Lite + Brite Monthly: November
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the monthly edition of the Lite + Brite newsletter.
We’re back out of our combined Halloween/Election Day stupor and it’s a whole new world out there full of possibilities. This month is jam packed with annual traditions we love like Creek Show, Austin Studio Tour, + so much more. It’s gonna be a good month. We’re having such a good day that we have an insanely upbeat playlist of tunes to feel elated to. Leila has been hard at work on the newest incarnation of our Guide to Austin Studio Tour and she keeps finding more things to add to it. Somebody tell her to stop (at least until the start date arrives).
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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.
- Nov. 4: Body Painting Art Fundraiser at Hive Mind Studios
In a reversal, the artists are the canvas to paint on w/live music, sound healing - Nov. 5-7: Murder at the Museum at the Neill-Cochran House Museum
Help discover whodunnit at a murder mystery in a historic museum - Nov. 5-8, 12-15, + 19-22: The Poison Circus at the Paper Plate Gallery
Experimental theater incorporating immersion, mysticism, + circus vibes - Nov. 6: Secret Show at an unannounced location
Walk, costumed, to a “mini-festival” of live music in a secret location - Nov. 6-8, 11-13, + 20-22: Henry 4.1 at Scottish Rite Theater + How Much?! Studios
Choose-your-own-adventure Shakespeare w/multiple paths inspired by modern music - Nov. 7: Fight Opera at Austin Beerworks
Family-friendly wrestling, clowns, balloons, + “birthday-themed stunts” - Nov. 7: Party World Rasslin’ at Feats of Clay
Austin’s OG over-the-top pro wrestlers throw down + become Pottery World Rasslin - Nov. 7: Thee Gay Agenda: Slayed by the Bell at the State Theatre
All-star “queer variety show” w/live music inspired by the 80s/90s teen sitcom - Nov. 7: Oktober(ish) Fest at 2200 Justin Ln.
“Beer from 20+ local breweries, food, live music, + a whole lot of neighborly fun” - Nov. 7: The Night Owl Spirit Social at SquareRut Kava Bar
Fest organized by ghostly podcast w/paranormal talks, vendor market, live taping - Nov. 7: It’s My Park Day at parks throughout Austin
Volunteer to improve parks across Austin + get freebies - Nov. 7: Cyclovia at the Windsor Park Branch Library
Block party w/bike parade, alt transportation clinics, raffle, + picnic - Nov. 7: Party at the Playhouse at Sage Studio
Group art show inspired by the 80s surrealism of Pee Wee Herman, + DJ, snacks - Nov. 7: Wimberley Film Festival at Blue Hole
Texas-made short films, live music, + swimming w/natural backdrop - Nov. 7-8: Austin Celtic Festival at Pioneer Farms
Celtic-themed sports competitions, live music, dance, workshops, + dog breeds - Nov. 7-8: Travis Heights Art Trail at venues throughout South Austin
“Stroll through historic Travis Heights” + check out local artists’ work - Nov. 8: Hyperreal Harvest Fundraiser at Hyperreal Film Club
Reap a bounty of films w/harvest-themed decorations, photo booth, pie-eating contest - Nov. 8: Passport to the World at Austin Central Library
Fest of Austin’s sister cities w/dance, live music, interactive games - Nov. 8: Historic Hyde Park Homes Tour at houses throughout Hyde Park
Tour some of Hyde Park’s historic + architecturally notable homes - Nov. 8: Friendsgiving + Gear Swap at Central Machine Works
Sing w/your supper + dessert, backing bands, open mic, + gear swap - Nov. 8: HONK!TX Fall Community Showcase at Batch
A passel of brass bands performing live outside - Nov. 10: The Austin Salon at Falling Leaves
Hear talk by UT prof on puzzles + game theory w/group discussion - Nov. 11-15 + 18-22: Watch on the Rhine at an unannounced venue
Site-specific play about fascism invading the home staged in someone’s actual living room - Nov. 12-14: Angers Days at various locations
Celebrate our sister city w/French film, DJs, + baguette contest - Nov. 13: First Sight at Shed Shows
Artwork + performance art by grad students w/live music in DIY venue - Nov. 13: Mystic Salon at Ace of Cups
Live music, storytelling, “occult lecture” + “mutantstrosities” - Nov. 13-14: The Madrigal Dinner at The Texas Union
“Renaissance-style comedy play” w/orchestra, + dinner served - Nov. 13-21: Creek Show at Waterloo Greenway
Locals create spectacular site-specific neon art along Austin’s creeks - Nov. 14: Tacos + Tires at HOPE Outdoor Gallery
Bicycle swap meet w/child rock bands, BMX show, + free tacos - Nov. 14: Tour Das Hugel at every hill in Austin
Join the toughest cyclists in town as they tackle Austin’s roughest hills - Nov. 14: Hanksgiving at an unannounced location
Celebrate America’s Dad by making/eating a punny dish based on his films - Nov. 14: Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin at Brushy St. Commons
Italian prog rockers perform live soundtrack to a giallo slasher classic - Nov. 14: Turning Point U.S. Gay at Elysium
Drag performers parody right wing culture to raise money for the ACLU - Nov. 14-15: Texas Book Festival in downtown Austin
Authors + book fans descend upon downtown for free talks + signings - Nov. 14-15: Mosswood Renaissance Faire at Ani’s Day + Night
Pop-up ren faire w/vendors, mead, medieval garb, live music + other performances - Nov. 14-15 + 21-22: Austin Studio Tour at venues throughout Austin
Artists across Austin open up their studios + hold wacky activities - Nov. 17: Austin Demo Day at Pershing Hall
Science fair-style demos of maker + engineering projects - Nov. 18: The Music of Hey Arnold! at ACL Live
Hear live performances of the music of Hey Arnold! w/anecdotes + clips - Nov. 20-21: Spanksgiving at Kick Butt Coffee + Sky Candy
“A gathering of burlesque, cabaret, + gloriously bad intentions” - Nov. 20-22: No Idea Festival at various venues
Avant-garde + improvisational musical performances, panel, + film - Nov. 21: Hyde Park Storytelling x Accent Unmuted at Batch
Hear immigrant storytellers w/accents share true stories about their lives - Nov. 21: Black Architecture Bike Tour at the Carver Museum
Learn “how Black people created a city within the city, building and maintaining community” - Nov. 21-22: The Front Market at Moody Amphitheater
Big multi-day craft market w/DJs, art gallery, giveaways, demos - Nov. 21-22: Horror for the Holidays at Hilton Austin Downtown
“Horror experience” w/Evil Santa, Krampus parade, cosplay, signings - Nov. 22: Wild Horizon at the Bullock
Watch premiere of a doc about Texas landscapes w/live musical accompaniment - Nov. 28: Slam Portal at HOPE Outdoor Gallery
Interdimensional pro-wrestlers’ space opera w/two rings, live music - Nov. 28-29: Big Ole Queer Market at the Palmer Events Center
Big vendor market for queer artists + businesses
L+B PLAYLIST 29
You Can Decide
We’re in a pretty good mood today, it being November 4th, 2026. Something feels pretty nice in the air. A change, maybe. So we decided to put together a playlist to capture that feeling so we could bottle it and play it anytime.
Listen on: Spotify / Apple / YouTube
Tracklist
The Primitives – Crash
Field Music – You Can Decide
The Belair Lip Bombs – Say My Name
Hoodoo Gurus – Come Anytime
Sylvester – You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
The Housemartins – Caravan of Love
Formation – All the Rest Is Noise
Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill
The Strawberry Alarm Clock – Tomorrow
Pogo – Data + Picard
Cut Copy – Saturdays
The Jesus + Mary Chain – Head On
The Ropers – You Have a Light
Fontaines D.C. – Favourite
Moose – Play God
Happy Mondays – Step on
Alex Metric – Scandalism
Clubfeed – D.I.E. Yuppiescum
Brian Eno – Needle in the Camel’s Eye
Yo La Tengo – Cherry Chapstick
The Damned – Morning Bird
Owen Pallett – Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
Chai – Donuts Mind If I Do
Gerry Read – It’ll All Be Over (DJ Koze Remix)
The The – This Is the Day
Lite + Brite’s Guide to Austin Studio Tour 2026
We list hundreds (thousands?) of events over the course of the year, but Austin Studio Tour may be our favorite. If you do one thing this year, do this.
AST is a dizzying collection of FREE events and art shows that take place over two weekends—this year, that’s 11am-5pm on November 14-15 + 21-22—at venues throughout the city. These venues include traditional art studios and galleries, but also ordinary people’s houses and yards, theaters, office buildings, parks, condemned buildings, and anyplace else you can think of. Here is an interactive map of all the official spaces. Artwork is for sale everywhere at a huge range of price points, and it doesn’t cost anything just to explore and admire.
Like SXSW, AST is overwhelming. This year boasts 815 artists at 309 venues across the city. You will not see it all. We created this guide to help you focus your energies, but honestly you can’t go wrong (unless you stay home). Park somewhere, walk to every nearby stop, and see what you find. You are bound to be delighted.
—A group of venues and promoters—including RichesArt, PietschHouse, Warren Records, Must Be Magic, and a bunch of other folks who we trust to do good events—are coming together to produce Local Frequencies, a block party-style music and art show, promising “multiple art galleries, free bevvies, a coffee vendor, live music, collective art making, and original art.”
—Almost Real Things is the arts group that runs the Austin Studio Tour, and they have a huge space with 30+ participating artists at their 2324 Studios. Bolm Studios and Hive Mind are also home to lots of artists and are great one-stop shops.
—One of last year’s AST highlights, Object Solutions, is back at dadaLab. Their newest “innovation” is Doomwell: “the only portable chasm for your everyday outcries.” If you’re looking to have an *experience*, you’ll want to go to this. Second weekend only.
—Bolm Arts Collective is hosting the Barrio Futbol Project at Lustre Pearl East, “a multidisciplinary exhibition and community project exploring fútbol as a point of connection between art, culture, identity, and place,” including a futsal tournament, vendor market, and DJs. First weekend only.
—The Museum of Human Achievement is hosting In the Zone, “a series of artistic interpretations of gambling machines and games of chance. Each work in this exhibit/fake casino may be gambled on in some way using Human Dollars, a non-fiat currency specially designed for the show.”
—We go to Grackle House every year. It’s an artist’s backyard filled with seven local creators, cute animals to pet, live music, flash tattoos, and good vibes. One year they did an immersive installation in their bathroom which feels like the reason why people become homeowners. First weekend only (plus a Friday night opening party.)
—Big Blue House is another of our favorite artist’s residences, hosting half a dozen artists. Two ASTs ago we got a beautiful ceramic menorah here from Abby Rose Mandel.
—We’ll take any opportunity to visit Co-Lab Projects because it’s literally an art gallery in a culvert.
—Similarly, we’ll take any reason to go hang out in Kenny Dorham’s Backyard. It’s just a great community spot.
—Blackshear Elementary is Austin ISD’s first and only elementary school dedicated to the fine arts. They’ll host student art, music, improv, and dance, as well as their “one-of-a-kind Trashion (Fashion) Show, featuring wearable art made from repurposed materials.”
—_OFCOLOR will be bringing together “DJ sets, live performances, all-ages art activities, and a market of local vendors and makers” at Raasin in the Sun. Second weekend only.
—The subject matter for The Pink Bow Project is bleak af but the installation itself looks really impressive.
—The Color Condition is also an impressive-looking temporary installation!
—If you’re interested in Burning Man community and culture, you can head up to Catalyst Collective to check out some of the projects that Austin burners have created and brought to the Playa.
—The Millennium is hosting a vendor market, art gallery, and magazine launch celebrating local Filipino makers. “The entire space reimagines a traditional sari-sari store through the TAYO NA lens, an artist-led immersive world rooted in kapwa (shared identity) and bayanihan (collective care).”
—Bring Back the Weird is making art out of trash and teaching you how to do the same.
—We’ve never been to And&And, but they describe “a lounge-like video art installation” in a repurposed historic Black church, plus snacks and interactive activities.
—We’ve never been to La Petite Provence, either, but this artist’s home was apparently “once celebrated on the Austin Weird Homes Tour as the ‘Art Oasis’,” and that is all we need to know.
—What happens at Vessels Gallery, a “DIY, BYOB, off-the-radar anti-venue venue” with zero Instagram posts? Is this where Leila finally gets kidnapped in her self-abnegating pursuit of site-specific art? Let’s find out!
—We went to the Museum of Collectibles + Curiosities last AST, and it’s a charming testament to one artist’s collection (and to the devotion of those who knew and loved her).
Those are just some spaces that we’ve liked in the past or that have caught our eye this year, but know that there are countless others that could be every bit as good. Go click around the studio tour map—or just start walking—and see what you find. And if you come across anything great, tell us about it, and we’ll be sure to spread the word (or at least to check it out for ourselves).
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 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.”
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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.