Lite + Brite Monthly: March
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the monthly edition of the Lite + Brite newsletter.
All right everyone, it’s time to get real. That’s right: it’s March. This is when Austin kicks into high gear, and we’re kicking into high gear with it. Scroll down to check out our mostly-SxSW-free monthly event list, our SxSW 2026 Picks Playlists, and our annual Guide to South by Southwest for Austin Residents, plus our updated list of all-the-time things to do. You don’t have to treat March like a full-contact sport the way we do, but if you feel like doing so, we’ve got you covered.
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 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
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. 4-7: Short Shakespeare at Trinity Street Playhouse
Short interpretations of Shakespeare, some from new perspectives - Mar. 4-8: UT New Theater Fest at the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre
See new plays by MFA playwrights from UT - Mar. 5: ATX Vogue Night at Swan Dive
Ballroom takes over Red River w/MCs, DJs, + prizes - Mar. 5: Fat Bottom Cabaret at Austin Garden + Studio
Bottom-heavy “burlesque, drag, + debauchery” - Mar. 6: Cowboy Breakfast at the Long Center
Fill your belly w/a big breakfast, meet some ropers, + hear live music - Mar. 6-7: Shopping Center of the Universe at the McCullough Theater
Parking lot life reimagined via cardboard sculpture, puppets, reflection - Mar. 7: Hear Me Out… at the Museum of Human Achievement
Hear unhinged talks w/conspiracy board + yarn accompaniment - Mar. 7: It’s My Park Day at parks throughout Austin
Volunteer to improve parks across Austin + get freebies - Mar. 7: Fight Opera at Austin Beerwork
Pro wrestlers travel back in time to discover “Slammurabi’s Code” - Mar. 7: UnFOUseen Circumstances at the Vortex
“Psychedelic cartoon clown cabaret” reflects on life’s mysteries - Mar. 8: 16th Annual Garden Party at the Vortex
Put the Butterflies in Butterfly Bar w/plants, live music, petting zoo - Mar. 8: After the Light Leaves at Festival Beach Food Forest
Improvisational site-specific modern dance at dawn or at dusk - Mar. 9: Pinoy Potluck at Kenny Dorham’s Backyard
All-Pinoy live music, vendors, + Filipino potluck - Mar. 10: The Austin Salon at 1109 Angelina St.
Thoughtful talks + discussions on the nature of love + compatibility - Mar. 12: Monster’s Ball at 4211 Todd Ln.
Monstrous “installation filled warehouse” w/games, photobooth, DJ - Mar. 12-16: Congress Ave Block Party at Congress + 9th St.
You don’t need a badge to get free snacks + swag. Free snacks for all! - Mar. 13: Scream Grackula SCREAM at Tiny Minotaur
Enter a “fry bobbing competition” while dressed as a grackle (or its snacks) - Mar. 13: Friday the 13th Paranormal Investigations at Pioneer Farms
Investigate some spirits on a moonlit living history farm + environs - Mar. 13-14: House of Yes at Bathe
NYC art venue visits w/dancing, bathing, brunching, + interactive performances - Mar. 13-15: Flatstock at the Marriott
View + purchase a dizzying array of concert posters - Mar. 14: Mischief Night Scavenger Hunt at Lamkin Pavillion
“Romp around the city seeking out incidents” …sounds like our cats! - Mar. 14: Arts + Parks Tour at Waterloo Park
Guided bike tour of downtown’s parks + murals - Mar. 15: Renossaince at the Far Out Lounge
Ren fest w/live music, cosplay, role play, “mischief” + “full contact sword fighting” - Mar. 15: Jungle DnB Dungeon Synth + Lazer Tag at Blazer Tag
VGM-inspired Drum & Bass/Dungeon Synth musicians perform amidst blazer tagging - Mar. 19-21: Unbecoming at East Side Performing Arts
Live music, spoken word, + projections “where runway fashion meets contemporary dance” - Mar. 20: Electric Equinox at Sky Candy
DJs, projection-mapped dance floor, art vendors, + tea lounge - Mar. 21: Catio Tour at homes throughout Austin
Tour some of Austin’s finest cat patios (aka catios) for fun + inspo - Mar. 21: Buddy Can You Spare a Meme at Co-Lab Projects
Art that satirically skewers meme culture w/live musical accompaniment - Mar. 23: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari at Austin Central Library
Watch classic silent horror film w/live re-score - Mar. 27-29: Honk!TX at various Austin locations
Raucous outdoor celebration of brass w/LOTS of bands from all over - Mar. 27-29: Marie Antoinette: Vampire Queen of Versailles at the Long Center
Ballet performance inspired by 18th century vampires + dress - Mar. 28: Strange + Extraordinary Fest at KMFA Studios
Stranger Things/horror/paranormal-inspired fest w/speakers, vendors, + “haunted items” - Mar. 29: Rise Fest at Pease Park
Live choral performance, DJ, speakers, poetry, vendors, + interactive booths - Mar. 29 – Apr. 19: The Happiness Gym at the Vortex
“A theatrical workout that may just change the way you live”
We’ve combed through hundreds of bands to find 26 picks we’re excited to try and see this year at South by Southwest. We take this festival very seriously. You don’t have to do that—you could just piggyback off of our Sisyphean efforts and see what is getting us excited, so have a listen.
Listen on: Spotify / Apple / YouTube
Tracklist
Whisper – Turn Around
Little Guilt – All the Way
Tipa Tipo – Cintas de Embalar
Foliage – Missing Hearts
60 Juno – Gentle Reset
Adult DVD – Dogs in the Sun
Sex Mask – Cold
Stare Away – Faithless Hum
Tom A. Smith – I Don’t Blame You
Miss Bashful + DBBD – Short King Spring
Ain TheMachin + Melon Blush – A Força
Bayonne – Multiphase
Los Discorde – El Mar
Good Flying Birds – Eric’s Eyes
Lucky – Houston
mypilotis – The Way I See You
Adult Leisure – The Rules
The Tullamarines – Lying
FEET – The Real Thing
Multimagic – Dreams
Team Trust – Wuggis
Marketplace – Contact Sports
Sassy 009 – Tell Me ft. Blood Orange
Total Wife – Peaches
Famous Friend + .com – Tell Me About Your Last Breakup
Graham Reynolds – Mountain Part 1
Lite + Brite’s Guide to SxSW 2026 for Austin Residents
SxSW is one of our favorite times of year. We know many Austinites opt out of SxSW entirely: it’s overwhelming, it brings too many tech bros to town, parking is impossible, badges are expensive, etc. While all of this can certainly be true, it’s also true that SxSW can’t be written off with any of those complaints. It’s full of so much energy and opportunity, and if you enjoy things like discovering new bands, exploring our city, drinking + eating for free, and stumbling across unplannable moments of serendipity, then this festival has something to offer you. In this guide, we’re giving you the tools you need to take advantage of it.
We publish a SxSW guide every year, but 2026’s fest is a bit different. Let’s get into what’s changed, what’s the same, and what that means for those of us who live here.
WHERE
SxSW used to be centered around the Austin Convention Center. With our convention center now a gaping hole of construction, this year’s festival won’t have that one big hub. Don’t worry about it. As always, thousands of shows, screenings, panels, sessions, workshops, keynotes, parties, meetups, etc. will be happening at venues all throughout downtown, and spanning outward through the rest of the city.
WHEN
SxSW is actually four festivals in one: Music, Film/TV, Comedy, and Innovation (a.k.a. tech). These four fests used to be staggered over the course of ten days. Now, they are all happening at the same time, March 12 – 18. Does this make it more or less of a marathon? Hard to predict. Ask us again on March 19.
HOW TO ATTEND THE MUSIC FESTIVAL
—With a Music Badge: SxSW Music Badges get you into every official panel, session, and showcase. You can see the full lineup of official events here. A Music Badge costs $820. We do not mess with that, but you go ahead and do you, Ms. Moneybags.
—With a Music Wristband: Music Wristbands cost $150. They used to be for Austin residents only, but now anyone can buy them. They don’t get you into official panels and sessions, but they DO get you into nearly every official showcase (except for the super popular ones). This is the route we usually go. We like to see tons of shows, so for us, this is good bang for our buck.
—Free / Cover: While official SxSW showcases require attendees to have credentials, there are tons of unofficial shows all over town, both day and night. Many are free and open to all, particularly during the day. Others have a reasonable cover charge. Many official showcases also allow you to pay cover at the door, though you’re not guaranteed entry if you don’t have credentials. You can filter by credential requirements on FestWiz.
—By Volunteering: If you work 24+ hours at SxSW, in exchange you can get music credentials for free. The volunteer signup window closes on March 7.
WHAT TO SEE AT THE MUSIC FESTIVAL
More than 1,150 bands will be performing at official and unofficial SxSW events, and you’ve probably heard of a handful of them. This isn’t a dig at your musical knowledge; this is because the intention of the festival is to showcase new bands. But if you don’t recognize more than 1% of the bands playing, then how do you know whom to see?
—Lite + Brite’s Playlist: We’ve listened to literally hundreds of bands and made a playlist of some of the acts coming to SxSW 2026 whom we’re most excited to see. Maybe you’ll like them, too.
—FestWiz: FestWiz is an incredibly useful festival planning app. It shows you more than a thousand bands who are coming, allows you to filter them by genre and home country, shows you which promoters have booked them and which other bands they’re playing with, and lets you rate your priorities. It’s the app that we’ve wished we had every March before this one.
—Just Wander Around: Many daytime showcases are free. If you bought a wristband, then it doesn’t cost you anything additional to get into most nighttime showcases. So just go to Red River or East 6th or West Campus and wander into anyplace where you hear good music.
HOW TO ATTEND THE FILM FESTIVAL
—With a Film Badge: SxSW Film Badges get you into every official panel, session, and showcase. You can see the full lineup of official events here. A Film Badge costs $1,170. That is a HARD no-thank-you over here. In previous years, SxSW has offered Film Wristbands, but not this time.
—Individual Tickets: Supposedly, you can buy individual tickets to one-off screenings if they’re not all claimed by badge holders. Each screening appears to cost $35, but the option to purchase tickets doesn’t yet seem to be available. The Austin-American Statesman believes these individual tickets will go on sale on March 5. We shall see.
—By Volunteering: If you work 24+ hours at SxSW, in exchange you can get film credentials for free. The volunteer signup window closes on March 7.
HOW TO ATTEND ALL THE REST OF IT
When it comes to the music festival, Lite + Brite and FestWiz have got you covered. That said, there are tons of SxSW events that are not specifically music showcases or film screenings. There are parties, installations, activations, and more that usually offer some combinations of free food, drinks, swag, DJs, bands, photo booths, and “experiences.” We include some of these in the Lite + Brite newsletter—specifically, the ones that see more arty and that are open to the public. But if you want to see a giant list of them all, we recommend the Blueprint, a creation of When Where What / The Dirty Team. (As we write this, this year’s Blueprint hasn’t yet gone live, but it will soon.) The Dirty Team’s Discord is sort of like drinking from a firehose but is quite useful when you need real-time intel on where to find a free taco or how long the line at Hotel Vegas is. And if you’re interested in the more business-y side of SxSW, Marc Nathan has a good guide for those of you who consider yourselves to be startups or VCs or whatnot.
QUESTIONS?
We know it’s a lot and sometimes you don’t want to click on a zillion links to find the answers to your questions. Feel free to just post ’em in the L+B Discord. Leila + Brian don’t know everything, but as a community, our subscribers’ combined Austin events intelligence is pretty close to comprehensive.
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.
- Austin Pinball Collective
A cache of free to play pinball machines concealed in an office park - 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! - 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 Liz, Melissa Dunn, Kat, James Gray, Emily Heddleson, Andrew Creswell, Robert B., Roman Gonzalez, Nick Ivons, Molly Fonseca, Lilly Ettinger, Michael Sales, Zach, Gino Scaramuzza, Erica Speegle, Thomas Refferson, Bones Malones, Katie Green, Christina Jue, Colleen MB, Alexander Freed, Kristen Backor, and Timon A. 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.