Explore Austin’s Cultural Arts
Austin is a hub of creativity, brimming with a vibrant cultural arts scene that thrives year-round. The City proudly supports its artistic community by funding diverse cultural attractions and innovative public art projects.
A journey into Austin’s creative heart begins at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where a collection of public art installations greets visitors. Among these is MEANDER WINGS, a striking gateway sculpture by Marc Fornes of THEVERYMANY. Commissioned by the Economic Development Department's Art in Public Places Program, this immense artwork draws inspiration from the twisting forms of live oaks and the limestone grottos of the Texan landscape. Its intricate design creates a dramatic canopy of shadow and light, as travelers arrive or depart. Additional installations throughout the airport celebrate Austin's cultural identity, offering travelers a glimpse into the city's dynamic arts scene.
By staying in Austin-area hotels, visitors contribute directly to the arts through a dedicated portion of the City’s Hotel Occupancy Tax. From public art to eclectic galleries and cultural experiences, Austin invites you to immerse yourself in its creative spirit all year long!
Left to right: Oro Dance Company; Amigos de Austin y Saltillo Mural at Mexic-Arte Museum, Photo by Lori Renteria; jkjk, Photo by Minerva Villa
Dance, Visual Art & Theater
Catch performances and visual art happenings in Austin all year long. Here's just a sampling(find upcoming event dates on individual websites):
allgo develops cutting-edge performances and exhibits that focus on affirming and celebrating diverse cultural experiences and identities with programs that nurture, explore and promote queer people of color. They offer year-round opportunities to participate in and experience art that reflects queer experiences.
Dazzling audiences in Austin and throughout the world, Aztlan Dance Company creates innovative works that challenge tradition. Their signature blend of dance fuses indigenous, folk and contemporary forms into rich, moving storytelling. Experience contemporary, expressive Xicano/Latino dance year round.
Austin’s culture of music and art makes it a magnet for enthusiasts from around the world. Capitol View Arts preserves that culture and expands it to represent disenfranchised artists and communities. Capitol View Arts offers year-round happenings for arts enthusiasts.
Dance Africa Fest offers African diaspora dance with artists representing countries and creative dance practices showcasing the global footprint of Africa through different dance cultures. Events focus on African/Black cultural and historical heritage, providing dance instruction from some of the most notable and in-demand cultural dance experts. Keep an eye on their website for programming that showcases work by dancers, musicians, drummers and artists of the African diaspora.
E4 Youth Inc. works with creative youth from underserved communities, and partners with those who invest cultural capital into these communities. E4 Youth’s Showcase & Awards is their largest annual event, featuring student work. The annual May showcase features creative work developed by E4’s Creative Leadership Academy.
Dance at Esquina Tango’s fantastic live music events, shows, socials and milongas at their main location and at pop-ups like Cuban socials and Festa Brasileira. Consider signing up for group classes, special workshops and private lessons. They offer free dance classes for seniors, LGBTQ+ and those affected by Parkinson's.
Glass Half Full Theatre began as a small company and netted considerable critical acclaim for its inventive blend of puppetry and physical storytelling. Through multilingual works featuring puppets and people, the company creates thought-provoking work that appeals to people of all ages, across linguistic and cultural boundaries, to the heart of the imagination.
Imagine Art’s vision is to transform the lives of artists with disabilities, done through a creative place approach, where every life is a work of art and a catalyst of change. Enjoy year-round events, including gallery showings, bazaars and classes.
Visitors to La Peña Gallery can take in art exhibitions and Austin history while enjoying amazing handmade breakfast tacos. Don’t miss annual events like International Women’s Day in March and the Day of the Dead exhibit in October, which includes an opening reception and art market.
Lannaya educates audiences with authentic and progressive interpretations of drum and dance of the African diaspora. Lannaya offers bimonthly drum and dance community workshops, as well as performances throughout the year.
Latinas Unidas Por El Arte, also known as LUPE Arte, encourages Latino arts and culture in Austin, with a focus on many artistic genres. Annually in November, MexAmeriCon shows off Austin’s first Mexican American and Latinx Comic Book Convention. Keep an eye out for exhibits and arts workshops throughout the year.
Latinitas empowers girls to innovate using media and technology, with a vision to create courageous leaders. Their year-round programming includes free “Tech Familia” workshops focused on STEAM activities, from podcasting to robotics for the whole family, at libraries and community centers.
The Mexic-Arte Museum is dedicated to enriching the community through education programs, exhibitions and the collection, preservation and interpretation of Mexican, Latino and Latin American art and culture. The annual Day of the Dead Parade is the largest and longest-running Día de los Muertos celebration in Texas. The museum’s permanent collection houses over 5,000 historical and contemporary works.
The Museum of Human Achievement (MoHA) is a community-driven art space grounded in affordability, inclusivity and access. It hosts a variety of year-round programming, including exhibitions, performances, concerts, digital arts, video games and drive-in movies. For more information on programming, visit their website.
Outreach Productions presents the annual Community Juneteenth Festival at the George Washington Carver Museum and Library. Festivities include storytelling, a puppet show and presentations on the history of Black Austin Freedom Communities.
The Puerto Rican Cultural Center is the only center affiliated with the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture in this region of the Southwest United States. Engage in indigenous Taino cultural programs and gatherings that encompass folkloric music, dance, community theater and ancestral fighting arts.
Red Salmon Arts is a grassroots literary and cultural arts organization working with Austin’s indigenous neighborhoods. They are dedicated to the development of emerging writers and the promotion of Chicana/o/x/Latina/o/x/Native American literature through year-round literary events.
For more than four decades, Roy Lozano's Ballet Folklorico de Texas has enriched the state’s cultural wealth by sharing high-quality Mexican folk dance and education programs. Its vision is to be Texas’ premier ballet folklorico company where anyone can perform professionally and celebrate a legacy of excellence. Productions include many annual free public events, such as Noche de Folklore at Zilker Hillside Theater in August, and the downtown Día de los Muertos parade in November.
Torch Literary Arts promotes the work of Austin’s Black women writers in literary arts. Their programs feature works by emerging and experienced writers, such as the Torch Wildfire Reading Series, a creative writing and professional development workshop. Torch Literary Arts also participates in special events with community partners, including the Texas Book Festival and local independent bookstores.
The VORTEX is an artist-owned repertory theater in East Austin that’s internationally recognized for its alternative take on everything from plays to operas. Heading into its 37th season, the Vortex has much to offer all year long: intimate performances, theatrical productions, and workshops.
Left to right: Women in Jazz Association, Photo by Kim Yarbrough. Latinitas, Inc, Photo by Javier Carrera. Austin Chinese Culture Festival. Tuff Enuff, The Real Story of the Fabulouse Thunderbirds, Photo by Cindy_Marabito.
Cultural Festivals
The Austin Chinese-American Network organizes the free-admission Austin Chinese Culture Festival, a traditional celebration during the Lunar New Year. The event features a variety of lion and dragon dances, ethnic food and drinks, live performances, cultural exhibits, traditional games and community exhibitions. It is well-suited for families interested in Chinese culture.
Austin International Drag Festival hosts an annual drag festival that showcases performers from across the globe and brings them to Austin each April.
The Austin Powwow and American Indian Heritage Festival presents a fascinating look at the culture of Native Americans, and is the largest one-day powwow in the United States, occurring each November. The festival includes hundreds of champion dancers from across the country, live music, storytelling, and arts and crafts vendors. Great Promise for American Indians, an Austin nonprofit, produces the event.
Each September, the Eastside Kings Festival takes place in the Rosewood area of East Austin, a location of tradition and cultural legacy for blues and R&B dating to the post-World War II era. The music festival focuses on largely unknown African American musicians and works to present, preserve and promote the cultural heritage of African American blues, jazz and gospel.
The Indian Classical Music Circle of Austin (ICMCA) is Austin’s premier organization for promoting Indian classical arts. In the fall of 2025, ICMCA will launch its two-day Asian International Cultural Festival. The event will provide a unique stage for a range of music and dance forms, traditional crafts, yoga and mindfulness classes, Ayurvedic traditional medicine, a grand bazaar, and cuisines that amplify the heritage of India.
J.O.I. Community Outreach presents a Jump On It week. The summertime six-day music conference includes live music performances, workshops, parties and the annual Celebrating Our Culture Parade.
Oita Japan Festival, an annual family-friendly celebration held in late summer, features Japanese food and drink, kids' activities, J-pop and traditional music, martial arts and an artisan marketplace. Oita has been a Sister City to Austin since 1990.
Rancho Alegre Conjunto Music Festival returns each spring for a three-day festival that delivers unique events focusing on Conjunto music.
Left to right: Commissioned by the City of Austin Art in Public Places program. Harmonic Strings by artists Rakhee Jain Desai and Melissa Knight, photo by Jana Birchum; Building Community by artist Lindsey Millikan, photo by Philip Rogers; "Tracking the End of the Rainbow" by Sharon Keshishian and Daniel Horung, photo by Philip Rogers.
Art in Public Places
Austin’s impressive public art collection, commissioned and conserved by the Art in Public Places program within the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department since 1985, offers hundreds of artworks on view 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
This Art in Public Places collection map leads visitors to artworks found throughout Austin, including the most Instagram-able mural in Austin, Tau Ceti, at the corner of Second and Brazos Streets. Seek out the fun, interactive Kempelen’s Owls, a pair of quirky 10-foot sculptures perched one block east of the Austin Central Library. And tour Austin via Wander, an app-based artwork, that leads visitors on a choose-your-own adventure to learn about historic, quirky and secret sites in Austin, while immersed in a choice of four stories written and illustrated by local authors and artists. Austin Art in Public Places works with local and national artists to commission new artwork.
Courtesy of Design Austin, Photographer: Keven Krol.
UNESCO City of Media Arts
In 2015, Austin became the first city in the United States to receive a City of Media Arts designation from UNESCO. The honor underscores Austin’s reputation as an innovative global city at the intersection of art, music, film, gaming and multidisciplinary digital experiences.
Festivals such as South by Southwest (SXSW), Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) and the Fusebox Festival have made Austin a premier cultural destination.
As a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Austin works individually and in partnership with other UNESCO cities to promote creativity and the integration of culture into urban development plans. Through the designation, Austin artists are given opportunities to exhibit locally and participate in international cultural exchange programs with other UNESCO Creative Cities.
Red River Cultural District. Credit City of Austin Economic Development Department.
Economic & Cultural Districts
Austin’s creativity isn’t confined to galleries—it pulses through the streets, flavors every bite, and echoes in every melody. Our Economic and Cultural Districts are more than neighborhoods; they’re living, breathing hubs of artistic energy, entrepreneurial spirit, and deep cultural heritage. Explore where culture and commerce collide!
Feel the rhythm of Austin’s legendary live music scene in the Red River Cultural District, as you hop from iconic venues to intimate stages, preserving Austin’s status as “Live Music Capital of the World.”
Experience the powerful artistic and historical contributions of Austin’s Black community in the African American Cultural Heritage District, from soulful music and literature to rich culinary traditions.
Wander through the 5th Street Mexican American Heritage Corridor, a vibrant stretch celebrating Latino identity with stunning murals, historic landmarks, and flavors that tell a story in every bite.
And many more to explore!
Courtesy of Austin Public Library; Photo by Shanaz Photographs.
The People's Gallery
Since 2005, Austin City Hall has hosted The People’s Gallery, a showcase of works by Austin artists and arts organizations. The People's Gallery reflects the artistic diversity of Austin, with more than 130 artworks displayed (and many for sale) throughout City Hall. Viewing of the People’s Gallery is by scheduled tours only. Please check here for updates.
Courtesy of Austin Asian American Film Festival. Photo by Ray Lloyd.
ICONIC AUSTIN FILM
Austin hosts a wide range of film festivals throughout the year. Some fests to check out:
All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival (aGLIFF)
In late August, aGLIFF will host Prism Prism 38, a film festival that screens features, documentaries and shorts. Additionally, aGLIFF curates a monthly series called Queer Spectrum, featuring screenings and events that celebrate LGBTQ+ stories year round.
Austin Asian American Film Festival
With a focus on Asian and Asian-American storytelling via media arts, the flagship annual film festival takes place in June. Save the date for their 17th Austin Asian American Film Festival this spring. Make plans to attend year-round community screenings highlighting new Asian and Asian American films.
Austin Film Festival
In addition to an eight-day film festival and four-day conference, the Austin Film Festival offers screenings and conversations with filmmakers year round. Join the 32nd annual Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference that kicks off in the fall of 2025.
Cine Las Americas Film Festival
celebrates Latino, Latina, American Indigenous and Ibero-American filmmakers and their stories. The festival showcases contemporary films and videos from Latin America, as well as those made by or about Latinos in the United States and around the world. Check out the festival in June.
Indie Meme Film Festival
The award-winning Indie Meme Film Festival (IMFF) celebrates independent cinema, bringing the best South Asian and Iranian films to audiences through in-person screenings, Q&As, mixers and filmmaker events. IMFF takes place each April. Also check out their year-round film events in Austin.
OUTsider Film & Arts Festival celebrates its 11th birthday with the bold originality of LGBTQ+ film, dance, theater, performance art, music and visual art. This annual festival and conference unites queer artists and audiences from around the globe to exchange ideas and ignite conversations.
Learn more about City of Austin Economic Development Department programs and their role in the development of Austin's creative economy. Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook @CityofAustinArts.
Photo of MEANDER WINGS by artist Marc Fornes/THEEVERYMANY, commissioned by the City of Austin Art in Public Places program. Photo by Jeremy Green.