Lite + Brite’s Guide to Austin Studio Tour 2025

We list hundreds (thousands?) of events over the course of the year, but Austin Studio Tour may be our favorite. It’s a dizzying collection of FREE events and art shows that take place over two weekends—this year, that’s 12-6pm on November 8-9 + 15-16—at venues throughout the city. These venues include traditional art studios and galleries, but also ordinary people’s houses and yards, theaters, office buildings, parks, condemned buildings, and anyplace else you can think of. Here’s an interactive map of all the official spaces. Artwork is for sale everywhere at a huge range of price points, and it doesn’t cost anything just to explore and admire.

There was a brief period earlier this year when the future of this phenomenal event was uncertain. It seemed, for a couple months, like our favorite event of the year might be no more. So we were THRILLED when Almost Real Things announced that they would be taking it over. If you’re a regular reader of Lite + Brite, you know we love Almost Real Things. We could not have hoped for better inheritors of this incredible tradition.

Like SXSW, AST is overwhelming. This year boasts 723 artists at 317 venues across the city. You will not see it all. We created this guide to help you focus your energies, but honestly you can’t go wrong (unless you stay home). Park somewhere, walk to every nearby stop, and see what you find. You are bound to be delighted. 

Our picks for East Austin: 

Cloud Tree, RichesArt, Bolm Arts, Something Cool Studios, Almost Real Things Studios, and The Cathedral are all truly fantastic artspaces presenting lots of artists across many media, usually offering music, snacks and drinks, experiences, vendors, + overall great vibes. If your time is short, these are some of our top choices for one-stop shops.

We go to Grackle House every year. It’s an artist’s backyard filled with eight local creators, cute animals to pet, live music, free drinks, and good vibes.

Big Blue House is another of our favorite artist’s residences, hosting half a dozen artists. Last year we got a beautiful ceramic menorah here from Abby Rose Mandel.

We’ll take any opportunity to visit Co-Lab Projects because it’s literally an art gallery in a culvert.

Similarly, we’ll take any reason to go hang out in Kenny Dorham’s Backyard. It’s just a great community spot.

The Museum of Human Achievement is one of our favorite creative venues. Their 2018 “Selfie Gauntlet” remains among our fondest AST memories. This year they’re hosting an art show, a vendor market, and a “compliment booth.”

The last time we saw interdisciplinary artist Hannah Spector, they were breaking up with 15 people in a performance art piece at Shedshows. For AST, Spector is taking over Women & Their Work.

DadaLab will be home to a delightfully bizarre-looking interactive experience, Object Solutions. “Browse our groundbreaking products, watch hypnotic retail videos, and consult with the CEO in an Oracle Session for a proprietary invention process that will unlock your personalized future.” Y’all, this is PEAK Austin Studio Tour.

Respect to Sassy Miss Waxy, who’s offering “an immersive art haven,” complete with “performance art, live music, body painting, figure drawing, self care services and more.” (The “more” appears to include “menstrual art.”)

Blackshear Elementary is Austin ISD’s first elementary school dedicated to the fine arts. “A student art gallery where our students will perform their musical instruments, dance routines and the drama club will perform Shakespeare. We will also host a Trashion (Fashion) Show.”

The Mosaic Workshop promises “hands-on workshops, live demos, and artist talks. Contribute to a large-scale collaborative mosaic mural, or make your own mosaic memento.”

Two Goats Pottery is an artist’s residence that’s home to four artists, “live music all day, free food, mulled wine and beer, GOAT PETTING and a bonfire, all in a lovely garden setting.” (The all-caps on GOAT PETTING is theirs, not ours.)

_OFCOLOR is taking over Pershing with “large-scale works, film photography, and immersive collections,” plus “live art activations, DJ sets, and music performances.”

Justine’s is one of our favorite Austin restaurants for vibes, and if they served brunch year-round, we would be there every weekend. Unfortunately, they serve brunch only during Austin Studio Tour, so if you’re in need of some pain perdu or perhaps a croque madame, this is your chance. They’ll also have a Parisian flea market and a DJ. 

If you’re up for driving even farther east, our pals at ALT have taken over Sign Bar with the Critter Corrall, a “post-nuclear Texas frontier” combining “immersive art installation, interactive storytelling and a quirky gift shop full of collectible creations.”

Our picks for North Austin:

Higher Vibes is bringing together 40+ creatives, plus “daily programming including live music, karaoke, and open mics; craft workshops like candle making, painting, and vision boards; a mini circus and variety show with drag, aerials, and sideshows; plus a local bazaar and Farmers Market with handmade goods, produce, and baked treats.” 

If you’re interested in Burning Man community and culture, you can head up to Catalyst Collective to check out some of the projects that Austin burners have created and brought to the Playa.

Our picks for South Austin:

Austin Lighthouse for the Blind is a tactile art gallery showing works by low-vision creatives, plus “food trucks, vendors, live music + art.” 

Creative Arts Society is hosting 35 visual artists, free food + bevs, and three musical acts every day, for what they’ve deemed “East West Music Fest.”

Katie Ann Clay is a charming-looking artist’s backyard, showcasing work by six creatives, plus hands-on clay sessions, music, and tea + baked goods. 

We’ve never been to La Petite Provence, but this artist’s home was apparently “once celebrated on the Austin Weird Homes Tour as the ‘Art Oasis’,” and that is all we need to know.

Our picks for Central Austin:

The Museum of Collectibles + Curiosities is home to one woman’s “whimsical collections.” Everything I read about this place makes me want to know more. 

Here at L+B HQ, we love a historic home, so naturally we’re entranced by the Flower Hill Center, an urban historic homestead museum dating back to 1977. This AST, you can wander the grounds and historic buildings while admiring local art + vendors. 

Those are just some spaces that we’ve liked in the past or that have caught our eye this year, but know that there are countless others that could be every bit as good. Go click around the studio tour map—or just start walking—and see what you find. And if you come across anything great, tell us about it, and we’ll be sure to spread the word (or at least to check it out for ourselves).