Lite + Brite: 39 Eulogical Austin Events 4/10
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.
Here comes the weekend! And rolling up along with it is your weekly Lite+Brite newsletter. Like a lot of the spring, this ain’t just any week! This one marks the beginning of Fusebox, the weeklong series of events that defy ordinary description, but could perhaps succinctly be described as “Stuff that is absolutely what this newsletter is made to cover.” Theater, comedy, absurdism, live music, seances, installations, immersive activities. That’s what we cover week to week, and this year’s lineup of Fusebox events sometimes feel like someone just randomly put several L+B newsletters into a blender, spliced them all up, and put them in some random sentences, fridge magnet style. So this week’s newsletter is extra-juicy, extra-zingy, extra-full of the particular magic that makes Austin the place that it is, + that we do our best to capture here on these metaphorical pages. For that reason, Leila wrote up a guide on Fusebox 2026 for our April newsletter and this would be the perfect time to check it out.
Some brief highlights, both Fusebox and un-Fusebox: join 90s hackers + hacking enthusiasts in a series of performances and kitschy film, watch some people fly around on one-wheeled vehicles, watch other people float on the water in homemade cardboard craft of dubious sailability, assemble a team of S-tier flowers, commune with the spirit of Houdini in the hopes of escaping our world of mundanity, pillage ancient Rome and the ancient Rome-themed pizza joint in the food court, get nerdy about zines, engage in community with the local squirrel population, + enjoy “the worst things about live comedy.”
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Let’s do fun stuff!
—Leila + Brian
liteandbriteatx.com
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO
Last night we went to see Master Pancake riff on Twister as part of Moontower Comedy Fest. The high point was when a comedian dressed as an 8’ tornado pranced down the theater aisle and onto the stage. The low point was when we were concerned that his cardboard tornado costume was going to tear a hole in the Paramount moviescreen, probably bankrupting Master Pancake in the process. (This did not happen. All property destruction remained, thankfully, on-screen.) Moontower is going on through 4/18, and Master Pancake has three shows this weekend alone, should you wish to partake in any of this.
Last weekend we went to The Museum of Human Achievement’s First Saturdays, where we were treated to a panoply of niche passion websites (including one that tracks every computer that’s appeared in film or TV and another that appreciates clouds), and a bunch of in-process indie games. One of them uses a whiteboard to combine a Roguelike Dungeon Crawler with Sudoku, another was a game where you solve a murder mystery on a futuristic world where everything’s covered in garbage, and multiple other games that were made entirely in Figma.
If you have been a L+B reader for six years running, you deserve a gold star. Also you might remember that every year, Kpiss.fm, home of Brian’s radio show No Humans Allowed, has devoted the first week of April to cover songs. This year’s edition of No Humans Allowed features otherworldly synth-forward covers of the Doors, the Human League, Madonna, the Velvet Underground and the Dr. Who theme song. Head here to hear em all.
EVENTS WE’RE EYEING
Friday 4/10
- Mall Visigoths Night at Tiny Minotaur
Can’t decide whether to sack Rome or your local Cinnabon? Do both! - Luxe in Love at Sekrit Theater
Fashionable runway shows, “exotic cars,” live music, + designer market - Microcosm at St. Ed’s
Check out graphic design students’ work based around community - Release the Kraken at Kick Butt Coffee
“Burlesque, drag, + monsters” w/trivia, raffle, costume contest, + photo booth - Quest Night at Scare for a Cure
“Interactive medieval action adventure” w/giant monsters + puzzles - Austin Dance Festival at various venues
“A weekend full of modern/contemporary dance” - The Happiness Gym at the Vortex
Theatrical production about mental health, working out, + pancakes - The Fireraisers at 311 W 7th Street
Critically acclaimed absurdist comedic play in a secret room
Saturday 4/11
- Art Party at Grackle House
Prolific EAST artist’s bday party w/live music, immersive art, + readings - Thru the Chute in New Braunfels
Handmade cardboard boats float the river. What could go wrong? - ABC Kite Fest at Zilker Park
Celebration of all things kites w/contests, live music, + kids’ activities - Eulogy of the Independent Zine Fest at Hotel Vegas
Party w/zine peeps, zine vendors, + zine-loving bands - Tempo on the Trail on the Ann + Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail
Bike around checking out newly installed outdoor art exhibition - Books + Bees at the Bee Cave Public Library
Learn about bees, + listen to adult, YA, + kids author talks - Landmarks Annual Bike Tour at UT-Austin
Get a guided tour of UT’s outdoor sculptures by bicycle - Squirrel Fest at Pease Park
“All-ages creative workshops + community vibes” w/DJs, film, squirrels - Edible Plant Walk at Roy G. Guerrero Park
Learn about the edible + useful native plants that surround us - Luxury Home Tour at houses throughout Austin
Check out some of Austin’s most luxe homes for fun + inspiration - 50th Birthday Celebration at McKinney Falls
Celebrate the park’s 50th w/hikes, crafts, archery, + reenactors - STAPLE! at St. Edward’s
Panels, + vendors of zines + DIY comics, crafts, + games - Greater Austin Clay Studio Tour at art studios throughout Austin
Tour studios + buy art from artists working in clay all across Austin - Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade
Central Texas’ renaissance faire w/medieval food, arts, fun, + dress - Quest Night at Scare for a Cure
“Interactive medieval action adventure” w/giant monsters + puzzles - Austin Dance Festival at various venues
“A weekend full of modern/contemporary dance” - The Happiness Gym at the Vortex
Theatrical production about mental health, working out, + pancakes - The Fireraisers at 311 W 7th Street
Critically acclaimed absurdist comedic play in a secret room
Sunday 4/12
- The Zenith Project at Moody Amphitheater
Artist/maker market, DJ, flash tats, live painting, pilates, activations - East Austin Mural Ride at RichesArt
Tour East Austin’s murals w/guides from Black History Bike Ride - STAPLE! at St. Edward’s
Panels, + vendors of zines + DIY comics, crafts, + games - Greater Austin Clay Studio Tour at art studios throughout Austin
Tour studios + buy art from artists working in clay all across Austin - Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade
Central Texas’ renaissance faire w/medieval food, arts, fun, + dress - Austin Dance Festival at various venues
“A weekend full of modern/contemporary dance” - The Happiness Gym at the Vortex
Theatrical production about mental health, working out, + pancakes - The Fireraisers at 311 W 7th Street
Critically acclaimed absurdist comedic play in a secret room
Monday 4/13
- ATX Short Film Showcase at the 29th St. Ballroom
The films are short, the filmmakers are Texan + of varying heights - (weekly thru 5/18) Kicking the Bucket Listening Club at Hampton Branch Library
Combine basket weaving, group audiobook listening, + end-of-life discussion
Tuesday 4/14
- Neil deGrasse Tyson at the Long Center
Our foremost science communicator discusses the current war on science
Wednesday 4/15
- In Full Bloom at the Dougherty Arts Center
Assemble your team of flowers in a pot + bring extra plant buds to share - WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!?!?!??! at Ground Floor Theatre
“Unsettling comedy with drag, videos, yapping, voicemails, + other freaky surprises” - Fusebox Festival at venues throughout Austin
Musical, arty, experiential, + communal performances by local + int’l folks - The Happiness Gym at the Vortex
Theatrical production about mental health, working out, + pancakes - The Fireraisers at 311 W 7th Street
Critically acclaimed absurdist comedic play in a secret room
Thursday 4/16
- TOAST at Springdale Station
“Part performance art project, part cabaret, + part dance party” about toasts - Welcome to Hell at Ground Floor Theatre
Hellish performances promise the “worst things about live comedy” - Instructions for a Seance at Bass Concert Hall
Immersive séance where you contact Houdini to escape your own existence - Poolboy at The Museum of Human Achievement
“Immersive party + performance” explores submission + surveillance - Hack the Planet at Hyperreal Film Club
90s hacker flick w/live visuals, performances, + games in “hacker paradise” - Mountainfilm at the Austin Winery
Watch mountain-riffic documentary shorts w/raffle - Weird Science Theater at Elysium
Drag performances inspired by film nerd favorites + Letterboxd lists - Queer Film Theory at the Highball
“Basically, we ruin films for straight people + yell about the characters that made us feel gay” - Charm Bar Night at Cozy Cannabis
Learn jewelry crafting skills in a swanky dispensary - Lemonade Float Fest at Reveille Peak Ranch
Watch athletes on vehicles way too X-treme to be called unicycles - WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!?!?!??! at Ground Floor Theatre
“Unsettling comedy with drag, videos, yapping, voicemails, + other freaky surprises” - Fusebox Festival at venues throughout Austin
Musical, arty, experiential, + communal performances by local + int’l folks - The Happiness Gym at the Vortex
Theatrical production about mental health, working out, + pancakes - The Fireraisers at 311 W 7th Street
Critically acclaimed absurdist comedic play in a secret room
NHA275
Covers Week 2026
A Kpiss tradition for 6 years continues with the 6th installment of No Humans Allowed’s covers edition. Tune in for an hour of synth-ridden. covers of art rock, folk, eurodance, disco, italo, psych, + bossanova tunes.
Tracklist
Mankind – Dr. Who Theme (Ron Grainer/Delia Derbyshire)
Clicks – Seconds (the Human League)
Carol Cool – Upside Down (Diana Ross)
Bích Hà – La Isla Bonita (Demonslayer Edit) (Madonna)
Bell Towers – I’m Only (the Human League)
Grace Jones – Private Life (the Pretenders)
OMD – Waiting for the Man (the Velvet Underground)
Visage – In the Year 2525 (Zager & Evans)
Prudence Liew – I’ve Been Thinking About You (Running Hot Edit) (Londonbeat)
Cheyne – Call Me Mr. Telephone (Answering Service)
Annabel Lamb – Riders on the Storm (Rune Lindbæk Ediit) (the Doors)
Luke Million – Get Down Saturday Night (Oliver Cheatham)
Everything But the Girl – Corcovado (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
Lovelock – Riders on Dark Horses ft. Orion (Ian Thomas)
No Humans Allowed is Brian Blackout’s award-winning, weekly robots-themed radio show on internet station KPISS.fm. Machine vibes 4 machines. Songs for robots, androids, mandroids, cyborgs, AIs, cylons, skinjobs, roombas, wifi routers, smart devices, anything colored Bondi blue, and virtual assistants. Humans not required. Broadcasts live every Wednesday at 6pm CT on kpiss.fm, with over 200 episodes now streamable in the archives on topics like and Beach Simulations, Roomba dance parties, undersea adventures + Cyber Texas.
PATREON THANKS
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.
SOCIALS
Recent weeks found us attending a dance party in a storage unit, marching in a Greek mythology-themed Halloween parade thrown by a bat crew and a rat crew, and watching a troupe of gigantic leftist puppets from New England. Follow Lite + Brite on Instagram to keep up with our adventures. We’re now on Bluesky too. Yay federation! And come chat with us and the rest of the L+B community on our Discord server (where we sometimes post stuff early too).
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 and Side by Sideshows for live music, The Darker Side of Austin for goth and metal stuff, Concept Animals’ ATX Art for You for gallery openings + artist talks, ATX Theatre for plays, 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, + 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 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.