Lite + Brite: 36 Wet Hot Austin Events 5/22
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.
Traveling away from Austin and running this newsletter can be challenging because we get to hear all about what we miss + what we can’t do. Y’all are lucky, you’re in town for a week of great stuff. Allow us to live vicariously through you + go check some of this stuff out. Do it for Lite+Brite.
This week there’s poolside DJs, cliffside DJs (with drones filming them from said cliff), DJs with swimming + tug-o-war, popup Mahjong parlors (this also has w/DJs, we’re everywehere I’m afraid), robotic demonstrations, imptomptu cyborg assimilation activities, traditional Greek dancing, titty-print stations, + Shakespeare plays reimagined to take place in Texas and 1950s Italy.
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Let’s do fun stuff!
—Leila + Brian
liteandbriteatx.com
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO
This past week we hit up the Affordable Art Fair, which this year raised its maximum price to $12,000 per work. We all have different definitions of “affordable,” I guess! There was SO MUCH stunning artwork from all over the world on display, including plenty of Austin galleries: Verdant Gallery, the Women’s Gallery, Hangar, Canopy, and lots more. Buying art can be unaffordable, but enjoying it is free!
Also this week we attended the Austin Salon, where we learned about language acquisition (among both humans and machines). The house where the Austin Salon is held is on the market, so this will likely be the last salon ever to occur there. (Unless dozens of people plus one university professor break in and stage a lecture after the property has been sold, which honestly seems unlikely!) Of course we’ll keep you posted on wherever this event series goes next.
On No Humans Allowed, Brian returned to the world of hardboiled Irish cyborg private eye Seamus O’Cyborg. It’s Seamus’ day off and he’s spending it in an orbital relaxation station. Joyously slinky synth tunes soundtrack his various hijinx involving clowns, food courts, jetpacks, + lazy rivers in space. You can listen to the episode on the Kpiss archives here.
EVENTS WE’RE EYEING
Friday 5/22
- BarrioFest at Vesper
Live music, “herb classes, indigenous orgs, art, acupuncture…” + much more - Puppet Palooza at Hole in the Wall
BYOP (Bring yr own puppet) for emo puppet live music - Goth Wave at Saturn
DJs spinning indie dance, electro, + dark dance genres - Freaky Futch Day at Elysium
All-lesbian drag show + duo costume contest - Book Swap at the Little Gay Bookshop
“Donate a book, swap a book, buy a new one” + get savings - Ether Slop at Crashbox
“Become a cyborg! Or vehemently don’t!” in a variety of silly impromptu activities - Austin Greek Festival at Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church
Experience trad Greek dance + cuisine, plus church + religious art tours - Much Ado About Nothing at Zilker Hillside Theater
Shakespeare play recontextualized to be in Fellini’s 1950s Italy - Another Kind of Silence at the Vortex
Deaf, hard-of-hearing, + hearing actors perform play in English + ASL
Saturday 5/23
- Rocket Cinema 5th Anniversary Party at Ani’s Day + Night
Live space rock paired with visuals on Rocket Cinema’s outdoor screen - Overheard on a Train on the metrorail
Participate in immersive theatre while exploring public transit - Pirate Prom at Tiny Minotaur
Pirates have commandeered a prom complete w/live music + costume contest - Austin Asian American Zine Fest at Epoch – Village
“AANHPI-centered zine fest” w/DJ, workshops, zines, + art - The Mahj at Distribution Hall
Popup mahjong parlor w/accompanying night market, tea lounge, DJs, + more - Wet Hot American Bummer at Kealing School Park
“Yet another altar to sin and havoc” in the form of a sadistic bicycle race - Immediate Rush at Commons Ford
An armload of DJs, dodgeball, swimming, + tug-o-war - Above 360 at the 360 Bridge
House music DJs spinning on a cliff while filmed by drones - Emergente Youth International Film Festival at Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex
Showcase of films from young local + international filmmakers - Moving Picture II at Hyperreal Film Club
“A showcase of experimental shorts, video art + non-narrative film” - World Goth Day at Elysium
Celebrate World Goth Day with a goth dance party, DJs, + vendors - David Eats Everywhere Premiere at Austin PBS
See the premiere of a new Austin PBS food show w/light bites - Y2K Rewind at 29th St. Ballroom
00s pop nostalgia dance party. Would that make this “mainstream sleaze”? - Day for Night Opening Reception at Co-Lab Projects
Art premiere about revealing/concealing w/adult beverages in a culvert - Texas Roller Derby at the Buda Thunderdome
Roller derbyists murderously smash their way through banked track - Here Be Monsters at Radio East
“Exploration of Austin’s most celebrated indie-classical artists + creators” - Ether Slop at Crashbox
“Become a cyborg! Or vehemently don’t!” in a variety of silly impromptu activities - Austin Greek Festival at Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church
Experience trad Greek dance + cuisine, plus church + religious art tours - Much Ado About Nothing at Zilker Hillside Theater
Shakespeare play recontextualized to be in Fellini’s 1950s Italy - Another Kind of Silence at the Vortex
Deaf, hard-of-hearing, + hearing actors perform play in English + ASL
Sunday 5/24
- Coriolanus at Pease Park
Free reimagining of a Shakespeare play to incorporate Mexican + Texan history - Deep Inside + Live at Hyperreal Film Club
See films by two queer erotic art legends + “titty-print station” - Mrs. Roper Romp at the Austin Eagle
Dress up to celebrate an unlikely 1970s style + feminist icon - Here Be Monsters at Radio East
“Exploration of Austin’s most celebrated indie-classical artists + creators” - Austin Greek Festival at Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church
Experience trad Greek dance + cuisine, plus church + religious art tours - Much Ado About Nothing at Zilker Hillside Theater
Shakespeare play recontextualized to be in Fellini’s 1950s Italy - Another Kind of Silence at the Vortex
Deaf, hard-of-hearing, + hearing actors perform play in English + ASL - (weekly thru 6/14) Splash Dance at the Austin Motel
Poolside aerobics with Austin’s most creative aerobics instructor
Wednesday 5/27
- Reel Science at the Long Center
Science-themed doc screening w/related talk - Magical Mind Mysteries at the Vortex
Alliterative magic show for adults w/Magical Mystical Michael - KOOP Vinyl Night Swim at the Carpenter Hotel
BYO vinyl + swim for free while KOOP DJs spin tunes poolside - Austin Touchdesigner Meetup at dadaLab
DIY robotics demonstrations, workshop, + how-to talks
Thursday 5/28
- Mammals of Texas at Buzz Mill
Aren’t we all mammals of Texas? This class helps ID the non-human ones - Nerd Nite at Barrel O’ Fun
Hear nerdy high-caliber talks about theatrical history + see short plays - ATX TV Festival at various downtown venues
“TV camp for grown ups” w/panels, premieres, stars, + screenings - Another Kind of Silence at the Vortex
Deaf, hard-of-hearing, + hearing actors perform play in English + ASL
NHA280
Space Station Strut
We return to the world of the Irish detective Seamus O’Cyborg where our cybernetically endowed friend has gotten a rare day off. He spends his time off relaxing in an orbital relaxation station, but even on vacation a few hjiinx must ensue. We’ve soundtracked Seamus’ day with slinky synthpop, street soul, + downtempo.
Tracklist
Fortran 5 – Midnight Trip (N29 Mix)
Maureen Mason – I’m Believing (in Love Again)
Who’s Who – Dancin’ Machine
Max Essa – White Shoes, Blue Dreams
Blackbelt Andersen – Sirup
Ambionix – Waves (Español Mix de Bibi BF Edit)
Cabaret Voltaire – Rescue Me (City Lights)
Louise Freeman – Mirage
Steely Dan – Glamour Profession
Donny Benét – Horses
San Serac & the Tranzistors – Zanadu (Fetch Remix)
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, and Kristen Backor. We’re deeply grateful for your support, which allows us to do things like “pay our Beehiiv 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 Superfantastica for weird Austin places + things. 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 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.