- April 17, 2015

Weekend Top 10 FREE Events (April 17-19, 2015)

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Weekend Top 10 FREE Events

  1. Texas Community Music Festival – Friday, April 17, Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19. Kick off ten days of FREE live music for the 10th annual Texas Community Music Festival! A diverse lineup of musical performers – from single performers to ensembles of 70 pieces or more – will play on the outdoor stage at Central Market North (right next to the playground). All performances are family-friendly and FREESee the schedule. Central Market, 4001 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin.
  2. Shakespeare at the Market: Love’s Labour’s Lost – Friday, April 17, Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19 at 7 p.m. Present Company, in partnership with Whole Foods Market, presents the second annual Shakespeare at the Market on the rooftop of the downtown Austin Whole Foods Market. Seating and music begin at 6:30 for a 7 p.m. performance. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or short chair, and grab picnic goodies before the show. Promoting the philosophy of “accessible & sustainable art,” Shakespeare at the Market is a FREE event, however a $15 – $20 donation is suggested for guests able to support. Reserve your tickets here. Whole Foods, 525 N Lamar Blvd, Austin.
  3. Camp Mabry Open House / Muster Day– Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Texas Military Forces Museum will host a FREE Open House and Muster Day at Camp Mabry. Gates will open at 8 a.m. each day and close at 5 p.m. The FREE Museum will be open each day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Re-enactors of all periods, from the Texas Revolution on, will display their historical uniforms, weapons and equipment. In addition, there will be a large WWII battle reenactment each day at 2 p.m. These battles will feature 200 Allied and German soldiers recreating a WWII battle using original equipment, tanks, and weapons from the time period. This includes a fly-over by AT-6 Texans as part of the battle. To see the full schedule for both days, click here. You will need photo ID to enter Camp Mabry. Texas Military Forces Museum, 2200 W. 35th Street, Austin.
  4. Fan Fest and Orange-White Scrimmage at UT – Saturday, April 18 at 11 a.m. Fan Fest starts at 11 a.m.; the Orange-White Scrimmage kicks off at 1 p.m. The 2015 Texas Football season officially begins with the Orange-White Scrimmage. FREE for all fans, the event provides the first glimpse of the Longhorns in action and offers fans of all ages the opportunity to interact with some of the University of Texas’ greatest traditions. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, 2139 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin.
  5. Austin Humane Society Kitten Shower – Saturday, April 18, from 11 a.m. – noon. Spring has sprung and kitten season has begun. Stop by the front porch of the Austin Humane Society (AHS) for a Kitten Shower on Saturday! This is a family-friendly informational event and donation drive for Austin’s homeless newborn kittens. Every spring and summer, lots and lots of kittens come to the Austin Humane Society for shelter. These bottle babies need supplies such as formula, heating pads, and tender loving care in order to survive. See the kitten registry. Adoptable kittens will be present! Foster Orientation will be held immediately following the Shower in the AHS Auditorium. AHS, 124 W. Anderson Lane, Austin.
  6. Bengali New Year Festival – Saturday, April 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Join the Bangladesh Association of Greater Austin for a festival of traditional Bangladeshi ethnic foods, art, and clothing. There will also be live music and dance performances of Bangladeshi and international cultures. FREE admission and FREE parking. Fiesta Gardens,  2100 Jesse E. Segovia Street, Austin.
  7. Teens Create: Get Lost – Saturday, April 18, from 12-3 p.m. The Contemporary Austin invites area teens to escape the ordinary and find the extraordinary in an afternoon adventure at the museum’s Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria. The afternoon includes illusionary musical performances by Room Nine, special guests, picnics, virtual art submissions, DIY lawn games, black-out poetry, mind-bending portals, and more to help teens take over the museum grounds and “get lost.” Special guests include teens from the Thinkery‘s STEAM Squad-who will present an interactive sound experiment and exploration-Creative Action‘s Color Squad-who will conduct an on-site screen-printing demonstration-and The Austin Youth Council-who will host an interactive response wall. FREE and open to ages 13–19 with ID. Families of teens welcome. The Contemporary Museum of Art at Laguna Gloria, 3809 W. 35th Street, Austin.
  8. Austin Earth Day Festival – Saturday, April 18, from 12-6 p.m. Austin Earth Day Festival returns for a fourth year to the “Historic Browning Hangar” at Mueller. The festival highlights Austin’s diversity of cultural drumming and dancing with a large variety of global traditional styles. There will be a special retro, 1970s style “talk show” speaker’s panel, hands-on demonstrations, about 100 nonprofit exhibitors and corporate vendors, a robust Kid’s Zone, local eats from popular food trailers and more! Join the parade at 1 p.m.  FREE! Historic Browning Hangar at Mueller, 4550 Mueller Central Drive, Austin.
  9. San Jacinto Celebration – Saturday, April 18, from 1-4 p.m. Discover Texas history at Brush Square with a San Jacinto Celebration hosted by the Susanna Dickinson & Austin Fire Museum. “Remember the Alamo” was a Texian battle cry at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. Check out Susanna Dickinson Museum’s current exhibit, Standing Their Ground: Tejanos at the Alamo. Participate in a piñata game, and make your own mini piñata. Get your photo taken as Susanna Dickinson or with the Alamo. Enjoy cake, paletas, refreshments, and live music. At the Austin Fire Museum, learn how the fire department made San Jacinto Day their own tradition. Hear from firefighters about the fire department’s history and the fire engines. See how fast you can put on firefighter gear. Family-friendly and FREE! Brush Square Museums, 401 & 411 E 5th St, Austin.
  10. ImprovEd Shakespeare Presents The Taming of the Shrew  – Saturday, April 18 at 3:30 p.m. (Carver Branch) and Sunday, April 19 at 4:30 p.m. (Ruiz Branch). Enjoy Shakespeare by kids for kids. The Taming of the Shrew will be brought to life by a troupe of youth players ages 8 to 13. You’ve never seen Shakespeare quite like this! Carver Branch (1161 Angelina St.) and Ruiz Branch (1600 Grove Blvd.).

Bonus fun in the ‘burbs:

  1. Rhea Lana’s Children’s Consignment Event (Round Rock) – Friday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rhea Lana’s is a semi-annual community children’s consignment event. Families can shop for everything their children need for the upcoming season, all under one roof. FREE! Round Rock Events Center (Round Rock Christian Church), 22 Chalice Way, Round Rock.
  2. Butterfly Festival (Wimberley) – Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. There will be an Opening Ceremony at 9 a.m. You can also enjoy a commemorative Air Force Flyover (weather permitting), live butterfly releases  (every 30 minutes), butterfly art, Flight House featuring Texas native butterflies, nature activities, pirate and princess tents, games, live entertainment, concessions, and more! Butterflies will fly rain or shine. FREE admission; game and concession tickets available. EmilyAnn Theatre and Gardens, 1101 FM 2325, Wimberley.
  3. Bicycle Rodeo (Pflugerville) – Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Spend a fun-filled Saturday with Pflugerville’s finest! The annual Bike Rodeo is sponsored by the Pflugerville Police Department and offers bicycle registration, safety instruction, riding instructions and eight different challenges. Bring your bike and helmet, and join in the fun! If you do not have a bicycle, come anyway! A loaner bike will be provided for your use in the rodeo. FREE! Pflugerville High School Parking Lot, 1301 W. Pecan Street, Pflugerville.

  4. Round Rock Cultural Fest – Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Round Rock Cultural Fest features live music, dance, activities, food, and crafts from all cultures around the world! The Round Rock Cultural Fest was created to bring Round Rock cultural groups together to celebrate and embrace cultural diversity through respecting, understanding, and appreciating the cultures of Round Rock and Central Texas. Download the Schedule of Events. This event is FREE for the entire family! Centennial Plaza, 301 W. Bagdad, Round Rock.

  5. Volente Olive Fest – Saturday, April 18, from 2:30-8:30 p.m. A celebration of olives in Texas! Enjoy vendor booths by local small businesses serving up olive oil ice cream, dipping oils, and plenty more. Live music, cooking demonstrations, children’s activities, raffles, and food available!  There will be a farmer’s market on the beach. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Austin Dog Alliance. Bring the family and enjoy a relaxing afternoon with tasty food, great music, good company, and of course, olives! Admission to the family-friendly event is FREE, and there will be discounted admission to the water park ($7 for adults; $7 for children). For more information on the water park, call 512-258-5110. Volente Beach Shore Club, 16107 FM 2769, Volente.

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