Austin Weekend Guide: August 21-23

Austin Pride takes over downtown Saturday night, and the PBR Team Series runs bull riding at the Moody Center all three days. It is still late August, which means anything outdoors works before 10am or after 8pm and not much in between. Here is how to play the weekend.

Saturday Morning Pick

Get to Barton Springs Pool early. Gates open at 5am and the water holds around 68 degrees no matter what the air is doing. By 10am on an August Saturday the south lawn fills in and parking along Azie Morton Road turns into a slow crawl, so aim for 7:30 or 8. Entry is about $5 for Austin residents and $9 for everyone else. Bring a towel you do not mind leaving damp in the car, because you will want to be somewhere air conditioned by noon.

Brunch Worth the Wait

Sawyer & Co. on East Cesar Chavez does a New Orleans diner thing that actually holds up. Order the migas plate or the chicken fried steak and eggs. Expect 30 to 45 minutes if you show up between 10 and noon on Saturday, and they take names at the door rather than through an app, so plan to stand outside. If you would rather stay south, Joann's Fine Foods on South Congress has a shaded patio and chilaquiles worth the drive. Waits there are short before 10am and get long fast once the South Congress shopping crowd wakes up.

Live Music This Weekend

Friday night, Sarah and the Sundays play Antone's with Montclair opening. Doors at 7, music at 8, 18 and up, tickets in the low $20s. Same night, Sweet Pill is on the Mohawk outdoor stage, which is the better pick if you want to be outside once the sun goes down. Saturday, Antone's goes back to being a blues room for D.K. Harrell with Red & His Hot Horns at 8pm. For something cheaper and closer to the ground, the Continental Club has The Late Apes at 8pm Saturday, and early sets there usually run $10 to $15 at the door. Note that the Pride parade steps off at 8pm from 11th and San Jacinto and runs south down Congress, so give yourself extra time getting anywhere downtown.

Sunday Chill

The Texas Farmers' Market at Mueller runs Sunday from 10am to 2pm in Branch Park. It is smaller than the downtown Saturday market and much easier to actually shop. Get there by 10:30 while there is still shade and produce left. Afterward the loop around Mueller Lake is roughly a mile and a half, flat, and shaded in patches. If the heat wins, the Bullock Museum's Texas Festivals exhibit is open through Sunday and the building is cold.

Local Hidden Gem

Lala's Little Nugget on Burnet Road has kept its Christmas decorations up year round since the 1970s. Tinsel, a lit tree, Santa in the corner, all of it, in August. Cheap beer, heavy pours, a jukebox that leans country. It opens at noon and gets packed after 10pm on weekends, so go late afternoon if you want a seat at the bar. Plenty of people who have lived here five years still have not been.

ATX Weekly App Tip

💡 ATX Weekly Tip: Save Friday and Saturday shows to your weekend list in the app and switch reminders on so you get pinged before doors, not after. The map view is the one to lean on Saturday night, since the Pride parade closes Congress from 11th down to Cesar Chavez starting around 7pm and the map shows you what is still walkable on your side of the closure.