These matchbooks are just the beginning of a beautiful, colorful journey to embark on. | Graphic by ATXtoday
Phillumeny. That’s the word for collecting matchbooks and matchboxes — a hobby that has become popular on social media in recent years and taken Austin by storm.
There are hundreds of businesses that offer collectible matchbooks — as evidenced by Matches of Austin’s interactive map — but here are a few to get you started on your new hobby.
Gina’s on Congress | French-Italian restaurant | Stop by from 3 to 6 p.m. any day for happy hour.
La Condesa | Mexican restaurant | Enjoy the MICHELIN Recommended fare when you stop in.
Nickel City | Bar | Get cozy and sip from the extensive whiskey menu after you snag your collectible.
Revenge | Bar | Psst — this bar is editor Figi’s favorite place in town to stop for a cocktail.
$100 million. That’s how much Austinites Tench and Simone Coxe gifted toward the development of the upcoming UT and MD Anderson Medical Center, marking one of the largest gifts in the university’s history. The pair originally planned to make the gift anonymously, but opted to go public to inspire more generosity.
Development
Downtown office building 211 Seventh is on the market, and sellers say it could potentially be redeveloped for residential use. The 12-story building was most recently appraised at $23.8 million and is located just steps away from the Driskill. (Austin Business Journal)
Festival
Lola Young, Don Toliver, and Hannah Cohen. Those are just a handful of the 300 newly announced musicians to join the SXSW lineup. By the way, local artists like The Tiarras, J Soulja, and Parker Woodland are also set to perform.
Award
We see a staycation in your future.Renaissance Austin was named the “Hotel of the Year” by the Austin Hotel & Lodging Association, just in time for the hotel’s 40th birthday.
The Texans obliterated the Steelers over the weekend, but there’s a long road ahead. Get the biggest stories every day from the local experts of the Houston Texans with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
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Event Spotlight
Rock out to the biggest names in country music during this annual festival. | Photo by Gary Miller via Getty Images for iHeartRadio
The lineup for the 2026 iHeartCountry music festival is here, so put on your dancing shoes, because it’s going to be a boot-scootin’ boogie.
Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Shaboozey, and more will hit the Moody Center’s stage on Saturday, May 2. The festival, hosted by radio host and former Austinite Bobby Bones, is now in its 13th year.
Tickets will hit general sale at 12 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23.
The Buy
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BTS is taking their 2026 world tour to Arlington’s AT&T Center in August. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill.
They’re not coming to Austin, but in case you’re not up to speed on the internationally famous K-pop band’s lore, this tour is a huge deal. The band has been on hiatus since 2022, while the seven members rotated through mandatory South Korean military service. Suffice to say, this tour will be worth traveling a few hours for.
