Expand your definition of what mac + cheese means during this annual celebration. | Photo courtesy Mac + Cheese Festival
Figi here. Between our James Beard Award-winning restaurants and MICHELIN starred restaurants, the Capital City has tons of great eats. Going to a food festival is a great way to try bites from restaurants all over town in one place.
Let us help you decide which festival should be your first visit.
Funk n’ Sour Fest
If you move quickly, you can still go to this festival of thoughtful local food and drink pairings in the delightful fields of Jester King Brewery. This year’s festival is today — get more info.
Austin Food & Wine Festival
This three-day festival has plenty of bites and even more wines to try — not to mention sessions, demos, and tastings with chefs from around the globe.
Austin Mac + Cheese Festival
Lovers of this comfort food can chow down on unique variations of mac + cheese to their heart’s delight. This year will feature an island theme, 19 mac + cheese creations, plus dessert.
Have you tried this charming, local watering hole?
Presented by Deep Eddy Vodka
Try a tasty cocktail with Deep Eddy’s new Pineapple flavor. | Photo courtesy of Deep Eddy Vodka
Nestled in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, the Deep Eddy Vodka Tasting Room is a lively venue full of fun and libations.
Housed in its original bottling plant, the tasting room offers refreshing sips + unique experiences — guaranteeing good times with great friends. Shake things up with bartending classes or stir up creativity at paint-and-sip events.
Stick around to try their amazing cocktails and even something new (peep the new pineapple flavor). Don’t forget to do a little shopping before you go.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport set a new record for departing passengers the Monday after F1. Over 45,000 passengers left from ABIA, which was ~5,000 more than the same time last year. (KVUE)
Festival
The dates for Red River Cultural District’s annual free festival of music, Free Week, are here. Mark your calendars for Friday, Jan. 9-Saturday, Jan. 10 to see dozens of musicians perform, or apply to perform here.
Open
There’s a new fabric store open on South Lamar Boulevard. Polka Dot Secrets, which grew from an Etsy shop, sells patterned fabrics for all kinds of seamstresses. (Community Impact)
Seasonal
It’s the first-ever Fat Squirrel Week in Texas. Check out the chubby, cute contenders on Facebook and vote for your favorite by tomorrow.
Number
320,000. That’s how many cubic yards of debris have been cleaned since flood waters swept through the Hill Country in July. That’s about 15 football fields piled 10 feet high with debris, or in other terms, a line of dump trucks filled from Austin to San Antonio. (KVUE)
Ranked
Get ready to mingle, because Austin was named one of the best cities for singles in a new study from Zumper. Taking the 10th spot, the Capital City sports a 44% single population and high single median income of $68,630.
Arts
Big Tex needs a new pair of boots, size 96. The Big Tex Boot Design Contest is now underway, and artists have until January to submit designs for the State Fair of Texas icon. Apply online for a chance for your design to live on Big Tex for at least three years.
Sports
Are you starting to lose faith in the Texans? You’re not alone, but you may want to hold on a bit longer. Get the biggest stories every day from the local experts of the Houston Texans with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
Shop
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Category
Culture
đź‘» Dress to impress
The Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Statue pays homage to one of the most iconic artists from Austin’s music scene. | Photo by ATXtoday
We’re just over a week away from Halloween — do you know what your costume will be this year? There’s still time to apply that unique Austin spirit to this year’s get-up.
Peter Pan from Peter Pan Mini-Golf
Honor the 77-year-old Austin staple by recreating his original look. It’s as simple as cutting up a green tee and pairing it with tan pants + a brown belt — top it off with a crown of leaves.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Pay homage to the musician with a black hat, western shirt, and cowboy boots. Level it up: Recreate Vaughan’s outfit in the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial statue on Lady Bird Lake, opting for grey items, and paint yourself silver.
Glen Powell
Dressing up as this heartthrob celebrity is fairly easy. All you need is a cowboy hat, good pair of blue jeans, gold pendant necklace, western jacket, and an award-winning smile. Pro tip: this costume also works for Matthew McConaughey.
Save up to 70% on premier fall experiences with Groupon. New deals appear every day so you can discover your next “why-didn’t-we-do-this-sooner” at the click of a button.
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
I got to see the opening night of “The Outsiders” at the Bass Concert Hall on Tuesday evening and I was absolutely blown away by what I saw. The practical effects (like a fight scene that took place in the rain) were the best I had ever seen on stage — and I saw “Hamilton” earlier this year — and the acting was top notch.
If you were on the fence, I highly recommend grabbing tickets.
This rainy fight scene blew me away.
Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy + “The Outsiders” production
