The Weekend Top 10 is brought to you by Neill-Cochran House Museum. Museums don’t always have to be hands-off! Sunday Fundays at the Neill-Cochran House Museum feature historically-inspired activities for children, scavenger hunts in the historic house (a bit less hands-on, please!), and informal tours of the museum. Don’t miss Sunday Funday on April 3, from 1-4:00 p.m. Scroll down for details!
Free fun in Austin this weekend:
- HONK!TX – Friday from 6-10:00 p.m.; Saturday from 11:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday from Noon to 5:00 p.m. HONK!TX is a nonprofit, community-driven festival that brings street and brass bands from around the country to perform for FREE in the public spaces of Austin. Mobile and unamplified, HONK! bands transform everyday locations into spontaneous stages, dissolving the line between crowd and performers and inviting everyone to celebrate the joys of music and community. A range of genres will be represented: New Orleans second-line brass, European Klezmer and Balkan, Brazilian, West African and more. HONK! is a celebration of community, collaboration and creative expression. (Generally, the most family-friendly event is the parade on Sunday.) View the full schedule and location information here.
- Sky Blue and Prince the Frog – Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sky Blue (the less popular princess cousin of Snow White and Rose Red) has a major problem. Her step mommy is evil so Sky Blue decides she must run away. To find out what becomes of Sky Blue and her darling princess friends, join the Young People’s Theatre for this performance that’s perfect for children ages 2-5. FREE! Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Rd, Austin.
- Texas VegFest 2016 – Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Texas VegFest celebrates the health, environmental, and animal welfare benefits of a plant-based diet. Festival activities include lectures, demonstrations, youth activities, community outreach area, featured nonprofits, meditation, interactive booths, food, and live music. FREE! Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Jesse E Segovia St, Austin.
- Austin Humane Society’s 2nd Annual Kitten Shower – Saturday from 1-3:00 p.m. Spring is finally here! That means it is kitten season, a time when Austin Humane Society depends heavily on donations of supplies to keep their fur-babies happy and healthy. To help celebrate, and prepare for the new arrivals, Austin Humane Society is hosting a kitten shower featuring light snacks and beverages, games, and goodies for the entire family. A special bottle-baby foster training session will take place at 3:00 p.m. for anyone interested. Adoptable cats and dogs will also be available on-site. FREE! If you’re able, please bring a donation item off the AHS Kitten Shower registry. Austin Humane Society, 124 W Anderson Ln, Austin.
- Planet Music: Austin Samba Presents Texas! A Horse Opera – Saturday from 7-10:00 p.m. A unique and electrifying fusion of classic Texicana and Brazilian Carnaval, a talented company of colorfully costumed dancers and 50+ samba drummers from Austin Samba along with special musical guests will bring a whirlwind of sizzling rhythms, beautiful choreography, color and joy to the Zilker Hillside stage for the 3rd year in a row. FREE samba dance lessons will take place before the show and a dance party will follow the performance. Family friendly and FREE! Zilker Hillside Theater, 2201 Barton Springs Rd, Austin.
- HOPE for Senegal Independence Day Celebration – Sunday from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. West African artists, musicians, and food vendors, as well as local schools, will be brought together to share, enjoy, and raise funds for HOPE for Senegal. Admission is FREE! HOPE Farmers Market, 412 Comal St, Austin.
- Pollinators and Biodiversity: Hands-on Fun for the Whole Family – Sunday from Noon to 2:00 p.m. The Plant Biology Graduate Program at UT is proud to announce a science outreach event involving FREE science activities, snacks, and native plants. At 1:00 p.m. there will be a science lecture about pollination and biodiversity with Dr. Pedro Jordano, Research Professor at Estación Biológica de Doñana, in Sevilla, Spain. The reception and lecture are FREE! Tickets are required to visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center installations after the lecture. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 4801 La Crosse Ave, Austin.
- Free First Sunday: Our Global Kitchen – Sunday from Noon to 5:00 p.m. Explore the Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, and Culture exhibition and discover how and why food has shaped cultures around the world and how getting that food from farm to table affects the planet. Learn the histories and traditions of the foods we eat, discover the benefits of healthy eating, and take home a tangible reminder of this global food experience. FREE! Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 N Congress Ave, Austin.
- Sunday Funday: Simple Machines – Sunday from 1-4:00 p.m. Sunday Funday will investigate simple machines: tools that make it easier for us to do the work ourselves. From inclined planes to pulleys, from levers to screws, simple machines are everywhere, including the construction of the 1855 historic house and the implements and tools used to live life in it. With help from staff and volunteers, kids will be able to use a treadmill crane to lift a heavy weight just by walking, use pulleys to play one-versus-all tug-o-war (and win!), and experiment with different kinds of levers. The museum’s collection of 19th century tools and housewares will be on display (including some available for trying out, too!) The museum and grounds will open for tours. There will also be a machines and modern convenience themed seek-and-find guide for more curious and keen-eyed patrons. FREE! Neill-Cochran House Museum, 2310 San Gabriel St, Austin.
- Music in the Park – Sunday from 2-5:00 p.m. Groups from various AISD schools will be performing including the Lamar Fiddlers from Lamar Middle School & Fine Arts Academy, the Dobie Middle School Guitar Orchestra, the Blackshear Elementary Fine Arts Academy’s Choir, and more. Pack a blanket and a picnic to enjoy while you listen to the music. The Austin Public Library’s Youth Services department will have craft supplies available for kids to make their own musical instruments. This fun musical afternoon is planned in conjunction with the Austin History Center’s exhibit, “Making the Grade: Austin’s First Public Schools.” Visitors are invited to view the exhibit at the History Center (located next to Wooldridge Square Park) before and after the musical event. An in-gallery scavenger hunt game makes the exhibit fun for the whole family. FREE! Wooldridge Park, 900 Guadalupe St, Austin.
And more free fun in the ‘burbs:
- Movies in the Park: Inside Out (Leander) – Friday at 7:30 p.m. Often described as a combination of state-of-the-art technology and the nostalgia of the 1950s drive-in, the Movies in the Park series provides families the opportunity to spend time together under the stars while enjoying first run movies. Movie begins at dusk. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and a picnic dinner. Concessions will be available for purchase. FREE! Robin Bledsoe Park, 601 S Bagdad Rd, Leander.
- Bicycle Rodeo (Pflugerville) – Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Sponsored by the Pflugerville Police Department, the Bicycle Rodeo offers: bicycle registration; safety instructions; riding instructions; eight different challenges; Police, Fire and EMS demonstrations all day; child IDs; displays by Central Texas law enforcement agencies; and Pflugerville Fire Department onsite with their truck. FREE! Pflugerville High School Parking Lot, 1301 W Pecan St, Pflugerville.
Grand Opening of The Learning Experience (Georgetown) – Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The Learning Experience®, one of the nation’s fastest growing Academies of Early Education for children six weeks to six years old, is inviting the community to attend this FREE grand opening event to celebrate the opening of its Georgetown center. Families can tour the center to learn about The Learning Experience’s L.E.A.P.® (Learning Experience Academic Program) curriculum and enrichment programs that have been developed from more than 30 years of experience in the early education industry. The Learning Experience, 1821 Westinghouse Rd, Georgetown.- Cedar Park Heritage Festival (Cedar Park) – Saturday from 1-5:00 p.m. Enjoy live music, pony rides, train rides, petting zoo, kids’ rodeo, carnival games and rides, washer tournament, photos with a Longhorn, sack races and inflatables. Admission is FREE! Fees may apply for games and activities. Elizabeth Milburn Park, 1901 Sun Chase Blvd, Cedar Park.
- Saturday Night Concert Series: Rosie & The Ramblers (Bee Cave) – Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Bring your family, friends, and a blanket to lounge on the grassy lawn during the show. Browse the vendors, order to-go food and have it delivered to your spot on the lawn, and enjoy FREE kids’ activities like face painting or balloon twisters. Arrive early to ensure you get a FREE swag bag filled with fun items and discounts from the Hill Country Galleria merchants and sponsors. FREE! Hill Country Galleria, 12700 Hill Country Blvd, Bee Cave.
