Lite + Brite Monthly: July
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the monthly edition of the Lite + Brite newsletter.
We’ve made it through June! The next boss we’ll have to take down is even sweatier: July. We’re here to help you through the month with a glizzy-covered July 4th weekend, and events covering everything from boners to Jaws (though hopefully not at the same time). All that plus a guide to encountering the sometimes pettable beasts of Austin and a playlist full of protest songs. Dive on in.
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Let’s do fun stuff!
—Leila + Brian
liteandbriteatx.com
Fourth of July
- Glizzmas in July at Tiny Minotaur
Celebrate tubesteaks w/hot dog topping potluck, “glizzmas wishes” - Freedom Farce at the Courtyard
“Dance in ashes through the disillusionment” w/live music + DJ - Austin Symphony Orchestra at Vic Mathias Shores
Classy 4th celebration w/fireworks + symphony orchestra - Hot Dog Eating Contest at Hotel Vegas
Bands, DJs, + a good old fashioned “glizzy gauntlet” - American Idiot at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Drag performers inspired by Green Day to give the finger to fascism - Independence Gay at Austin Playhouse
“Unapologetically queer” burlesque skewering nationalism + other isms - Divine Carnival at Ground Floor Theatre
Aerialists recontextualizing + reimagining Homer’s Odyssey - Soul Dance Party at Sahara Lounge
Celebrate the USA w/vinyl DJs spinning American soul records - Performative Hot Dog Contest at Cabana Club
Who needs fast? Win a prize as the most suggestive “glizzy guzzler”
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.
- July 11: Saul Ravencraft’s Damned Show at Nature’s Treasures
“Wizard provocateur” leads variety performances in a talk show format - July 11: Butch Prom at the Vortex
“Prom celebrating LGBT masculinity with drag, wrestling, music + more” - July 11-12: Eldritch Voyeurs at Sterling Stage
“Lovecraftian subversions through pole dance, burlesque, + more” - July 12: Summer Circus at Empire
“Art meets the absurd” w/circus arts, live music, immersive performances - July 12: Boner Ball Z at Come and Take It Live
“XXXtreme erotic variety show” collects all the dragon balls - July 12: Hyde Park Storytelling at Batch
Storytellers ply their trade in a backyard w/ASL interpreter - July 12 + 26: Jaws on the Water at Volente Beach
Enjoy classic nautical horror flick while watching for deadly lake sharks - July 13: Bargeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Barge at Lakeline Marina
Get out onto the water for DJs spinning UK tunes, British food n drink - July 24-26: Hot Summer Nights at various Red River venues
Three free nights of local bands + L+B DJs performing in Red River venues - July 25: Summer Nights Dance Party at Mesmerize
DJs + cocktails after-hours an immersive installation crafted by local artists - July 26: Arraia da Fazendinha at Ani’s Day and Night
Brazilian farm party w/live music, traditional food + dance - July 26: Pancake Art Brunch at 517 N. I-35
Live music, “live pancake artist,” swag, + photo ops - July 31 – Aug 3: Pan-African Film Fest at AFS
Curated films from the “largest Black film + arts festival”
L+B Playlist 13
Born of Frustration
We didn’t want to bring you a traditionally patriotic July 4th playlist this month for two reasons. One: it’s challenging to muster up patriotic fervor at this time. Two: there’s only a few days in July that such a playlist would feel relevant. So instead we’ve got something more evergreen: a playlist of protest songs and songs about being pissed at people, government, and various -isms.
Listen on: Spotify / Apple / YouTube
Tracklist
Janis Ian – From Me to You
Love – A House Is Not a Motel
The Chambers Brothers – Time Has Come Today
Pure Essence – Third Rock
Sly and the Family Stone – Underdog
Gil Scott-Heron – The Klan
!!! – Freedom ’15
Medium Medium – Hungry, So Angry
Gang of Four – To Hell with Poverty
Killing Joke – Follow the Leaders
For Against – Autocrat
Chumbawamba – Come on Baby (Let’s Do the Revolution)
Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A.
Heaven 17 – (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
Soft Cell – Chips on My Shoulder
The Psychedelic Furs – President Gas
Prince – The Future
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – Blenda
Brainiac – Nothing Ever Changes
James – Born of Frustration
Lite + Brite’s Guide to Austin Animal Encounters
Sure, Austin has a zoo and an aquarium, but that’s not what this article is about. This town also has plenty of smaller, more close-up, and equally adorable animal interactions available. Here are some of them:
Turtles
Little Woodrow’s bar has a turtle racing season, typically starting in the spring and running through the summer. Obviously you can bet on which turtle will be the speediest. Even if you lose your bet, you still get to see turtles, which means you’re still a winner.
Chickens
Every Sunday at Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon, a chicken poops on a bingo board and the crowd goes wild. While you cannot technically cuddle an animal at Chicken Shit Bingo, you can root for it to drop a deuce on the number of your choosing.
Goats, Cows, Pigs, Donkeys, Sheep, + a Tortoise
Technically located in the suburb of Paige, Austin Farm Sanctuary provides rescue, rehabilitation and a forever home to 240 barnyard animals. They offer private tours, public events, and even overnight stays. They have lots of goats and pigs, as well as a single tortoise named Wiz.
Cows
Do you want to cuddle a miniature highland cow? You probably do. Fortunately Southern Trails offers this exact opportunity. Technically they appear to be a horseback riding place, but the cow cuddles seem to us to be a strong draw.
Cats
Purr-fecto Cat Lounge is a cat cafe where you can book hang-out sessions with adoptable kittehs. The lounge also hosts activities so you can practice pilates, yoga, or painting, while in the presence of cuddleable cats.
Goats
Goat Shenanigans regularly brings their herd of mini-goats to local breweries and coffee shops. We occasionally list their events in the newsletter, especially around Halloween, when their goats wear costumes and hang out while you paint jack-o-lanterns.
The Dripping Springs brewery Jester King is home to excellent craft beer and a herd of 75 Nigerian Dwarf goats. If you want to spend quality time with the goats, you can book tickets to go for a walk with them, watch movies with them, or practice doom metal yoga with them. (We usually list Doom Metal Goat Yoga sessions in the newsletter.)
Pigs
Central Texas Pig Rescue has taken in 200 formerly abused and neglected pigs. They live now at the “Enchanted Pig Forest,” a 26-acre refuge in Bastrop County. To meet these porcine residents, you can participate in one of the regular volunteer days, or buy tickets to their periodic public events, like their Pumpkin Smash Bash (which we always list in the newsletter).
Horses
Healing With Horses Ranch provides equine therapy, and they occasionally bring their horses to public events, too. (When we know that there will be horses attending an event, we ALWAYS list it). They also open up their ranch to visitors a few times a year. (We always list that, too).
If you like horses but wish they were smaller, Minis and Friends is for you. These little equines also provide therapy, and they sometimes come out to public events. Leila first met them at the community holiday party at an APL branch library and has been obsessed with them ever since.
Bunnies, Reptiles, Guinea Pigs, Tortoises, Hedgehogs, and Chinchillas
Tiny Tails to You is the absolute best in the small, pettable critters business. They regularly bring their mobile petting zoo to kids’ storytime at BookPeople and to other public events. Or you can hire them to set up a petting zoo at your house! I have been told that the chinchilla costs extra, but I will personally guarantee you that the chinchilla is extremely worth it.
Peacocks
The two best places to see peacocks are at Green Pastures (which also has an excellent restaurant) and Mayfield Park (which also has some pleasant wooded trails). If you stroll around either of these sites, you are pretty much guaranteed to see peacocks (or at least to hear them screaming bloody murder).
Bats
You know this one because Austin is famous for it. Stand on or under the South Congress Bridge at sunset during bat season (roughly March to September), and you may be rewarded with the majestic flight of up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats. Please note that it’s hard to predict whether the bats will fly on any given night (though Austin Bat Refuge tries!). You may instead stand outside and be rewarded only with a child complaining that it’s too hot and boring and their feet hurt. Yes, we speak from experience.
Are there other Austin animal experiences that you recommend? If so, email them to us at liteandbriteatx@gmail.com and we’ll add them to this list.
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 Robert B., Roman Gonzalez, Nick Ivons, Molly Fonseca, Lilly Ettinger, Michael Sales, Zach, Gino Scaramuzza, Erica Speegle, Jarrett Holtz, Thomas Refferson, Bones Malones, Amy Hayes, Katie Green, Christina Jue, Colleen MB, Lena Long, 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, like No Lights No Lycra and 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’s a playlist of some of our favorites from 2025). 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.