Lite + Brite Monthly: June
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the monthly edition of the Lite + Brite newsletter.
Between Juneteenth, Pride, the summer solstice, and everything else, we’re looking at a full month of Austin events. Some highlights are called out below. (Btw if you want even more to look forward to, our Patreon subscriber-only spreadsheet currently has 80 events sitting on it.) The two of us are missing the first week because we’re in NYC—you’re invited to metaphorically join us on our journey with our new playlist of New York songs. And if you’re looking to kick off some summer reading, we’ve got you covered with our new guide to local independent bookstores.
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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.
- June 4-7 + 10-13: Insomnia Cafe at Stage Austin
Play that is “part psychological hostage story, part pop-culture fever dream” - June 4-7 + 11-13: Frutos de la Muerte at Ground Floor Theater
Multilingual puppetry play about Guatemala, politics, fungi, + spirits - June 5: iContact at the Long Center
“Emergent performance ritual” involving movement, puppetry, + soundscapes - June 5: First Friday Art Trail at HOPE Outdoor Gallery
Immersive art, vendors, + live music at newly reopened graffiti park - June 5, 12, 19, + 26: Storytelling Through Dance Making at Festival Beach
Learn to tell your own personal stories using choreography - June 5-6: Connec(TX)ions Dance Festival at ESPA
Short performances by two dozen local dance companies - June 5-6: Mortified at the Highball
Pride-centric sharing of teenaged diaries in a new comedic light - June 6: The RainWhorest Cafe at Sky Candy
Like the animatronic restaurant, only for adults and involving circus arts - June 6: The Confluence Grand Opening at Waterloo Greenway
Celebrate the Greenway’s transformation w/live music, art, + activities - June 6: Midsummer Festival at the Old Bakery + Emporium
Non-creepy celebration of Sweden w/trad music, food, + flower crowns - June 6: The Majestic Ball at the Paramount
Ballroom performances with rococo vibes - June 6: I Was a Museum at Kick Butt Coffee
Clown-themed performance art, burlesque, “speed friending,” general chaos - June 6: First Saturday at the Museum of Human Achievement
“Smells bingo,” clothing mending lab + swap, + member mingling - June 6: PaddlePalooza on Town Lake
A big floating party w/DJs, boats, boards, + bubbles - June 6: Grand Reopening at the ESB-MACC
Tours, vendors, workshops, + art at Mexican American cultural center - June 7: Queerbomb at Inn Cahoots
Speakers, drag performers, + musicians rally for Pride w/parade - June 7: Scoopapalooza at Bouldin Acres
Ice cream trick olympics plus live music, vendors, + kids corner - June 9 + 10: Blues on the Green at Zilker Park
Big free summer concerts w/many different genres represented - June 11: UnFOUseen Circumstances at the Vortex
Variety acts + audience games, performed interdimensionally - June 12-13: Five Year Anniversary at Richesart Gallery
Gallery anni w/live music, DJs, fashion show, + boat party - June 13: Austin Monthly’s Burger Bash at Moody Amphitheater
Try burgers from 20 heavy-hitting spots across the city - June 13: Austin Yoga Festival at the Long Center
Sample yoga, mindfulness, bubble dancing, tarot, + live music - June 13: Legend of the Realms at Sky Candy
Competitive fantasy-themed aerialists, burlesque, storytelling + more - June 13: Hyde Park Storytelling at Batch Craft Beer
Storytellers ply their trade in a backyard w/ASL interpreter - June 14: Freedom Juneteenth at Moody Amphitheater
Juneteenth party w/DJs, vendors, sip + painting, + activations - June 18: TreeFolks Summer Solstice Party at Better Half
Tree-themed walks, games, safari, vendors + maypole dance - June 18-20 + 25-27: Dear Dickies at Hyde Park Theater
“Love/business letter to Dickies workwear” in theatrical form - June 19-20: Soul 2 Sole Tap Festival at the Long Center
Improvised tap performances chosen by a panel w/live jazz combo - June 20: The Carver Kickback at the Carver Museum
Juneteenth celebration w/bbq, activations, + vendors - June 20: Black Auteur Film Festival at AFS
A night of films by Black Texan filmmakers w/Q+A, raffle, + mixer - June 20-21: Pride Party at Distribution Hall
Big queer vendor market organized by the Little Gay Shop - June 21: BHBR Juneteenth Social Ride at Haskell House
See landmarks in Austin’s Black history by bike for Juneteenth - June 24-28: Austin Asian American Film Festival at AFS
Fest that “highlights new Asian and Asian American film” - June 27: Austin African American Book Festival at the Carver Museum
Book fest celebrating Black voices + empowering aspiring authors - June 27: Pride Picnic at Pease Park
Vendors, art workshops, + book swap to celebrate Pride - June 27: Fight Opera at Beerworks Sprinkle Valley
Wrestlers explore business opportunities and “suplexes as service” - June 27-28: Oddities + Curiosities Expo at the Palmer Events Center
Take in oddities, taxidermy classes, + unsettling vendors
L+B PLAYLIST 24
A NIGHT IN NEW YORK
We’re both about to take a trip to visit some of our old haunts in New York City, so this seemed like a good month to pay tribute to the city that gave us disco, hip hop, punk, + so many other genres, subgenres, amazing bands, + inspired countless songs by visitors and admirers. (Note two songs are missing on Apple four are missing on Spotify.)
Listen on: Spotify / Apple / YouTube
Tracklist
Hello – New York Groove
Ramones – Rockaway Beach
Joe Bataan – Subway Joe
Le Tigre – My My Metrocard
Elbow Bones and the Racketeers – A Night in New York
The Midnight – Brooklyn. Friday. Love.
Holy Ghost! – Bridge & Tunnel
Brooklyn Bronx & Queens Band – On the Beat
Blondie – Dreaming
Jonathan Richman – Springtime in New York
Steely Dan – Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer under Me)
Gil Scott-Heron – New York City
Garland Jeffreys – Wild in the Streets
Bobby Womack – Across 110th Street
Odyssey – Native New Yorker
Jellybean – Sidewalk Talk ft. Madonna
J. Walter Negro & Loose Jointz – Shoot the Pump
A Tribe Called Quest – Award Tour ft. Trugoy the Dove
Carly Simon – Why
Eli Escobar – N.Y. So Hi
Leonard Cohen – First We Take Manhattan
Black Sheep – The Choice Is Yours
Metropole – Miss Manhattan
LCD Soundsystem – Bye Bye Bayou
Lou Reed – Coney Island Baby
Lite + Brite’s Guide to Austin’s Independent Bookstores
Buying books from independent bookstores isn’t just about getting yourself something; it’s also a social good. If we want to live in a city with third spaces, we have to spend money at those third spaces. So, you see, you’re not just buying yourself the latest Dungeon Crawler Carl novel—in fact, you are personally saving the community. WOW. You are an American hero, and you deserve a reward. How about another book?
And before you say “But I only read ebooks or audiobooks,” let me interrupt you with some great news: Independent bookstores sell those, too!
Against all odds, we’re living in a golden era for indie bookstores. NINE of the shops I’m listing below launched within the past five years! This is a growth industry! Here is a roundup of some (but by no means all) of our local book dealers—in alphabetical order, which is how books ought to be shelved:
Alienated Majesty specializes in books from small presses, poetry chapbooks, and other obscurities that you won’t hear about elsewhere. Plus sometimes they team up with Friendly Rio Market across the street for punk shows. They host I Scream Social, a monthly feminist reading series and ice cream party.
Birdhouse Books is a friendly neighborhood spot that opened in 2024, serving a general population, with a particular focus on queer literature and books by local writers. They have a good kids’ section and an adorable shop dog.
Black Pearl is Austin’s Black-owned bookstore, focusing on works by Black writers. They’re closing their storefront on June 20, and we look forward to supporting them in whatever they do next.
BookPeople is Texas’s largest independent bookstore. It’s more than 55 years old with a spacious cafe, ginormous selection (especially in the kids’ section), and events nearly every day. A true institution.
BookWoman is Austin’s feminist bookstore. They just celebrated their 50th birthday with a party at Cheer Ups (which we obviously listed in this newsletter).
Finney’s Books is one of Austin’s two romance bookshops, only a few months old, and also home to a very good bookstore dog!
First Light Books, opened in 2023, is classy and aesthetic, home to an upscale coffeeshop with lovely outdoor seating. Leila will be launching her new book here on October 13!
Flutter is Austin’s other romance bookshop! It opened last year and offers every romance sub-genre you can think of.
Little Gay Shop, launched in 2019, sells queer literature for all ages, as well as other LGBTQ crafts + merch.
Livra Books is a small, slightly hidden used and rare bookshop which opened in 2024 and has a large collection of hard-to-find Spanish books.
Monkeywrench Books is Austin’s anti-capitalist, anarchist bookstore. About as DIY as it gets.
Reverie Books is a cozy little community-oriented shop that opened in 2021 and specializes in books by and representing marginalized peoples.
Time Being Books is a tiny secondhand bookshop, opened in 2023, run by artists out of a trailer in the yard of a small art gallery.
TOMO Mags is a magazine shop that opened just a few months ago. This is cool! There are not many stores devoted to browsing, buying, and celebrating the art of magazines in the year 2026!
Vintage Bookstore + Wine Bar is three and a half years old, housed in a gorgeous historic building with lots of charming little rooms for different genres, plus a wine bar.
Do you want to know even more about these and other Austin-area bookshops? Check out the Austin Book Trail’s guide!
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, 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.
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 Superfantastica for weird Austin spots). 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.