Austin fall calendar filled with concerts, festivals, sports and community events
August 25, 2026
- What: A wide range of fall events return to Austin, including college football games, multiple music festivals, food gatherings, art installations, and seasonal attractions.
- Who: Events feature Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns, Tanya Tucker, Asleep at the Wheel, Charli XCX, Rüfüs Du Sol, and other national and local performers and chefs.
- Where: Activities take place across the city and surrounding areas, including Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Zilker Park, Lions Municipal Golf Course, Circuit of The Americas, and Pioneer Farms.
- Why it matters: The lineup brings major ticketed events and free public experiences that draw visitors, support local venues and artists, and highlight Austin’s fall cultural season.
College football returns to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium with the Texas Longhorns and quarterback Arch Manning hosting Texas State on September 5, Ohio State on September 12, UTSA on September 19, Florida on October 17, Ole Miss on October 24, and Mississippi State on October 31. The stadium is at 2139 San Jacinto Boulevard and fans can find schedules at texaslonghorns.com.
Live-music fundraisers and festivals populate the season. Lions Municipal Golf Course stages its fifth annual benefit with performances by Tanya Tucker, Asleep at the Wheel, Jack Ingram, and Wade Bowen, with the event beginning at 8:30 p.m. at 310 W. Willie Nelson Boulevard; details are on themunyconservancy.com. Levitation, founded by members of The Black Angels, returns as a four-day festival showcasing garage, indie, psychedelic, and experimental acts including Die Spitz, Arlo Parks, Bikini Kill, Angine de Poitrine, and Kylesa, with listings at levitation.fm.
Festival season also includes the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park, which runs across two consecutive weekends and presents more than 100 performances. The 2026 lineup lists artists such as Charli XCX, Rüfüs Du Sol, Kings of Leon, Lorde, Twenty One Pilots, and The XX; the festival site is aclfestival.com.
Fantastic Fest marks its 21st year at Alamo Drafthouse every September, programming genre films and premieres. The Texas Tribune Festival returns downtown with guests including Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor, and Dan Pfeiffer of Pod Save America, and festival schedules are online at festival.texastribune.org and fantasticfest.com respectively.
Seasonal and family attractions range from Pumpkin Nights at Pioneer Farms, open through October 31 with themed areas and on-site artists, to House of Torment, Austin’s long-running haunted attraction at 2632 Ridgepoint Drive that offers escape games, zombie simulations, and a secret bar; visit pumpkinnights.com and houseoftorment.com for more.
Public art and specialty events include an evening projection mapping installation on the Seaholm Intake Facility, co-created by The Trail Conservancy and Design Austin with more than 20 Central Texas artists, viewable from Auditorium Shores and the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge at dusk. Architectural enthusiasts can join the American Institute of Architects Austin for its 40th annual self-guided home tour, and film and food festivals such as Austin Film Festival, Austin Food & Wine Festival, Hot Luck’s fall reimagining, Honky Tonk Fest at Star Hill Ranch, and the Mac n Cheese Tour round out the season. Circuit of The Americas hosts the U.S. Grand Prix weekend with concerts by Maroon 5 and Post Malone; see circuitoftheamericas.com for tickets and event information.
Sources
- Austin Monthly event roundup
- Event organizer websites