. So much!
If you’re not already a subscriber to this newsletter and you want to be, click here. We send out one email a week, usually on Fridays, plus this bonus monthly edition around the start of each month. Please support us by contributing to our Patreon and by forwarding this email to your friends who enjoy things like listening to music and leaving the house sometimes.
Let’s do fun stuff!
—Leila + Brian
liteandbriteatx.com
L+B 07 – Stranded in Greenland
A playlist of wintry-sounding music for chilly and not-so-chilly weather. The YouTube version is superior as the Belle & Sebastian song I chose isn’t on Spotify or Apple, and neither is the sublime original version of No More I Love You’s, so for those platforms I have substituted the also great, better known, and equally wintry cover by Annie Lenox.
You can listen on…
Spotify / Apple / YouTube
Tracklist
Au Suisse – Control
Cold Beat – Mandelbrot Fall
For Against – Stranded in Greenland
Holy Wire – I Still Feel Alone All the Time
New Musik – A Map of You
David Sylvian + Ryuichi Sakamoto – Forbidden Colours
Future Bible Heroes – A Thousand Lovers in a Day
Christine & the Queens – Rien Dire
Massive Attack – Protection ft. Tracey Thorn
Prefab Sprout – The Ice Maiden
The Lover Speaks / Annie Lenox – No More I Love You’s
Woolfy – Shooting Stars
Coma – Start/Stop/Rewind
Paciscopi – Love’s Harmony
International Music System – An English ’93
Nicolas Makelberge – Dying in Africa
Röyksopp & Alison Goldfrapp – Impossible
Phonique – For the Time Being ft. Erlend Øye
The Radio Dept – A Token of Gratitude
Junior Boys – Teach Me How to Fight
Eyeless in Gaza – Changing Stations
Cocteau Twins – Fifty-fifty Clown
Felt – A Preacher in New England
Belle & Sebastian – (My Girl’s Got) Miraculous Technique
My Favorite – You Belong With Us
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.
- Dec. 5-8: Austin International Drag Fest at the Holiday Inn Midtown
Fest showcasing a diverse array of drag performers + panels downtown - Dec. 5-8 + 12-15: The Ghosts of Christmas Past at Pioneer Farms
Theatrical production featuring ghost stories, holiday desserts, + Victorian getups - Dec. 5 – Jan. 1: Winter Wanderland at the Austin Motel
Take in some technicolor Xmas trees w/DJs, cocktails, tree lighting - Dec. 6: Comic Con Art Exhibit at Riches Art Gallery
Comic Con-themed night w/DJs, live music, vendors, cosplayers, video games - Dec. 6: Holiday Craft Crawl at the Austin Public Library
Crawl through the various holiday crafting stations of APL + make some “yarn gnomes” - Dec. 6: The Met Gala Ball at Speakeasy
Drag performers do their own twists on the Met Gala - Dec. 6-8: ‘Twas the Night Before at First Church of Austin
“A night of musical storytelling” w/Austin Gay Men’s Chorus - Dec. 7: 1-800-CLOWN-TOWN at Kick Butt Coffee
Countercultural circus-themed burlesque, comedy, + circus arts - Dec. 7: Slam Portal at the Far Out Lounge
Interdimensional wrestling slams into Far Out w/holiday theme - Dec. 7: 30th Annual Holiday Singalong + Stroll on Congress Ave.
See Austin’s annual tree lighting + throw in some caroling + strolling - Dec. 7: Cowboy XMAS at Co-Lab Projects
An “anti-soiree” themed around cowboys + Xmas w/DJ, karaoke, + art - Dec. 7: Wizard Rodeo at the Long Time
A wild live music + variety show with the best darn website I’ve seen in ages - Dec. 7: Free Lunch’s Big Red at Sagebrush
Live music + all-you-can-eat spaghetti join forces, plus raffles + cake - Dec. 7: Handmade Puppet Dreams at the Dougherty Arts Center
Watch short films featuring puppets, + auction for said puppets - Dec. 7: Surreal Ball at ArtUs Co.
Activations, connections, DJ, cocktails, live painting, + astrology readings - Dec. 7: Ornament Competition at the Glassmith
Watch glass artists compete to create ornaments live - Dec. 7: Uncanny Attractions Winter Ball at Highland Lounge
Pro wrestling + drag combine in a wintry fashion - Dec. 7-8: Horror for the Holidays at the Palmer Events Center
“Holiday horror expo” ft. circus arts, magic, signings, + Evil Santa pics - Dec. 10-23: Austin Trail of Lights at Zilker Park
…And you will know us by the trail of holiday lights - Dec. 11: No Lights No Lycra at 3rd Eye Meditation Lounge
Dance with L+B in near complete darkness to some wintry tunes - Dec. 11: Shrek Christmas Drag Show at Double Trouble
Drag show combining Shrek, fairytales, + Charli xcx’s brattines - Dec. 12-15 + 19-21: The Watchmaker’s Song at the Neill-Cochran House Museum
Immersive reinterpretation of the Nutcracker in different styles of dance - Dec. 13: Santageddon II at AFS
Watch Satanic panic horror films hosted by the devil w/a live exorcism on stage - Dec. 13-15: Titanic #2: The Floater at the Museum of Human Achievement
MoHA’s annual holiday play skewering pop culture takes on Titanic’s frigid waters - Dec. 13-31: The 37th Street Lights at 37th St. + Guadalupe
One particular street in Austin goes all-out with holiday lights + decorations - Dec. 14: Kitschy Holiday Party at 1604 Meander Drive
Eat some s’mores, dress up in campy holiday attire, + partake in “bespoke tin crafting” - Dec. 14: Marie Antoinette Walks Down an Elegant Hallway Knowing Everyone Hates Her at Rogge Ranch House
“Satirical immersive theatre” riffing on Marie Antoinette + post-colonialism - Dec. 14: The Goth Night Before Christmas at Elysium
Goth DJs, Nightmare before Xmas cosplay, + vendor market - Dec. 14: Lamp Show at Highland Collective
Artists concoct a wild array of sculptures around the conceit of making ostensible lamps - Dec. 14: A Trans Quince at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Vendors, live music, DJ, + drag performers celebrate trans coming of age - Dec. 14: Black for the Holidays at Dottiewood Studios
Market of local Black businesses + artists, activations, Black Santa photos - Dec. 14: Fat Bottom Cabaret at the State Theatre
Aerialists + “plus-size” burlesque artists in a gratitude-themed show - Dec. 14: $3 Shows at dadaLab
An affordable charity show w/live music, raffle, + lots of speakers - Dec. 14-15: LatinFest at Canopy
“100% Latiné music lineup,” art workshops, latin dances, + vendors - Dec. 18: A Charlie Brown Christmas Art Show at Yellow Jacket Social Club
Crowd-sourced art show inspired by the beloved holiday special - Dec. 19: Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite at Bass Concert Hall
All-Black ballet company’s version of the suite set in 1920s Harlem - Dec. 20: The Nightmare Before Christmas Ball at Riches Art Gallery
Relive Tim Burton’s Xmas tale w/cosplayers, live music, comic book art walk - Dec. 20: Krampusnacht at Tiny Minotaur
An evening mixing Germans, holidays, violence, quests, + potlucks - Dec. 20: Wizard People, Dear Reader at Hyperreal Film Club
Harry Potter w/ ridiculous overdubbed narration + live score - Dec. 20-23, 26-29, + Jan. 2-4: The Muttcracker (Sweet!) at the Vortex
An all-dog not-at-all-ballet production of the holiday favorite - Dec. 21: Emo Twilight Night at the Tiny Minotaur
Fans of sad angry music + sparkly vampires unite for one night only - Dec. 22: Die Hard Radiocast at the Driskill
Die Hard reimagined as a live radio play w/“zany sound effects” - NYE: How Soon Is Now at the Equipment Room
Mark NYE with 80s sounds on a sublime sound system - NYE: New Years Eve Ball at Elysium
Ring in the new year w/80s/90s/goth DJs, drag + burlesque
Lite + Brite’s Guide to Austin Holiday Markets 2024
In the weekly newsletter, we generally steer away from listing artisanal markets because a) there are so many of them and b) there are only so many ways to describe them. But if ever there’s a season for giving makers’ markets the attention they crave, it’s right now.
We’ve gathered a list of about 90 local markets happening over the course of this month. We considered pasting them all here but, listen, this email is too long as it is. So below are just a few that looked especially good to us, and we encourage you to check out the full list on our website.
Dec. 3 – 24: Blue Genie Art Bazaar at Blue Genie
Dec. 3: Holiday Market at UMLAUF
Dec. 7: German Christmas Market at the German Free School
Dec. 7: Arts Festival at Wheatsville South Lamar
Dec. 7: Holiday Stroll on Congress Ave.
Dec. 7: Holiday Market at Feels So Good
Dec. 7: Holiday Market at Austin Bouldering Project
Dec. 7 – 8: Horror for the Holidays at the Palmer Events Center
Dec. 7 – 8: Austin Market for Makers at the Palmer Events Center
Dec. 7 – 8: Holiday Reuse Market at Austin Creative Reuse
Dec. 8: Holiday Market at the Paper + Craft Pantry
Dec. 8: Holigay Market at Distribution Hall
Dec. 8: Holiday Block Party at Hotel San Jose
Dec. 14: ‘Tis the Season Craft Fair at Hand Made at Nutty Brown
Dec. 14: Black for the Holidays at Dottiewood Studios
Dec. 14 – 15: Holiday Vibe Market at Distribution Hall
Dec. 14 – 15: Flores Market at Canopy
See tons more holiday markets here.
Holiday High Tea in Austin
When we consider events for the newsletter, we do take cost into account. We aim to list events that are reasonably priced, or that at least offer good value. A lot of holiday experiences artificially inflate their ticket prices because they can. (This is doubly true on New Years Eve.) Holiday high teas absolutely fall into this category. Unfortunately, I (Leila) have a weakness for any opportunity to wear a velvet dress and sit in an old-fashioned chair as though I am American Girl Doll Samantha while someone pours flavored water from a porcelain teapot into a matching porcelain teacup. If you too have such a weakness, here are a few local options which still have tickets available:
Dec. 7: Holiday Tea at the Neill-Cochran House Museum ($65) “Honors the tradition of tea that dates back to Mrs. Neill’s Victorian tea parties of the 1880s”—yes, please.
Dec. 8 + 15: Holiday Tea at the Driskill ($145 adult / $85 child) Their event copy includes the phrases “most grand,” “lavish,” and “seasonal themed delights.” I am helpless against such descriptors.
All month: High Tea at Rocheli Patisserie ($75) The vibe here is less Victorian and more Emily-in-Paris, but I must include it as they have my favorite hot chocolate in the city, and I need people to go and order this hot chocolate so that Rocheli knows there’s a demand and does not discontinue it.
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 with an afternoon when nothing special seems to be going on, you could consider checking out one of these evergreen options.
- Mesmerize
An interactive dream-like world made of site-specific installations by 15+ local artists - Hyperreal Film Club
A clubhouse for weird cinema, with oddball screenings four nights a week - 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 Qiu, Erica Speegle, Mitch Rudea, Jarrett Holtz, Thomas Refferson, Dale Markowitz, Jason & Luciana, Bones Malones, Amy Hayes, Katie Green, Christina Jue, Colleen MB, Lena Long, Amalia Litsa, Alexander Freed, 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 visiting the Sherwood Forest Zine Library, admiring the site-specific art at Creek Show, and exploring the city on Austin Studio Tour. 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, Concept Animals’ ATX Art for You for gallery openings + artist talks, 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 Wednesday 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.