Austin Weekend Guide: August 28-30

Last weekend of August, and the forecast still says upper 90s every afternoon. Plan the outdoor stuff for before 11 a.m. or after 8 p.m. and you will be fine. Here is what is actually worth your time Friday through Sunday.

Saturday Morning Pick

Le Garage Sale takes over the Palmer Events Center at 900 Barton Springs Road, and this is the good one. More than 140 local shops clearing out end-of-season inventory, all of it indoors and air conditioned, which matters in August. General admission opens at 11 a.m. Saturday. If you actually want first pick of the racks, the VIP pre-shop starts at 9:30 a.m. Bring a tote and start in the back rows, since almost everyone works front to back and the far corner stays walkable for the first hour.

Brunch Worth the Wait

Sour Duck Market at 1814 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. is still the easiest good brunch on the east side. Order at the counter, no reservations, and get the sticky bun plus the breakfast sandwich on their own bread. Show up by 10:30 on a Saturday and you are looking at 15 or 20 minutes, mostly waiting for a table rather than the food. If you want the older, quieter version of Austin brunch, go to Cisco's at 1511 E. Sixth St. for migas and biscuits in a red vinyl booth. Get there before 9 and you are in and out in 40 minutes. One more thing: Austin Restaurant Weeks kicks off Friday and runs through Sept. 13, with prix fixe menus at places like L'oca d'Oro, Bambino, and Texas French Bread. Part of every check goes to the Central Texas Food Bank.

Live Music This Weekend

Olivia Dean plays Moody Center both Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., 2001 Robert Dedman Drive. It sold well and resale has been steep, so if you are shopping tickets, Friday tends to be the cheaper of the two nights. Also Friday: Oliver Tree at Stubb's on Red River, doors around 7 p.m., which is a much weirder and much louder evening. Saturday is the one I would actually pick. Chasen Wayne and the Honky Tonk Machine are throwing an album release party for The Diamond Saloon at Sagebrush, 5500 S. Congress Ave., 8 p.m., with Ramsay Midwood and the Ransom Brothers on the bill. There are free two-step lessons and $3 Lone Stars, and the cover runs cheap compared to anything downtown.

Sunday Chill

Start slow at the Texas Farmers' Market at Mueller, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Branch Park. Peaches are winding down but the tomatoes and the tamale vendors are worth the trip, and the whole thing is shaded enough to be pleasant before noon. Then pivot: the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival hits its 36th year Sunday at Radio/East, 3504 Montopolis Drive, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, cashless only, no dogs. More than 25 bottlers pouring samples, live sets from Lauren Lakis, The Latin Dukes, Libby and the Loveless, and DJ Mahealani, and it benefits the Central Texas Food Bank. Eat something first and drink more water than you think you need.

Local Hidden Gem

The Elisabet Ney Museum at 304 E. 44th St. in Hyde Park is free, open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., and mostly empty. It was the studio of a German sculptor who moved to Texas in the 1870s, and it is a small limestone castle full of plaster busts of people like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston. Twenty minutes inside, then sit on the lawn under the pecans, then walk over to Quack's on Duval for coffee. It is the quietest good hour in central Austin.

ATX Weekly App Tip

💡 ATX Weekly Tip: Use the Weekend filter and sort by neighborhood before you lock in Saturday, since half the pain of an Austin weekend is driving from Mueller to South Congress and back. Tap the bookmark icon on anything you are considering and it drops into your Saved list instead of living in six browser tabs. The Deals tab is also worth a scan this week with Restaurant Weeks running.