Lite + Brite Monthly: April
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the monthly edition of the Lite + Brite newsletter.
It’s April first, but we’re not going to try and fool you in the least. Nope, we’re just doing normal things here, like providing our comprehensive post-South by Southwest playlist featuring 22 bands we saw + loved. After this we’ll shut up about it until next year I swear. April also means Fusebox Festival, so we’ve put together a Fusebox guide for this year. And you can scroll down for a sneak peek at lots more April events.
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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.
- Apr. 1-5, 8-12, + 15-19: The Happiness Gym at the Vortex
“A theatrical workout that may just change the way you live” - Apr. 3-4, 10-11, + 17-18: Quest Night at Scare for a Cure
“Interactive medieval action adventure” w/giant monsters + puzzles - Apr. 4: Adult Easter Egg Night Hunt at Sweet Eats Farm
Not kid’s stuff, this is real-ass adults looking for eggs in the pitch black - Apr. 4: First Saturday at the Museum of Human Achievement
Make finger puppets, talk about yr fave websites + share indie games - Apr. 4: Austin Witchfest at the Palmer Events Center
Which fest has Wiccan talks + vendors? This one! - Apr. 4: Texas VegFest at Fiesta Gardens
Celebrate vegan food w/vegan vendors, speakers, live music - Apr. 4: Queer Austin Bike Tour at Cosmic Saltillo
Learn about Austin’s LGBTQ+ history from your bike’s saddle - Apr. 4-5: Austin Texas Book Trail at bookshops throughout Austin
Explore 30+ local bookstores w/prizes, activations, + parties - Apr. 4-5, 11-12, + 18-19: Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade
Central Texas’ renaissance faire w/medieval food, arts, fun, + dress - Apr. 9-12: Austin Dance Festival at various venues
“A weekend full of modern/contemporary dance” - Apr. 10: Mall Visigoths Night at Tiny Minotaur
Can’t decide whether to sack Rome or your local Cinnabon? Do both! - Apr. 11: Art Party at Grackle House
Prolific EAST artist’s bday party w/live music, immersive art, + readings - Apr. 11: Thru the Chute in New Braunfels
Handmade cardboard boats float the river. What could go wrong? - Apr. 11: ABC Kite Fest at Zilker Park
Celebration of all things kites w/contests, live music, + kids’ activities - Apr. 11: Eulogy of the Independent Zine Fest at Hotel Vegas
Party w/zine peeps, zine vendors, + zine-loving bands - Apr. 11: Tempo on the Trail on the Ann + Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail
Bike around checking out newly installed outdoor art exhibition - Apr. 11: Hyde Park Storytelling at Batch Craft Beer
Youth + adult storytellers ply their trade in a backyard - Apr. 11: Books + Bees at the Bee Cave Public Library
Learn about bees, + listen to adult, YA, + kids author talks - Apr. 11-12: STAPLE! at St. Edward’s
Panels, + vendors of zines + DIY comics, crafts, + games - Apr. 11-12: Greater Austin Clay Studio Tour at art studios throughout Austin
Tour studios + buy art from artists working in clay all across Austin - Apr. 15-19: Fusebox Festival at venues throughout Austin
Musical, arty, experiential, + communal performances by local + int’l folks - Apr. 16-19: Lemonade Float Fest at Reveille Peak Ranch
Watch athletes on vehicles way too X-treme to be called unicycles - Apr. 17: Sign “O” the Medieval Times at Tiny Minotaur
Prince- and prince-themed costumes, bards, + symbology - Apr. 18: Overheard on a Train on Austin’s metrorail
Participate in immersive theatre while exploring public transit - Apr. 18-19: Preservation Austin Homes Tour at historic houses throughout Austin
Explore homes in Austin w/notable history + architecture - Apr. 19: Texas Mushroom Conference at UT-Austin
Get scientific with fungi experts in topics like “mycoremediation” - Apr. 19-26: ATX Climate Week at venues throughout Austin
Lots of ways to learn about our impact on the planet while having fun - Apr. 22-26: Indie Meme Festival at AFS
A film fest celebrating independent Indian + South Asian cinema - Apr. 22-26 + Apr. 29-May 3: The Amazing Acro-Cats at the Rollins Theater
Cats: the world’s least cooperative acrobats - Apr. 23: Puppet Ruckus at the Vortex
They had us at “multimedia musical puppet production” - Apr. 25: Gothic Prom at Elysium
Goth + synthpop DJs say “join us in the dark, cold grasp of Prom” - Apr. 25: Eeyore’s Birthday Party at Pease Park
Old Austin celebration w/body painting, jam sessions, live music - Apr. 25: Uncanny Attractions at the Highland Lounge
Drag + pro wrestling that is “unhinged, unruly, + unapologetically queer” - Apr. 25-26: Buda Wiener Dog Races in downtown Buda
The crown jewel of Buda: the speediest wieners you ever did see - Apr. 26: Austin Archives Bazaar at Scholz Garten
Chat w/archivists, learn about how to use archives, + imbibe - May 1-2: The KUT Festival at UT-Austin
Live music, speakers, in “celebration of the Austin community”
Our Favorites Songs from SxSW
We saw dozens of bands at last month’s South by Southwest from Austin, Canada, England, New Zealand, Peru, you name it. Here’s a mix of some of our favorites so that you can benefit from all our hard work and find some new bands to love.
Listen on: Spotify / Apple / YouTube
Tracklist
MEEK – Fabulous
Almost Heaven – Fever Trying to Blow
Tom A. Smiith – Fashion
Swimwear Department – We Need a Place
Adult DVD – Bull Murray
CDSM – Not Another Bleeder
Slash Need – Border Town
Chalk – Can’t Feel It
DAIISTAR – Tracemaker
Lauren Lakis – Take My Hand
Ancient Greece – Nobodies
Stare Away – Burdens
Packaging – In Your Pocket
Adult Leisure – Kiss Me Like You Miss Her
Foliage – Tomorrow
Good Flying Birds – Fall Away
Drook – Spriniter
Victoryland – I Got God
ARXX – Crying in the Carwash
Glassio – Morning House
Tipa Tipo – Grifo
Hemi Hemingway – Wings of Desire
Lite + Brite’s Guide to Fusebox 2026
If you thought we were done with festivals just because SxSW is behind us, you thought wrong. Austin’s next multi-day, multi-venue arts festival is Fusebox, coming up April 15-19.
Fusebox comprises dozens of performances and installations across a broad range of media. Some cost money, some do not. All have the possibility to sell out, so we recommend getting tickets in advance. It is hard to predict what any Fusebox show will actually entail. Probably some combination of dance / improv / music / digital art / drag / poetry / percussion / puppets / fire. Based on what we know about the various spaces and artists involved, below are a few of our recs for this year. But you should definitely choose your own adventure, and tell us about everything you discover + love.
WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!?!?!??!: Failure, Art, and Accountability at the End Beginning End?! Beginning?? End of the World, by Andie Flores, at Ground Floor Theatre
Utterly no idea what to expect from this one, but Andie Flores as a rule does great work, and this program’s name is *chef’s kiss*.
Browser History, by Luna Davis, Lenyx Dickey, Lillyanne Pham, Ivan Zhao, at the Museum of Human Achievement.
A net art gallery. We’ve already looked through a few pieces of the net art appearing in this showcase, so we can confirm that it’s cool!
Rainforest Reverb 02, by Rolling Ryot, at State of Texas Garage A
A sound-art installation in a parking garage. Last time we saw Rolling Ryot, it was 2020 and they were setting fire to a dumpster. Good to see what this crew is up to.
Spacetime Rodeo, by Graham Reynolds, at the Hampton Inn Parking Garage Rooftop
Listen, parking garages are just great musical venues, okay? This one promises a pedal steel, a string quartet, a horn section, a vibraphone, and a rhythm section.
One-man John Wick, by Woody Fu, at Ground Floor Theatre
I have never seen any of the John Wick movies, but I am absolutely going to see this performer single-handedly reenact all of them.
Free Synthesizer, by the Semi-Modulars, at dadaLab
Live electronic music composed and performed entirely by students at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Welcome to Hell, by Mark Vigeant, at Ground Floor Theatre
Cannot tell you anything about this, but we are a sucker for good copywriting, and this copy is incredible.
TOAST, by Jess Dobkin, at Springdale Station
Not totally sure what’s going to happen here, either, but this lineup of performers is crème de la Austin crème.
Some Crumb of God, by Hannah Spector, at Crashbox
This involves some video art, maybe? Who knows; however, having watched Hannah Spector once break up with 15 people in a shed in the course of two hours, we trust her to make this worth our while.
Fusebox Festival Hub, at Bambino’s and Stargazer
Three nights of parties with other cool Austin arts people. Even if you don’t get tickets to a single show, you should go hang out. Maybe we’ll see you there!
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 2026). 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.