Plus, Willie Nelson's new book is out now.
 
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69º | Rainy | 87% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:28 a.m. | Sunset 5:42 p.m.
 

Your fall festival lineup

Your guide to every Austin festival taking place in 2023
A group of people looking at books at the Texas Book Festival.
Get your book shopping done in between panels at the Texas Book Festival | Photo courtesy Texas Book Festival
If it seems like the party never stops in Austin, that’s because it doesn’t.

Over the next two weeks, nearly a dozen festivals centered on film, food, nature, art, and music will take place in the Capital City. Bust out your calendars, because we rounded up all the details you need to know.

The Kingsbury Commons at Pease Park

Join the Roots & Wings Festival for a Planting Party at Pease Park on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 9 to 11 a.m.

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Photo by ATXtoday

Austin Film Festival | Now-Thursday, Nov. 2 | Times vary | Multiple locations | $80-$750 | Film fans will enjoy screenings, premieres, competition films, and Q&As.

Roots & Wings Festival | Now-Sunday, Nov. 5 | Times vary | Multiple locations | Free | This annual city-wide event celebrates nature and pollinators through dozens of community events at parks, trails, and other locations around Austin.

Texas Hemp Harvest Festival | Friday, Nov. 3-Saturday, Nov. 4 | Times vary | Distribution Hall, 1500 E. 4th St., Austin | $20-$175 | Spend the weekend with fellow hemp lovers at this event featuring live music, Jamaican food from Winston’s Kitchen, and local vendors.

SATXtoday: austin food and wine festival

Eat and drink your way through the Austin Food + Wine Festival.

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Photo by Charles Reagan Hackleman

Austin Food + Wine Festival | Saturday, Nov. 4-Sunday, Nov. 5 | Times vary | Auditorium Shores, 900 W. Riverside Dr., Austin | $150-$750 | Austin’s best chefs and vintners will come together for one of the top food events of the year.

Austin Celtic Festival | Saturday, Nov. 4-Sunday, Nov. 5 | Times vary | Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms, 10621 Pioneer Farms Dr., Austin | $12-$42 | Enjoy traditional Irish music, Celtic sports, and local vendors at this annual festival.

Austin Studio Tour | Saturday, Nov. 4-Sunday, Nov. 19 | 12-6 p.m. | Multiple locations | Free | Hundreds of local artists display their work for free at this three-weekend, city-wide show.

Texas Book Festival | Saturday, Nov. 11-Sunday, Nov. 12 | Times vary | Congress Avenue, Austin | Free | This festival featuring book vendors, signings, and dozens of author panels is a book lover’s dream.
Even more festivals
Asked

Which local festival is your favorite?
A. Austin Film Festival
B. Austin Food + Wine Festival
C. Texas Book Festival
D. Other
Let us know
Events
Tuesday, Oct. 31
  • Trunk or Treat | Tuesday, Oct. 31 | 5-7 p.m. | Jo’s Coffee South Austin, 5532 Menchaca Rd., Austin | Free | Trick-or-treat from trunks with a coffee in hand.
  • Surrealist Ball | Tuesday, Oct. 31 | 7-10 p.m. | Devil May Care, 500 W. 6th St., Austin | $55 | Take it back to 1972 at this black tie evening inspired by Salvador Dalí and the madness of surrealism.
Wednesday, Nov. 1
  • Día de los Muertos | Wednesday, Nov. 1 | 6-10 p.m. | Moody Amphitheater, 1401 Trinity St., Austin | Free | Take in music and dance performances at this event featuring community altars, face painting, drinks, and vendors.
Thursday, Nov. 2
  • Midwestern State vs. Texas Womens Basketball | Thursday, Nov. 2 | 7 p.m. | Moody Center, 2001 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin | Free | Catch some live hoops and cheer on the Longhorns at this exhibition game.
  • Meanwhile Turns 3 | Thursday, Nov. 2-Sunday, Nov. 5 | Times vary | Meanwhile Brewing, 3901 Promontory Point Dr., Austin | Free | Celebrate the third anniversary of this south Austin brewery with four days of beer releases, live music, food specials, and special events.
Friday, Nov. 3
  • The 48th Annual Garage & Estate Sale | Friday, Nov. 3-Sunday, Nov. 5 | 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd., Austin | Free-$25 | Shop for jewelry, clothing, and collectibles at this event featuring thousands of items.
  • St. Paul & The Broken Bones | Friday, Nov. 3-Saturday, Nov. 4 | 8 p.m. | The Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave., Austin | $35-$68 | See the Birmingham band known for “Call Me” and “Flow with It” at the historic downtown theater.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
 
News Notes
Weather
  • Bundle up, trick-or-treaters — today could be the second-coldest Halloween ever in Austin. Today’s high temperature is forecast to be in the mid-50s, which would be chillier than 2019’s high temperature of 57º, but fall short of 1991’s Halloween high of 50º, which holds the record. (KXAN)
Civic
  • The City of Austin launched a text alert system for people experiencing homelessness last week, alerting 3,500+ individuals of the recent heavy rainfall and cold front. The Homeless Strategy Division plans to use the alerts for other future events like floods, wildfires, and heat advisories.
Coming Soon
  • Counter Culture will close its North Campus food truck on Tuesday, Dec. 19 and reopen a new brick-and-mortar restaurant in the next year. The all-vegan restaurant has been in operation since 2009. (Eater Austin)
Travel
  • Austin-Bergstrom International Airport maintained its carbon neutral status for the third year in a row in 2022, which also happened to be its busiest year in history with more than 21 million passengers served. Here’s how they do it.
Plan Ahead
  • The Besame Mucho Festival, a Latin music fest that debuted last year in Los Angeles, will come to Austin’s Circuit of the Americas on Saturday, March 2. Get tickets to see Los Tigres del Norte, Grupo Frontera, and Caifanes starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 3.
Read
  • Willie Nelson’s new book, “Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs” comes out today. In it, the singer-songwriter examines 160 of his favorite songs released over the last seven decades and shares brand-new photos and ephemera.
Ranked
  • Austin is the No. 2 best US city for veterans to live in, according to a recent WalletHub study, ranking highly for its quality of life and employment opportunities. The only other Texas city to make the top 10 was Laredo, at No. 9.
 
History

Back in business

Buford Tower repairs complete two years after fire damage
Buford Tower in Downtown Austin, with the sun setting to the left.
Downtown Austin’s nearly 100-year-old Buford Tower is now cared for by the Austin Parks and Recreation department. | Photo by richlv, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More than two years after a fire engulfed it, the historic Buford Tower is now fully restored.

The six-story building — a 1930s-era firefighting training tower on Cesar Chavez Street downtown — was damaged in April 2021 by a fire that spread to it from a nearby encampment.

As a result, the tower’s brick, concrete plinth, indoor electrical components, and carillon chimes needed repairs. The building also required window and landscaping replacement.

This isn’t the first time the tower has been restored. The building was last revamped in 1978, the same year it was renamed in honor of former Austin Fire Department captain James Buford.

The tower is on the National Register of Historic Places — learn more about its history.
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The Wrap
 
London Gibson

Today’s edition by:
London
From the editor
Happy Halloween, y’all. Tonight I’ll be passing out candy in my new neighborhood and munching on lots and lots of Almond Joys.

What’s your go-to Halloween candy?
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