Lite + Brite Monthly: March
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the monthly edition of the Lite + Brite newsletter.
March is here: The torrent of events has begun! And the most torrential part is nearly upon us. To help get ready, we’ve revamped our feature on how to do SxSW as a local, and we’ve put together a playlist of 20 SxSW bands we’re excited to try + see. We’re still working on our spreadsheet of all the shows we want to go to, but it will live here when it’s done.
Not only are we passive participants in the fun this year, but we’re going to be participating actively too. Lite + Brite is joining forces with our friends at Art Island to take part in this year’s Austin Edge afterparty, where Brian will be DJing and Leila will be hosting a table full of some L+B treats. Come say hi to us!
And if SXSW just isn’t for you, we’ve found plenty of other events coming up this month. Scroll away.
Let’s do fun stuff!
—Leila + Brian
liteandbriteatx.com
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.
- Mar. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Doom Metal Goat Yoga at Jester King
“We call out to the beasts of the land to come forth and JOIN US!” - Mar. 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 21-23, 29-30: Sherwood Forest Faire
Central Texas’ renaissance faire w/medieval food, arts, fun, + dress - Mar. 5: South Bath with Highway Lights at Pease Park
Sound bath w/live ambient music surrounded by trees - Mar. 6-9 + 12-16: Vernardos Circus at Buck’s Backyard
Travelling acrobatic-forward circus returns to Buck’s - Mar. 7: Cowboy Breakfast at the Long Center
Eat like a cowboy WITH some cowboys - Mar. 7-8: New Bloom at Open House Austin
Live music, art vendors, + bowling - Mar. 7-9 + 12-15: Satellite Ranch at 719 Shady Lane
“Ten acres of art, music, performance, installations, + clownery” - Mar. 7-15: Privy Privy at RichesArt
Just your standard combination ice cream cone / glory hole - Mar. 8: 24 Carrot Show at Cheer Up Charlie’s
“Dance party ritual + surreal clown cabaret with aerials, drag, live art” - Mar. 8: Everybody Draw Everybody at the Museum of Human Achievement
Speedrun drawing portraits while portraits of you are drawn - Mar. 8: Curse the King at Tiny Minotaur
“Music, catharsis, + (simulated) regicide” I think we can all appreciate that… - Mar. 8: Yeehaw for Abortion at Future Front
Talks, activities, DJ, + live art to help support reproductive rights in Texas - Mar. 8: Preheat Fest at Hyperreal Film Club
Screenings of works that are experimental intersections of film + dance - Mar. 8-9: NASA House CreateSpace at the Central Library
Learn about space via immersive activities, live music, + games - Mar. 9: Pinoy Potluck at Kenny Dorham’s
Filipino-American musicians, vendors, + Filipino food potluck - Mar. 9: Livecode at dadaLab
Live musicians + visual artists give us a look behind their coding curtains - Mar. 9: Sunday Sanctuary at 2922 E. Cesar Chavez
Panels, wellness, + immersive experiences to recharge - Mar. 11-13: Flatstock at the Austin Convention Center
View + purchase a dizzying array of concert posters - Mar. 12: Austin Edge at Sapien Center
Panels, workshops, DJs, aerialists, sound bath, + cold plunge - Mar. 12: Austin Industry Day at the Austin Convention Center
SxSW’s expo center opens to the public for one day w/booths + talks - Mar. 12: Rawstin at Delilah’s Front Porch
“Panels, musicians, vendors, + artists who’ve experienced homelessness” - Mar. 12: The Texas Film Experience at the State Capitol
Go on set for a live demonstration of every stage of making a film - Mar. 12: Paws for Public Art at UT Austin
Public art + pettable critters combine forces for mental health - Mar. 13-14: All Things Food at Barr Mansion
Eat free food outdoors, + hear many talks about food + beyond - Mar. 13-16: The Creative Fest at Haus of Talents
Successive film screenings, art openings, live music, + fashion show - Mar. 14: Future of Fashion at Mira Mira Venue
Fashion show, panels, demos, interactive activations, tech + fashion intersecting - Mar. 15: Sasha’s Birthday Bash at Jester King
Dog-themed fashion show, outdoor film, vendors, adoption, + more - Mar. 15: Spring Festival at Third Eye Lounge
Live art + music, classes, crafts, cold plunge, vendors, + pet adoption - Mar. 15, 22, + 29: Overheard on a Train on the Red Line
Participate in immersive theatre while enjoying public transit - Mar. 16: 15th Annual Garden Party at the Vortex
Put the Butterfly in Butterfly Bar w/plants, live music, petting zoo - Mar. 22: Day of Dance at Asian American Resource Center
Engage in dances from across the world w/varying energy levels - Mar. 22: Shadowrun at Tiny Minotaur
Dress up in cyberpunk attire while one of our fave DJs spins goth tunes - Mar. 22: Hyde Park Storytelling at Batch Craft Beer
Adult + middle school-aged storytellers ply their trade w/ASL interpreter - Mar. 26: No Lights No Lycra at 3rd Eye Meditation Lounge
Our own dance party in the dark, this will be the only one in March - Mar. 28-29: Quest Night at Scare for a Cure
“Immersive, medieval fantasy experience” involving dice + giant spiders - Mar. 28-30: Honk!TX at various venues
A raucous outdoor celebration of brass with a LOT of bands from all over - Mar. 29: Weird Wedding at Higher Vibes Studio
A series of celebrations with fire dancers, vendors, raffles, seed sowing
L+B Playlist 10 – SxSW 2025 Watch List
As these words are written we are feverishly listening to long lists of recommended bands and devising expansive spreadsheets of which bands are playing where and whether we might be able to squeeze in a quick trip to see a band at Hole in the Wall before we head over to the East side or to Red River. You don’t have to do any of that, you could just listen to this playlist and maybe hear a band or two you’d like to put some effort into seeing, or just some very new music to listen to.
Listen on: Spotify / Apple / YouTube
Tracklist:
Levin Goes Lightly – Headbanging
Confidence Man – I Can’t Lose You
Kap Bambino – Parasite
Annie-Claude Deschênes – Les Manières de Tables
Master Peace – I Might Be Fake ft. Georgia
Babas Tutsipop – Bazar
Cloudy June – FU in My Head
Los Eclipses – Sauvage
Blood Club – Pain
Pivots – Residues
Pacific Avenue – Something Good
Radio Free Alice – 2010
Cardinals – Get It
Weird Bloom – Dum Dum Boogie
Social Cig – I Swear It Evolves
Borderline – Heartbeat
The K’s – Chancer
Shishi – Žaliasis taškas
Chinese American Bear – Take Me to Beijing
Beth McCarthy – All My Friends Are Hot
Lite + Brite’s Guide to SxSW 2025 for Austin Residents
We live in a city with a gigantic festival, but every year we hear people don’t go, or it’s dead, or whatever. We’re here to tell you that there are still great SxSW experiences to be had, but we also acknowledge that finding them is effortful and not everyone wants to dive in fully or even knows where to start. If you’re SxSW-curious, we’re including info on how you can attend here in the newsletter, + we answered plenty of other questions on our website in the full version of our SxSW guide.
WHAT IT IS
SXSW is a music, film, tech, and ideas festival and conference that happens at venues of every variety throughout Austin. It includes “official” events (anything listed on SXSW’s website and app), and “unofficial” events (basically anything else that any other venue or promoter decides to do in Austin during March 7-15).
HOW TO ATTEND: CREDENTIALS
Badges
Badges are super expensive and irrelevant to most of us. There are a dizzying number of badgeholder-only SXSW sessions, panels, showcases, and events. These are mostly geared toward industry types and if that describes you, you probably know all this. So let’s move on…
Resident wristbands
Fortunately, for Austin residents there is the option to purchase resident wristbands. These cost a fraction of the industry badges: they’re currently $150 for film + TV screenings and $189 for music showcases. (They cost even less a few weeks ago, so hopefully you were listening when we first told you about wristbands in our weekly newsletters.)
For the music portion of the fest, wristbands will get you into about 95% of shows. Sometimes you’ll play second fiddle to badgeholders and have to wait in line a little longer than them, but it doesn’t come up a whole lot—and you’ll still be waiting in line less than folks who don’t have wristbands. Film wristbands will get you into screenings, but you’ll have to be early enough to get to things before they hit capacity, which we hear can be tricky.
Wristbands are usually worth it if you’re willing to commit to going pretty hard at SxSW, especially at nighttime music showcases. They’re less worth it if you just want to take in a handful of events, especially if those events fall during the day. Since every show is free with a wristband, you have the flexibility to jump around from venue to venue to see the bands you want, but not everyone wants to get that intense. (Unsurprisingly, we do.)
Volunteering
If you’ve got lots of time to spare and are willing to give some of it up, you can volunteer for the fest in exchange for a badge. Volunteer badges are on par with the industry badges, but it can take a lot of volunteering if you want a platinum badge.
The free approach
If you’re trying to enjoy SXSW for free (which we used to do before we lived in Austin and is 100% doable), daytime showcases will be your bread and butter. Pack in as much as you can before 7pm, when just about everything is free and open to all. You can jump around to different showcases to catch different acts, no credentials required. Some showcases require you to sacrifice your email address to the RSVP gods in advance (though often they don’t check to see if you actually did so).
For so much more SXSW info, including how to figure out which showcases to attend, how to get around town, and what’s free, read our full guide to SXSW for Austin residents here.
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 Michael Sales, Zach, Gino Scaramuzza, Erica Speegle, Jarrett Holtz, Thomas Refferson, Dale Markowitz, Bones Malones, Amy Hayes, Katie Green, Christina Jue, Colleen MB, Lilly Ettinger, 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.
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.