Lite + Brite: 49 Erroneous Austin Events 5/29
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.
This is one of our favorite weekends of the year to be in Austin: It’s ATX TV Fest! This year we’re especially excited about all the Friday Night Lights programming, naturally, but there are so many other interesting panels and screenings and parties, too. We will also use this opportunity to re-hype the interview we did with one of the TV festival’s founders last year!
This past week, the Texas Republican party finally chose their nominee for Senate. As we now enter the next phase of the campaign trail, you can attend a Talarico fundraiser/happy hour at Community Garden or a bake sale for Talarico and Hinojosa. Also this week, one of our beloved local bands, Peelander-Z, was in a horrific car accident. In the absence of a proper social safety net (which seems somehow related to the election discussed at the top of this paragraph!), you can chip in for the band’s medical bills here.
Also on deck we’ve got celebrations of 5 years of outdoor movie screenings, 1 year of tea service, 29 years of bicycling, 1 year of pinball, and 16 years of wigs. Leila’s favorite podcast is in town, as is Brian’s favorite thing to buy. You can watch traditional Chinese shadow puppetry, poorly rehearsed Shakespeare plays, Die Hard in burlesque style, video game music in symphonic style, or improv inspired by your Instagram feed. (If you go with that last one, this is your last chance to use the promo code COME@ME for 50% off!) If this isn’t enough for your voracious appetite, scroll down for even more stuff to do.
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
EVENTS WE’RE EYEING
Friday 5/29
- Rocket Cinema 5th Anniversary Party at Ani’s Day + Night
Live space rock paired with visuals on Rocket Cinema’s outdoor screen - Die Harder at Sky Candy
Burlesque performers + aerialists reimagine high-flying Bruce Willis vehicle - Video Games Live at the Long Center
Symphonic performances of music from a variety of video game soundtracks - Cache Register at Shed Shows
Mixed media exhibition of recent UT art grads centered around archives - Javier + Melissa Talk about Love at MASS Gallery
Talks on museums, queerness, OCD, + many other topics - Aura Runway Show at Canopy
Positivity focused runway w/models whose “outfits that reflect who they are” - One-Year Anniversary Party at West China Tea
Enjoy traditional Chinese tea service outdoors w/live music + puppets - PowerPints at Radio East
“Drink + learn things” at comedic talks on a variety of esoteric topics - Shadowrun at Tiny Minotaur
Fantasy / cyberpunk / techno goth shenanigans-themed costume night - Austin Mezcal Festival at Fiesta Gardens
Sample many mezcals w/talks, bbq, live music, + DJs - Error 404 at the Stage
Burlesque, drag, + theatrical performers confront the censoring of naughty bits - Ballet Under the Stars at Zilker Hillside Theater
Free outdoor ballet performance - Light at the Dougherty Arts Center
One woman Chinese shadow puppetry show about family - 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
Saturday 5/30
- Loop Palace 3 at Radio South
Live musicians all using loop pedals, plus poetry + “singing bowls” - Goodspread Summer Splash at Tiny Grocer
Slather on free skin protection, swim in cowboy pools w/drinks, raffle, + DJ - Pancakes + Booze Art Show at the Far Out Lounge
Between pancakes + live body painting, this WILL get sticky - May Fest at Old Gregg Brewing Co.
German holiday observed w/stein holding, goat races, petting zoo, + polka - Creative Departure at 2324 Studios
Phone-free conversations on art + art-making environment - Yellow Bike Turns 29 at the Factory on 5th
Charity fundraiser anniversary w/live music + DJ - Grand Opening at Maybe
Art, food, tats, raffle, airbrush, + a “butter board” - Liquid Light Burlesque Show at Valhalla
“Psychedelic-themed burlesque show” w/raffles + games - Hyde Park Photo Walk at Quack’s
Wander through Hyde Park w/a gang of photographers - Floaties Fest on Lake Austin
Take a boat out onto Lake Austin to float + hear live music - One Year Celebration at Austin Pinball Collective
Free play pinball all night to celebrate that “you have free will” - Quintron + Miss Pussycat at Hotel Vegas
Live music show w/puppets + lots of handmade instruments - Story-oke at the Highball
Sing a song + talk about it. Basically DIY VH1 Storytellers - The Austin Record Convention at the Palmer Events Center
A riot of records, a cavalcade of vinyl, + even the odd CD, cassette etc - Error 404 at the Stage
Burlesque, drag, + theatrical performers confront the censoring of naughty bits - Ballet Under the Stars at Zilker Hillside Theater
Free outdoor ballet performance - Light at the Dougherty Arts Center
One woman Chinese shadow puppetry show about family - 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
Sunday 5/31
- Wet T-Slur Contest at Cheer Up Charlies
Celebrate Pride w/water slides + wet t-slur contest - Red Light Lit Prom at 29th St. Ballroom
Prom-inspired “poetry, storytelling, music, comedy, + burlesque” - Open Wall, Open Mic + Open Studios at Hive Mind Studios
Check out artist studios w/family friendly musical + art jam sessions - Caravan Carnival at Fortune Teller ATX
Fire show, magician, DJ, + vendor market - Sweet 16 at Coco Coquette
Mom’n’pop wig shop celebrates w/dessert buffet, giveaways, + sales - Half-Baked Shakespeare at Radio East
Watch actors perform Shakespeare with zero rehearsal time - The Austin Record Convention at the Palmer Events Center
A riot of records, a cavalcade of vinyl, + even the odd CD, cassette etc - 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 - (weekly thru 6/14) Splash Dance at the Austin Motel
Poolside aerobics with Austin’s most creative aerobics instructor
Monday 6/1
- Throne of Blood at Sekrit Theater
Watch hailed samurai retelling of Shakespeare in a hidden grove - Half-Baked Shakespeare at Cherrywood Coffeehouse
Watch actors perform Shakespeare with zero rehearsal time
Wednesday 6/3
- Defending a Big-Dxxked Elven Wizard at Tiny Minotaur
“Set your loins ablaze” + participate in table read of queer romantasy - Thought Experiments on Patios at Cosmic Pickle
A guided outdoor discussion on a series of thought experiments - Another Kind of Silence at the Vortex
Deaf, hard-of-hearing, + hearing actors perform play in English + ASL
Thursday 6/4
- Planetarium Mobilis at Factory on 5th
Live ambient music accompanies live remixed NASA imagery - Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! at Bass Concert Hall
Be the audience for a taping of the NPR comedy/current events show - LezFest at Hotel Vegas
Pride event w/live music, DJs, vendors, tats, burlesque, + dating game - Neighborhood Block Party at ThoroughFare
Giveaways, sales, + prizes from lots of local businesses - Bake Sale for Democracy at Tiger Den
Dem. fundraiser w/”dark glamour, mild corruption, + a touch of democratic decay” - Gay, Drag, Drunk History at Stargazer
Comedically retelling history through a gay, drunk, + drag lens - Testify at Barrel O’ Fun
Storytellers tell true stories about pets + furry critters - ATX Vogue Nights at Swan Dive
Austin’s regular ballroom party w/DJ, MC, + lots of categories - Insomnia Cafe at Stage Austin
Play that is “part psychological hostage story, part pop-culture fever dream” - Light at the Dougherty Arts Center
One woman Chinese shadow puppetry show about family - Frutos de la Muerte at Ground Floor Theater
Multilingual puppetry play about Guatemala, politics, fungi, + spirits - Another Kind of Silence at the Vortex
Deaf, hard-of-hearing, + hearing actors perform play in English + ASL
NHA281
Smart Disco
The robots have once again taken over the discotheque. Tune in for an hour of synthy disco tunes from disco’s heyday.
Tracklist
Kim Harlow – Allo Réseau (Captain’ Edit)
Jorge Santana – Darling I Love You
‘Lectric Workers – Robot Is Systematic
Patrick Cowley – Floating
Kat Mandu – There’s Only Been a Few (Major Swellings Edit)
Pino D’Angio – Una Notte da Impazzire (Kix Edit)
The Universal Robot Band – Dance and Shake Your Tambourine
Dexter Wansel – Theme from the Planets
7th Wonder – Daisy Lady
Gianni Riso – Disco Shy (Mirror People Edit)
Lio – Sage Comme une Image (Rune Lindbæk Edit)
Barracuda – Hey! Mr Yosaku
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.