Weekend Top 10 FREE Events (April 15-17, 2016)

An air show, a butterfly festival, a circus soiree and more. It’s time to make your weekend plans, Austin!

Free fun in Austin this weekend:

1. 11th Annual Texas Community Music Festival – Friday from 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 10:45 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Ranging in size from single performers to ensembles of 70 pieces or more, and running the musical gamut from classical to rock to jazz to world beat and everything in between, TCMF11 truly has something for everybody’s musical taste. Rain or shine. FREE! Central Market, 4001 N Lamar Blvd, Austin.
2. Pachanga Dance Party – Friday from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Families are invited to eat, play, or just shimmy, shake, and get down Pachanga-style. There will be a photo booth, a performance by the Akins Step Team, and DJ Baby G will spin old-school dance jams on the turntables. Parents and children of all ages will get their groove on in the Becker gym, while those who need to rest their feet can enjoy Stoney’s Pizza and Kona Ice, which will be available for purchase. Admission is FREE! Becker Elementary School, 906 W Milton St, Austin.
3. Texas Military Department Open House and American Heroes Air Show – Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. This two-day family event hosts a variety of events including the American Heroes Air Show, helicopter and parachute demonstrations, a World War II reenactment, a Vietnam War reenactment, First Responder demonstrations, the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall, the Fallen Heroes Memorial Wall, military vehicles, bands, bounce house and numerous other children’s activities, a naturalization ceremony for service members, a variety of food, and other activities. View full event schedule here. FREE! Camp Mabry, 2200 W 35th St, Austin.
4. East Austin Garden Fair: A Passion for Plants – Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. This fun, hands-on fair involves community members in creative, low-cost ways to grow vegetables, herbs and fruit to improve the family diet as well as information about Earth-Kind landscaping. The fair will feature an assortment of DIY and demonstration activities, including building a rain barrel, raised bed, or compost bin, and information about waterwise irrigation methods and gardening in containers and straw bales. Booths on backyard chickens and beekeeping are a big hit with all ages and there will be plenty of activities for kids. FREE! Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center, 2608 Gonzales St, Austin.
5. National Citizen Science Day BioBlitz – Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Learn about your local biodiversity and discover how you can contribute by reporting your observations as a citizen scientist. There will be experts on hand from the Travis Audubon Society, Native Plant Society of Texas, Texas Master Naturalists, Native Prairies Association of Texas, Austin Herpetological Society, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Texas Nature Trackers Program. FREE! Commons Ford Ranch, 614 N Commons Ford Rd, Austin.
6. World Circus Day Soiree – Saturday from Noon to 6:00 p.m. Celebrate World Circus day by becoming the main attraction in one of Trapeze Texas’s circus costumes. Adults and kids are invited to join the playfulness and excitement of the circus by hopping in the changing booth and trying on a costume. From ringmasters to clowns, once you’re all dressed up you’ll feel like part of the show. There will be face painting, fun circus photo backdrops, and circus props. Have your own colorful, wacky outfit? Wear it for a chance to win free classes. Some activities will require a fee, with proceeds benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Trying on costumes will be FREE! Trapeze Texas, 2207 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin.
7. Waller Creek Pop-Up Picnic – Saturday at 6:30 p.m. This community picnic is an Austin favorite, inviting everyone to experience Waller Creek with friends and family. Spread your blanket and dine on local treats from picnic baskets prepared by great Austin restaurants, or enjoy one you packed yourself at home. Listen to music, catch up with neighbors, admire a little art, and watch the sun drop behind the city skyline. FREE! Palm Park, 711 East 3rd St, Austin.
8. Kids Club Music Hour – Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Join Johnny, Sharon, Amber, Nick and the “Hopsters” for a highly interactive music show. Have fun with the kids while drumming, dancing, singing, blowing bubbles, having a scarf snowball fight, dancing in a conga line, and watching a special mini-musical story with costumed characters, sets, and cool backdrops. Gets there early for snacks, coffee, and juice. Admission is FREE for Free Fun in Austin readers when you download a voucher here. Scottish Rite Theatre, 207 W 18th St, Austin.
9. Bee Week Celebration Open Garden Event – Sunday from 2-5:00 p.m. SFC is thrilled to announce the addition of an apiary to their Teaching Garden to bring pollinator awareness to the community. This family-friendly event will celebrate the pollinators with live music by Ley Line, a pollinator parade by Creative Action, garden tour, demos, and much more. FREE! SFC Teaching Garden, just east of the MLK MetroRail Station at MLK Blvd & Alexander Ave, Austin.
10. Community Art Sunday – Sunday from 2-5:00 p.m. With Earth Day on the horizon, join the Center for Creative Action this month for a recycled materials invention station; a stop-motion animation workshop and movie screening by Lee Lewis Campbell Elementary Students; learning through food with Austin Youth Kitchen; a performance by Austin Community Steel Band; free snacks, coffee, and adult beverages courtesy of Oskar Blues Brewing; pop-up pollinator parade; and Bee Week celebration activities, garden tour, and demos with SFC. FREE! Center for Creative Action, 2921 E 17th St, Bldg B, Austin.

More fun beyond Austin:

• Recreation Hall Reopening Celebration (Lockhart) – Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Join Lockhart State Park for a fun-filled family event to celebrate the grand reopening of their CCC-built Recreation Hall. Enjoy family activities, see the newly renovated Recreation Hall, enter to win prizes during the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, and get FREE admission to the park all day! Lockhart State Park, 2012 State Park Rd, Lockhart.
• 18th Annual Butterfly Festival (Wimberley) – Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The festival will open with a flag raising, commemorative Air Force flyover (weather permitting), and a memorial butterfly release. Throughout the day, watch the live release of 3500 butterflies (releases every 30 minutes). Other activities include butterfly art, live entertainment, an Earth Day Celebration, a butterfly store, and exhibits. Game and concession tickets will be available for purchase. Admission is FREE but donations are greatly appreciated. EmilyAnn Theatre and Gardens, 1101 FM 2325, Wimberley.
• NB KidsFest (New Braunfels) – Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 6 p.m. NB Kidsfest is an action-packed, kid-focused, annual event where families are able to discover all of the Hill Country’s best resources, products and services in one place. With performances by local kid talent, free activity stations, and exhibitors representing more than 200 local, youth-centered organizations, this is New Braunfels’ largest, kid-friendly, trade show style celebration. Admission is $3 and parking is $3. Kids age two and under are free. Comal County Fairgrounds, 701 Common Street, New Braunfels.
• Pflugerville Book Pfestival (Pflugerville) – Saturday and Sunday from 1-5:30 p.m. There will be a diverse mix of 18 different authors who will participate in panel interviews and book signings. View the full event schedule here. FREE! Pflugerville Public Library, 1008 W Pfluger St, Pflugerville.
• Saturday Night Concert Series: Warren Hood (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! Check the Facebook page for weather updates. Hill Country Galleria, 12700 Hill Country Blvd, Bee Cave.

For even more weekend fun, check out Free Date Nights in Austin and our Free Fun Calendar!