Lite + Brite: 41 Blooming Austin Events 4/24
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.
It may no longer be jacket weather, but whether you’re ready to brave the stickiness and America’s Next Top Mosquitoes, or whether you’re looking for a trip to the great indoors, we’ve got you some options.
Cut through the humidity with a knife, just like some masked thespians carving their way through the denizens of a farcical Bridgerton. Roll out your tongue and make steam escape your body as you make an “AWOOGA” noise while burlesque performers dress up as your favorite cartoon vixens. Go hard mode on some karaoke. Support local bookstores. Dress up as a bug. Learn how to smith a coat of mail. Make poor hot pepper-related decisions. Check out some truly excellent trees. Learn how recycling works. Head to Buda for speedy wieners, or head to Pease Park for an annual slice of old Austin weirdness.
We’ve got some updates + new activities for y’all in the works behind the scenes. We’ll unveil those soon, so keep your eyes peeled for our May monthly edition for more.
If you’re not already a subscriber to this newsletter and you want to be, click here. We do one newsletter a week, usually on Fridays, plus a bonus edition around the start of each month. If you enjoy this newsletter, 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
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO
Last week was Fusebox and Leila’s birthday, so we did one million things. We experienced poolboy at The Museum of Human Achievement, which was a chaotic onslaught of sound and stimuli and also there was a car in the middle of the theater? We went to Hyperreal Film Club twice, once to see Hackers (with a real-life arcade from Games Y’all and visuals from panoptikon.party), and once to see Bottoms (with real-life queer MMA fighting, drag, and weed). We hung out in a sound installation inside a parking garage–five levels, seven composers, 32 giant-ass speakers. This is the sort of thing we love: Site-specific! Ephemeral! Loud! We also attended the Austin Salon, where a producer from Hidden Brain talked about the connection between memories, emotions, and narrative. (Leila was a psych major in college, so this sort of thing is absolute catnip for her.)
Tomorrow, Leila will be teaching a class about how to land a literary agent for ATX Writing Club.
EVENTS WE’RE EYEING
Friday 4/24
- Wild Shape Night Bug Edition at Tiny Minotaur
“Tiny Minotaur’s BEASTLIEST costume night returns” w/lotsa bugs - Electrowhip at Elysium
Darkwave + EBM DJs, cyberpunk visuals, + probable pole performers - Dumb and Dumber Chili Eating Contest at Hyperreal Film Club
Watch a dumb film + then make some dumb spicy chili choices - B Scene at the Blanton
Live music, arty activities, photo booth, artist talks, + open galleries - Lewdy Toons at Revenge Bar
Burlesque performers inspired by sexy + not-so-sexy toons of our youth - Quiet 16 at the Vortex
Zine release w/readings, vendors, live music, + dancers - Bridgerdown at the Vortex
Commedia dell’arte troupe’s bloody take on Bridgerton - Indie Meme Festival at AFS
A film fest celebrating independent Indian + South Asian cinema - The Amazing Acro-Cats at the Rollins Theater
Cats: the world’s least cooperative acrobats
Saturday 4/25
- Eeyore’s Birthday Party at Pease Park
Old Austin celebration w/body painting, jam sessions, live music - Dragon Boat Festival at Festival Beach
Traditional dancers, boating, + performances, plus AAPI food + art vendors - Uncanny Attractions at the Highland Lounge
Drag + pro wrestling that is “unhinged, unruly, + unapologetically queer” - Gothic Prom at Elysium
Goth + synthpop DJs say “join us in the dark, cold grasp of Prom” - Maifest at the German Free School
German auto show, trad live music, beer, + wine - Sunset Valley Artfest at the Toney Burger Center
Big show of artisan + food vendors w/live music + kid activities - Creative Departure at Praxis Coffee Roasters
Turn off your phone to hear talks about creativity, discuss + make art - Independent Bookstore Day at bookshops throughout Austin
Visit our many local bookshops for exclusives, readings, live music, + more - Film + Circus Party at Coldtowne
Experimental comedy, “locally made short films,” + carnival games - Requiem Release Party at Cheer Up Charlies
Magazine release w/drag, DJ, tarot, + flash tats - BookWoman’s 50th Birthday Party at Cheer Up Charlies
“Rock & read” to celebrate feminist bookstore bday w/DJ + live music - Traditional Crafts Day at Pioneer Farms
Learn historic blacksmithing, woodworking, + crafting skills - Earth Fest at ReStore
Earth-friendly sales, family-friendly activities, + learn how recycling works - Story-oke at the Highball
Sing a song + talk about it. Basically DIY VH1 Storytellers - Xpider Karaoke at the Highball
Karaoke w/many unique twists like “hard mode” where you sing acapella - Buda Wiener Dog Races in downtown Buda
The crown jewel of Buda: the speediest wieners you ever did see - Bridgerdown at the Vortex
Commedia dell’arte troupe’s bloody take on Bridgerton - Indie Meme Festival at AFS
A film fest celebrating independent Indian + South Asian cinema - The Amazing Acro-Cats at the Rollins Theater
Cats: the world’s least cooperative acrobats
Sunday 4/26
- Austin Archives Bazaar at Scholz Garten
Chat w/archivists, learn about how to use archives, + imbibe - Fool Hearty at Captain Quack’s
Tarot-inspired talks, improv, poetry, live music + art - AAPI Month Kickoff at Austin Beerworks
Food, vendors, art gallery, + live music + dances by AAPI folks - Austin Queer Book Fair at Cheer Up Charlies
Reenvisioning of a school book fair w/local booksellers, queer books, readings - Grains for Grounds Fest at Fast Friends Beer Company
Meet folks from female-owned, compost-contributing local businesses - Tree of the Year Kickoff Walk at Pease Park
Walk around + visit some award-winning, critically lauded, very good trees - Yoga + Clothing Swap at the Food Forest
Do yoga surrounded by trees + acquire new clothes “the eco-friendly way” - Songtowne at Coldtowne
Sketch + improv comedy where everything is a musical + no one can stop singing - Buda Wiener Dog Races in downtown Buda
The crown jewel of Buda: the speediest wieners you ever did see - Indie Meme Festival at AFS
A film fest celebrating independent Indian + South Asian cinema - The Amazing Acro-Cats at the Rollins Theater
Cats: the world’s least cooperative acrobats
Monday 4/27
- (weekly thru 5/18) Kicking the Bucket Listening Club at Hampton Branch Library
Combine basket weaving, group audiobook listening, + end-of-life discussion
Wednesday 4/29
- Queer to Tell at the 1972 Pub
“Queer Stories told by Queer People in Queer Businesses in Queer Austin” - Bridgerdown at the Vortex
Commedia dell’arte troupe’s bloody take on Bridgerton - The Amazing Acro-Cats at the Rollins Theater
Cats: the world’s least cooperative acrobats
Thursday 4/30
- Hexennacht at Tiny Minotaur
Adorn yourself in witchy attire + hear some anti-patriarchal live folk music - Glamp Glamp: Golden Girls Gone Wild at Lynny’s
“Queer performative weirdness” inspired by everyone’s fave old biddies - Nerd Nite at Barrel O’ Fun
Hear nerdy high-caliber talks on a animation-centric topics - PowerPints at Radio East
“Drink + learn things” at comedic talks on a variety of esoteric topics - Bloom at East Side Performing Arts
Flower-inspired ballet performances set to live classical music - Malum Malus at the Vortex
Samhain-themed “occult-based burlesque performance art” - The Amazing Acro-Cats at the Rollins Theater
Cats: the world’s least cooperative acrobats
NHA276
Cosmic Journey V
It’s time for another Cosmic Journey. No Humans Allowed takes another trip into the depths of space featuring cosmic disco, prog, library + italo from the late 70s through late 80s.
Tracklist
Stars ’n’ Bars – Stars & Bars
Novalis – Du Bist Schön (Basso Edit)
Anthony King – Filigree Funk
Richard Wahnfried – Time Actor
The Alan Parsons Project – Mammagamma
Goblin – Danza
Charanjit Singh – Raga Malkauns
CTI – Dancing Ghosts (Midnight at Robinwood Mill)
Lucifer’s Friend – Stardancer (In Flagranti Edit)
Mort Garson – Musiic for Advertising #7
Boney M – Gadda-da-Vida (Soft Rocks Edit)
Robert Schroeder – Galactic Floor
Future World Orchestra – Casablanca Nights (I:Cube Edit)
Kanji – Dancing Star (Cap’ Edit)
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.