Lite + Brite: 57 Wriggling Austin Events 10/9
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.
We hope to see you IRL on Tuesday because Leila’s newest book is coming out, and we’re celebrating with a launch event at First Light. If you’ve ever wondered, “Hey, can Leila and Brian do anything other than constantly track Austin events,” this is your opportunity to see one other thing that we can do!
If you’re interested in more bookish events, this weekend brings a grown-up book fair to a brewery and a vaudevillian night to an indie bookshop. If you like learning things not only through the written word, this week you can also learn about the art of fake blood via PowerPoint, urban wildlife and therapy culture via lecture, the Colorado River and Lawrence v. Texas via film, and mushrooms via bike ride. If you’ve kept your flute since high school orchestra, just in case you ever wanted to play again, now is your time. And if you’ve ever thought that Shakespearean monologues were cool but would be better if performed in nine different languages, you’re right.
Reminders: All month long we’re tracking Halloween happenings in our spreadsheet + web app (now up to 298 events!). Our database includes costume sales, witchy markets, horror films, haunted houses, pumpkin carving, and everything else your spooky little heart could desire. The spreadsheet lists every event marked with a pumpkin below, plus many more. We also made a playlist of spooky jams for you to get into the mood.
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 10/9
- Behind the Mask at Bolm Arts
Masks + mask-inspired art show w/pieces made by the community - Straw Hat Soiree at Tiny Minotaur
Drag performers inspired by the pirate anime One Piece - 🎃Noxx’s Nightshade Nerdlesque: Horrorween II at Tiger Den
“Horror inspired cosplay burlesque” covering things that go bump in the night - Vaudeville Night at Alienated Majesty
Vaudevillian prose + poetry readings, live music, tarot, + exquisite corpse - PowerPints at Radio East
“Drink + learn things” at comedic talks on a variety of esoteric topics - UnFOUseen Circumstances at the Vortex
Variety acts + burlesque from a cadre of space clowns - Dance Carousel at Ground Floor Theater
Bite-size modern dance w/short dances by many choreographers - Entre Dos Cielos at the Gerry Ohlendorf Performing Arts Center
Modern circus arts performers “celebrating the cultures of Texas and Mexico” - 🎃(weekly thru 10/30) Cvnty Vampires at Fallout
“A queer majority improv show about messy vampires and their lives & loves”
Saturday 10/10
- 🎃 Pop-Up Flute Choir at Batch
Dress up in costume + hear/play an array of spooky tunes from a flute choir - Legend of the Realms at Sky Candy
Competitive fantasy-themed aerialists, burlesque, storytelling + more - Wheatsville Fall Fest at Wheatsville South
Art vendors, carnival games, DJ, “fancy grilled cheese” - One Year Celebration at Dandelion House
Art activations, workshops, vendors, + live music - The Texans Who Legalized Gay Sex at Hyperreal Film Club
Watch video podcast about decriminalizing gay sex in Austin + DIY bolo ties - Atomic Pulse at dadaLab
Quadrophonic? Psh! Try 11 channel live electronic music w/live visuals - Leave a Comment at Hyperreal Film Club
Watch a documentary about sociopaths on the internet w/filmmaker Q+A - Fall Book Fair at Austin Beerworks
Local brewer + booksellers team up to recreate a school book fair - Star Party at Blue Hole Regional Park
Check out the night sky through fancy telescopes w/live music - Sumo Championship League at HEB Center
Professional sumo wrestlers lumber into Austin - 🎃 Scary Clown Time: A Comedy of Terrors at Tiny Minotaur
Dress as a scary clown/juggalo for “fantasy costume night themed around clowns that might kill” - 🎃 Dark Ritual at Capt. Quack’s Soundspace
DJs spinning goth, post-punk + darkwave - Dance Walk at Juiceland Barton Springs
Join a crew of folks dancing their way around the streets surrounding ACL - Oktoberfest at the German Free School
Live music, German beer, + family-friendly fun at historic location - The Poet’s Eye at Hyperreal Film Club
Watch shorts by poet-filmmakers w/panel discussion by the creators - Legacy on a Plate at Rosewood Park
Food, live music, vendors + cultural programming centered on the African Diaspora - Lone Star Zine Fest at Blue Genie
Zines + comics fest w/vendors, prizes, + zine making, “80s prom vibes” - Peelander-Z Benefit Weekend at Jester King
Live music, raffle, food specials, + merch sales supporting Peelander-Z’s recovery - 🎃 ATX Theatre Halloween Costume + Thrift Sale at Sterling Stage
Buy a cool secondhand Halloween costume + save the planet, man - UnFOUseen Circumstances at the Vortex
Variety acts + burlesque from a cadre of space clowns - Dance Carousel at Ground Floor Theater
Bite-size modern dance w/short dances by many choreographers - Entre Dos Cielos at the Gerry Ohlendorf Performing Arts Center
Modern circus arts performers “celebrating the cultures of Texas and Mexico”
Sunday 10/11
- 🎃 The Austin Seance at the Serpent Tattoo + Occult Shop
Take part in a Victorian-style séance + learn about their history - Gay-CL at Hotel Vegas
“Your sapphic alternative” to ACL w/live music, DJ, vendors, + queeraoke - Myco Cyco at Eastwoods Neighborhood Park
Mushroom foraging on your bike in search of Chicken-of-the-Woods - Leisure Suit Larry’s Retro Games at the Highball
Play vintage video games on lots of consoles from the 80s through 00s - Legacy on a Plate at Moody Amphitheater
Food, live music, vendors + cultural programming centered on the African Diaspora - Lone Star Zine Fest at Blue Genie
Zines + comics fest w/vendors, prizes, + zine making, “80s prom vibes” - Peelander-Z Benefit Weekend at Jester King
Live music, raffle, food specials, + merch sales supporting Peelander-Z’s recovery - 🎃 ATX Theatre Halloween Costume + Thrift Sale at Sterling Stage
Buy a cool secondhand Halloween costume + save the planet, man - Entre Dos Cielos at the Gerry Ohlendorf Performing Arts Center
Modern circus arts performers “celebrating the cultures of Texas and Mexico”
Monday 10/12
- ATX Short Film Showcase at the 29th St. Ballroom
The films are short, the filmmakers are Texan + of varying heights
Tuesday 10/13
- Encore Performance Book Launch at First Light
Join fellow L+B friends + fans to celebrate Leila’s new book
Wednesday 10/14
- The Austin Salon at 3005 Cherrywood Rd.
Hear a talk on the state of modern therapy w/group discussion - Reel Science: The American Southwest at the Rollins Theater
See a science-themed doc screening w/related Q+A - Thought Experiments on Patios at Cosmic
A guided outdoor discussion on a series of thought experiments - The Trial of Baby Quigwie at Tiny Minotaur
Interactive LARPing quest involving an adorable slime spy
Thursday 10/15
- Urban Wildlife in Austin at Buzz Mill
“Fun, informative, + hands-on look” at Austin wildlife (the fauna kind) - 🎃 Sipping Sapphic at the Flower Shop
Vampires + R&B-themed drag, burlesque, tats, tarot, live music, blood wrestling - Nerd Nite at Barrel O’ Fun
Hear nerdy high-caliber talks on topics that will make you squirm + cower - 🎃 Queer Film Theory: Horror at the Highball
“Basically, we ruin films for straight people + yell about the characters that made us feel gay” - In Spite of All the Roses at Klerje Coffee
“Intimate, immersive dance theater experience” about 1950s home life - Wonderland Burlesque at the Vortex
Burlesque performers recreate the 2010 film “Burlesque” - Gerl, Gurl, Gorl! at Stage Austin
“Solo show about love, autonomy, and well, McDonald’s” - 🎃 Austin Horror Film Festival at 29th St. Ballroom
Fest of horror films about creepies, crawlies, swamp dwellers, + murderous ball pits - (weekly thru 10/29) Kicking the Bucket Listening Club at Yarborough Library
Basket weaving, group audiobook listening, + end-of-life discussion
Friday 10/16
- Bit Brigade at Come and Take It Live
Video game speedrunners perform w/live responsive chiptune band - Multilingual Shakespeare Mixer at Scottish Rite Theater
Hear a Shakespeare speech performed in multiple languages - VHS Marathon + Swap at We Luv Video
Trade VHS tapes w/vendors + watch live special fx demo - The Experts at Wrong at Future Front
“Comedic PowerPoint improv night + fundraiser” - HalloSeen at Hyperreal Film Club
Halloween-themed filthy queer underground erotic cinema - 333: Fantasy Drag at Tiny Minotaur
Tarot-inspired fantasy drag performers from the Trans Era - Mosaic at the Dougherty Arts Center
“An evening of dance showcasing ballet, jazz, contemporary, + tap” - Future Traditions Fest at dadaLab
“Experimental multidisciplinary performance + video” focusing on Latine artists - Med Fest at St. Elias Orthodox Church
Food, vendors, + traditional dance from Greece + beyond - 🎃 Ethereal Horror Fest at Violet Crown Cinema
Film fest w/horror screenings + industry panels - In Spite of All the Roses at Klerje Coffee
“Intimate, immersive dance theater experience” about 1950s home life - Wonderland Burlesque at the Vortex
Burlesque performers recreate the 2010 film “Burlesque” - Gerl, Gurl, Gorl! at Stage Austin
“Solo show about love, autonomy, and well, McDonald’s” - 🎃 Austin Horror Film Festival at 29th St. Ballroom
Fest of horror films about creepies, crawlies, swamp dwellers, + murderous ball pits - 🎃(weekly thru 10/30) Cvnty Vampires at Fallout
“A queer majority improv show about messy vampires and their lives & loves”
NHA297
Express Cash
By random happenstance, this week’s No Humans Allowed lay at the confluence of various shopping holidays with names like “Techtober.” Who are we to ignore the overwhelming flow of capitalistic fervor? Instead we embraced the moment with tunes about shopping, fashion, cash, + leather.
Tracklist
Eyeliner – Chit Chat
Valerie Claire – I’m a Model (Tonight’s the Night)
Parallel Dance Ensemble – Shopping Cart
Deltron 3030 – New Coke
Chicks on Speed – Glamour Girl
Boy Harsher – Jeans
Maxx Mann – Leather Man
Avenue D – Buy Me Things
Ladytron – Black Plastic
Boys’ Shorts – Nostalgia
Ernie Watts – Just Holdin’ on (Rahaan Edit)
Passengers – Girls Cost Money (Cap’ Edit)
Saint Etienne – The Clothes Show (Sad Refrain)
Dire Straits – Money for Nothing
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 Olivia Vance, Jairid, Andrew Creswell, Kelsey C., Liz, Melissa Dunn, Kat, James Gray, Emily Heddleson, Robert B., Roman Gonzalez, Nick Ivons, Molly Fonseca, Lilly Ettinger, Michael Sales, Zach, Erica Speegle, Thomas Refferson, Bones Malones, Katie Green, 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 classic video game fest, admiring a flock of Purple Martins, and checking out some of the unique activities we could find in the UK. 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.