5 Cultural Festivals in Austin
Austin, the capital of Texas, is home to a burgeoning art scene, with cultural festival popping up with regularity. Locals of Austin are very proud of their alternative culture, and rightly so. Their opinion is shared with the thousands of people who flock here every year to check out one of their many annual festivals.
Here are the top 5 of the annual cultural festivals in Austin, Texas:
1. Texas State Arts Festival
Texas Independence day on 2nd March is the reason for this great festival. It is an event for the whole family with something for everyone. The whole event is centered round the Congress Avenue area of the city, with the State Capitol, State History Museum and University of Texas all adjacent.
As well as arts and crafts, there are performing arts from all over the world, ranging from historical re-enactments to marching bands, and including street performers and dancers and nearly every other kind of performer you can think of. Many of these take place on the multiple stages at the State History Museum.
There is also a carnival, continuous live music and the Texas Food Court will satisfy any appetite.
2. Austin International Poetry Festival
2012 is the twentieth anniversary of the Austin International Poetry Festival, and is billed as “the largest non-juried poetry festival in the US”. It is a four-day poetry extravaganza for all lovers of poetry and words. The organizers have an amazing array of events on offer, all poetry connected, so grab yourself a glass of wine and enjoy. There are numerous readings, from equally numerous poets from all walks of the literary life – professional, amateur, local and international.
There are poetry workshops where you can learn from the experts, competitions and symposiums. There is also a poetry ‘slam’, which has to be worth investigating! And if you’re feeling especially brave, there’s even an open-mic section for would-be poets.
3. Art Week Austin and Art City Austin
This festival is run by Art Alliance Austin, and is about bringing art to the people. They state their mission as “engaging people with great art”, and that is exactly what happens. There are nearly one thousand pieces of art on show all over the city, most of which are free to view. The display is over such a large area that it is now possible to join a free bike tour to get a chance to see most works in the city center and at the University of Texas. Art Week Austin comes to an end with Art City Austin with a weekend of live art – music, installations, an interactive art venture and something for the whole family to enjoy.
4. Zilker Park Kite Festival
Go fly a kite! This has been done and dusted in Austin where the oldest kite festival in US is held every year. There are hundreds of kites filling the sky, and as a wonderful display, it is hard to beat. There are competitions for all ages, and there are demonstrations, which will cause you to look on in awe and envy. These people can make kites do everything but talk! They have kite battles, kite ballet dancing, giant kites, even kite buggies. Admission to the event is free, and there are also stalls where you can buy all kinds of goodies, edible and otherwise. So go on, go fly a kite!
5. Austin Wildflower Art and Artisans Festival
This festival is held every year in the Wildflower Centre set up by the late Mrs. Ladybird Johnston, and its mission is to “blend art with nature”. This entails a gathering of many US artists all of whom work in various mediums, all with the theme of nature. There are natural beauty products, pressed flower work, handmade silk accessories and many other nature subjects. There are also demonstrations of other art forms such as origami – the art of paper folding.
This is only a very small sample of the many festivals held in Austin throughout the year, and there will be something of interest for nearly everyone. A few days, or a weekend in some of the great Austin hotels will give you the chance to enjoy your particular interest.