What's on in Austin, United States through the year

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Cedar fever (15 Dec – 20 Feb (usually))

Busy — Austin Marathon

• Festival

  Austin Marathon

  12–22 Feb · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedClosures

  The course shuts Congress Avenue and much of south and central Austin for a Sunday morning in February. If you are not running, plan to walk that morning. Source ↗

Still on: Cedar fever (15 Dec – 20 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — SXSW, Spring break in United States

• Festival

  SXSW

  8–22 Mar · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  A week in March when the conference takes the convention centre, the music takes Sixth Street and the city's hotel stock quadruples in price. Book a year out or go in April. Source ↗

• Nature

  Bluebonnets in the Hill Country

  15 Mar – 20 Apr · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The roadsides west of the city go blue for about a month from mid-March, best after a wet winter. The Wildflower Center in south Austin is the reliable version if the season is thin.

• Nature

  Congress Avenue bats

  20 Mar – 1 Nov · usuallyWildlife season

  A million and a half Mexican free-tailed bats roost under the bridge from spring until they head south in the autumn. August, when the pups are flying, gives the biggest emergence at dusk. Source ↗

Busy — one of its best months for weather

• Hazard

  Flash Flood Alley

  15 Apr – 15 Jun · usuallyStorm season

  Hill Country limestone sheds rain instead of soaking it up, and a spring storm can put the low water crossings under in minutes. Locals check the crossing map before they drive, not after. Source ↗

Still on: Bluebonnets in the Hill Country (15 Mar – 20 Apr (usually)), Congress Avenue bats (20 Mar – 1 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Blue-green algae on the lake

  15 May – 31 Oct · usuallyAlgae & red tideClosures

  The city posts warnings for toxic cyanobacteria on Lady Bird Lake through the warm months. It is a dog problem more than a swimmer's problem, but it closes the water access points. Source ↗

Still on: Congress Avenue bats (20 Mar – 1 Nov (usually)), Flash Flood Alley (15 Apr – 15 Jun (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Texas summer heat

  1 Jun – 20 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  Weeks of triple-digit afternoons with the run of hundred-degree days now routinely stretching into September. Anything outdoors happens before nine or after eight, or in Barton Springs. Source ↗

Still on: Congress Avenue bats (20 Mar – 1 Nov (usually)), Flash Flood Alley (15 Apr – 15 Jun (usually)), Blue-green algae on the lake (15 May – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Congress Avenue bats (20 Mar – 1 Nov (usually)), Blue-green algae on the lake (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Texas summer heat (1 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Congress Avenue bats (20 Mar – 1 Nov (usually)), Blue-green algae on the lake (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Texas summer heat (1 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Austin City Limits Festival, Summer break in United States

• Festival

  Austin City Limits Festival

  30 Sep – 13 Oct · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Two consecutive three-day weekends in Zilker Park in early October, with the same lineup twice. The second weekend is usually the easier ticket and the cooler weather. Source ↗

Still on: Congress Avenue bats (20 Mar – 1 Nov (usually)), Blue-green algae on the lake (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Texas summer heat (1 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Austin City Limits Festival, United States Grand Prix

• Festival

  United States Grand Prix

  16–27 Oct · usuallyMotorsport weekendCrowdedBook early

  Formula One at Circuit of the Americas over a weekend in the second half of October, three weeks after the music festival has already emptied the hotels. Rates go with it. Source ↗

Still on: Congress Avenue bats (20 Mar – 1 Nov (usually)), Blue-green algae on the lake (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Austin City Limits Festival (30 Sep – 13 Oct (usually))

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Congress Avenue bats (20 Mar – 1 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Trail of Lights, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Festival

  Trail of Lights

  8–23 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Two weeks of light displays through Zilker Park in December, free on some nights and ticketed on the rest. The Zilker tree and the queue for it are the local ritual. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Cedar fever

  15 Dec – 20 Feb · usuallyPollen season

  Ashe juniper releases through the coldest weeks and the counts run higher than almost anything else in North America. People who have never had hay fever in their lives get it here. Source ↗