The ATXtoday City Editors met Mayor Kirk Watson at his office in City Hall. | Photo by ATXtoday
Austin is much different today than in 1997, but one thing is the same: its mayor.
Mayor Kirk Watson has served in state and local government in some capacity since the early 1990s. Notably, his mayoral terms have flanked 25 years. Watson first assumed his role as city chief near the turn of the century and returned in 2023 for his third term. He was reelected to his fourth term in 2024 due to a change in local law.
Your ATXtoday City Editors visited City Hall to chat with Watson about his career in local government and how his first term as mayor compares to today.
Kirk Watson during his days in the Texas Senate in 2012.
Photo by Jeff J. Newman via OpenVerse
What’s something that stayed constant between your first term and current term?
“Well, apparently, the mayor.
One is the spirit of Austinites, including new Austinites, folks that probably barely get to call themselves Austinites [...] and how much they deeply care about this city and engage with it. That is part of the fabric of this town, and [...] it doesn’t take somebody very long to really become advocates for their city.”
Spring Native Plant Sale | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | Cost of purchase | Beautify your yard with flowers, grasses, vines, shrubs, and trees that are native to Texas.
Live @ Lakeline Concert Series | 6:30-9 p.m. | Lakeline Park, Cedar Park | Free | Enjoy music from local bands, lawn games, food + drinks for purchase, and great vibes.
25th Season Cap Giveaway | 6 p.m. | Dell Diamond, Round Rock | $15+ | The first 2,000 fans at this game against the Toledo Mud Hens will get a free baseball cap.
Saturday, April 5
Besame Mucho Austin | 11 a.m. | Circuit of the Americas | $275+ | This year’s festival of Latin music features sets from Peso Pluma, Ramón Ayala, Pepe Aguilar, Carín León, and many more.
Texas VegFest | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Fiesta Gardens | Cost of purchase | Thousands of Austinites can enjoy all things vegan at this springtime fest, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year.
Doom Metal Goat Yoga | 10 a.m. | Jester King Brewery | $25+ | This isn’t your average goat yoga — this session features raw and powerful sounds during practice.
Sunday, April 6
Improvised Jane Austen | 6 p.m. | Fallout Theater | $10 | The improv comedy group performs in the style of the “Sense and Sensibility” author, with a lot of humor in the mix.
“Yellowstone” and “1923” director Taylor Sheridan — who attended Texas State University — will give the commencement speech at UT Austin on Saturday, May 10. The Texas native’s speech is expected to draw 50,000 attendees. (KVUE)
Coming Soon
Duckpin bowling alley and arcade Pins Mechanical Co. Austin will open its doors in the St. Elmo District on Thursday, April 17. The 43,000-sqft space will feature three bars, dog-friendly spaces, pinball, foosball, ping pong, and more.
Number
2,300. That’s how many affordable housing units nonprofit Housing Connector currently has to offer locals. In a partnership with the city of Austin, the program works with Zillow and landlords to secure housing and fill empty units. (KVUE)
Awards
Austin Spurs coach Scott King is the 2025 NBA G League Coach of the Year. In his first season, King led the team to become the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and is the second head coach in franchise history to win the award.
Festival
Bookworms in town will want to visit the second annual Greater Austin Book Fest, which will feature 90+ authors from Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties. The free festival will be held on Saturday, April 26 at Austin Central Library.
State
H-E-B is giving away $5,000 grants to nonprofits to support tree-planting projects through its Trees for Texans program, which has supported planting 103,000 trees since 2023. Nonprofits should apply by Friday, May 30.
Answered
Congrats to the 52% of you who correctly guessed the state bird of Texas: the northern mockingbird. Around 20% of y’all guessed that it was the golden-cheeked warbler, and the grackle + blue jay each earned less than 15% of the vote.
Sports
The college football transfer portal opens in mid-April — who does Texas need on the team? Get the biggest stories every day from the local experts of the Texas Longhorns with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
Finance
Could you save an extra $1,300 a year? A 2024 survey found that switching car insurance providers could save you that much money annually. What would you do with the extra cash? (We see a “White Lotus"-esque vacation in our future.) See if you could save.*
Featured Deal
Texas Cannabis Clinic is offering $40 off your appointment with code 6AM40 now through Thursday, May 1. A TCUP card provides legal protection and doctor-supervised medical cannabis via telemedicine, and Texas Cannabis Clinic makes the process easy. Take their quick eligibility quiz + book a consultation.†*
Number
$100. That’s how much you can save on the HP Smart Tank 7602 printer for a limited time. Plus, you’ll get free shipping + two years of ink. Order it now.*
Category
Sports
🏐 Let’s play
The best players will be eligible to win prizes from brands including Por Osos, Zilker Brewing Co., and Tequila 512. | Photo courtesy SPORTSFEST
Calling all sports enthusiasts — the annual SPORTSFEST is coming back to east Austin’s Krieg Fields for its fifth year.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.
Presented by sports lifestyle brand SPORTSKIND and the Austin Parks Foundation, the festival brings Austinites together for tournaments in:
Sand volleyball
Softball
Kickball
Flag Football
Cornhole
Attendees can also participate in open play, spectate, peruse, grab a bite from local food trucks, or enjoy complimentary beverages from the beer garden.
Players can register for teams starting at $39. A portion of the proceeds benefit APF.
The Buy
The Buy
A pair of 5” lined track shorts from lululemon. Designed for running, the shorts have a built-in liner for extra coverage and wick away sweat fast. Psst — these Soothfeel athletic shorts are a great workout option, too.
Sometimes, you just need a beer and a pizza. City Editor Morgan and I wrote today’s newsletter from Favorite Pizza, where we split a pitcher of Brooklyn Lager and a pepperoni pie for $22.
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