Austin, the “Live Music Capital of the World”, is where some of the biggest music festivals in the world are hosted. A city sprawling with music venues, from large to small, makes a welcoming home for musical talent.
Dominant players like Austin City Limits Festival bring the biggest names in music, while smaller, more niche festivals like Holiday Hootenanny focus on spotlighting locals and cultivating fantastic energy.
At Lirica, Austin’s creativity-forward apartment community, we love music. Our residents love Austin for its support and enthusiasm for local musical talent, finding it embodied in music festivals throughout town.
Read on to discover our favorite music festivals in Austin.
SXSW Music Festival
“Wildflag – SXSW Music 2011 – Austin, TX” by Kris Krug is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
- Where: Downtown Austin
- When: Annually in March
- Genre: Emerging artists, Variety
If you live in Austin, you’ve surely heard of SXSW, if not run into the high traffic and busy restaurants during this event-filled time in Austin. SXSW is not specifically a music festival, but a festival for all industries.
If you’re looking to be introduced to a new local artist, see short performances of tons of artists, or are an artist yourself looking for your way into the music business, SXSW is your chance to do so.
The aim of South by Southwest’s music festival and conference is for up-and- comers to introduce themselves to music executives while honing in on their craft. Local music lovers don’t come here for a high-performance, high-energy show, but rather to see an underground artist with real career trajectory, like Janelle Monae and John Mayer were in the early aughts.
There are mainstream artists here too, but it’s usually hard to get into their shows. Our tip? Come for the emerging artists, see the mainstream ones by chance.
Sips & Sounds Music Festival
- Where: Auditorium Shores at Town Lake Metropolitan Park
- When: Annually in March
- Genre: Pop, Indie, R&B, Electronic
Positioned along Lady Bird Lake, The Sips & Sounds Music Festival features a small, two-day lineup of artists ranging from pop to rock to local indie.
At Sips & Sounds, a carefully curated lineup features major artists like Christina Aguilera (2026 lineup) and a festival schedule without any overlap.
Compared to ACL, you can schedule your day without approximating time spent walking through crowds and expansive grounds. Introduce yourself to small local artists, take your time at local food trucks and branded pop-ups, and catch headliners at the end of the night.
Sips & Sounds is the perfect lower-energy, high-quality festival option with artists you know and are soon to love.
Reggae Fest
“Austin Reggae Fest 2017” by Central Texas Food Bank is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
- Where: Auditorium Shores at Town Lake Metropolitan Park
- When: Annually in April
- Genre: Reggae, Island
If you’re looking for a joyful spring weekend full of laid-back vibes, chill tunes, and island-inspired food, Reggae Fest on Auditorium Shores is where to be.
This festival features artists like Stephen Marley, Jesse Royal, and Anthony B. Bring a camp chair or blanket, try some Hawaiian BBQ, and cozy up on the grass field while listening to the rhythmic tunes of reggae and appreciating the upbeat and harmonious crowd brought together by none other than music itself.
Austin Blues Festival
- Where: Moody Amphitheater Waterloo Park
- When: Annually in April
- Genre: Blues, Rock, Soul
Austin is known for the blues. The origin of The Austin Blues Festival starts with Clifford Antone, the legacy founder of Antone’s, who put on the first Blues Festival featuring icons like Buddy Guy and Ray Charles.
This festival lasted for three years until reinstalled in 2023 by Antone’s Nightclub, who expanded the lineup to include jazz, R&B, and soul in an outdoorsy picnic-like atmosphere good for all ages.
Blues on the Green is Austin’s other blues festival, but what makes The Austin Blues Festival different is its artist variety and breadth of the blues. Here, you’ll see headliners like Jimmy Vaughan and discover modern-day blues artists who garner inspiration from rock and pop genres.
Austin Psych Fest/Levitation
- Where: Red River District, Downtown, East Austin (LEVITATION) + The Far Out Lounge (Austin Psych Fest)
- When: Annually in Fall (LEVITATION) + Spring (Austin Psych Fest)
- Genre: Psych rock, punk, electronic, metal, indie rock
Austin Psych Fest and LEVITATION festival are hosted by The Reverberation Appreciation Society, a record label created by The Black Angels. These are two underrated Austin festivals, paying tribute to psychedelic rock and mellow electronic jams in intimate venues. Picture colorful screen projections, sonic sound waves, and the faint hum of a bass guitar – that is the experience LEVITATION and Austin Psych Fest.
While locations have changed over the years, as of 2026, Austin Psych Fest is held at The Far Out Lounge in South Austin, holding about 3,000 visitors. This single location setup has allowed for attendees to see every artist back-to-back without travelling to a new venue.
LEVITATION, on the other hand, has historically been hosted at a variety of venues spread across Red River Cultural District, Downtown, and East Austin, which allows festival-goers to discover Austin’s food and city culture during each gap of performances. As opposed to other festivals, you can buy a ticket for your preferred shows or purchase a pass for the entire festival.
Austin City Limits (ACL)
“Austin City Limits Festival” by Choose_Freewill is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- Where: Downtown, Zilker Park
- When: Annually in October
- Genre: Headliners, Variety
Austin City Limits Festival is the most famous festival in Austin. It was born in 1976 as a live music recording called Austin City Limits Live to encourage viewership of PBS affiliate television channels.
ACL celebrated Austin’s progressive country music scene with artists like Willie Nelson (the first ever on ACL), Doug Sahm, and Ray Charles, in an austere and authentic production that sparked immediate popularity.
As of ACL Festival’s 25th anniversary in 2026, it features over 130 artists in Zilker Park with over 50 local food vendors, nine stages, artists from a variety of genres, and several pop-up markets. It’s this variety that has brought such demand from both locals and out-of-towners.
What makes it one of the best festivals, not just in Austin but in the nation? Views of Austin’s downtown skyline and stages with top-notch sound and lighting, a lineup with mainstream and growing artists that bring out-of-towners to Austin and boost the local economy, and a maintenance of “Austin Weirdness” honored by local food vendors, art installations, and attendee fashion.
ACL stands out for having a multigenerational crowd. You’ll see attendees perched on a sprawling blanket on the hill watching their favorite folk artist, or fist-pumping in the front row of an EDM set.
Seismic Dance Event
- Where: The Concourse Project
- When: Annually in November
- Genre: Techno, House
If you’re into raves, you’d be into Austin’s Seismic Dance Event happening in November at The Concourse Project, a large warehouse perfect for the underground house and techno artists that Seismic aims to celebrate.
In a city known for country and blues, Seismic has established itself as Austin’s largest house festival. Dance to icons like Chris Lake, watch the magic as artists experiment and improvise during three-hour sets, and meet others around the grounds and food trucks.
There are three different stages: the Volcano indoor stage, the Tsunami outdoor stage, and a smaller add-on stage, which has changed as each year brings higher-quality production and resources.
The part you can’t miss is the afterparty “Aftershock” in the warehouse, where sets continue until the early morning hours and festival pass holders dance the night away.
Holiday Hootenanny
- Where: Radio East
- When: Annually in December
- Genre: Indie Pop/Rock, Psychedelic, Electronic
The same group that partners with the organizers behind LEVITATION puts on Holiday Hootenanny, a December celebration including live performances by indie artists, a gift market, and holiday decor. Held at Radio East, one of our favorite coffee shops in East Austin, this two-day festival gets frenetically joyous, both with musical enthusiasm and with the triumphant feeling that comes with the end of the year.
Holiday Hootenanny is the backyard holiday party everyone dreams of hosting themselves. Enjoy intimate and eclectic performances, a charismatic crowd dressed as elves or Santas, a mechanical reindeer that lowers people’s guards, and gift and food vendors that encourage attendance of both families and young folk alike.
Lirica: Where Austin’s Creative Community Thrives
When you live at Lirica, you are surrounded by bold colors and beautiful designs in each studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartment. Community amenities like our Hi Fi Record Lounge are great for work, reading, and creating, while our rooftop lounge is the perfect spot to relax, and live-work apartments allow you to build business from home.
Find a luxury apartment in the heartbeat of East Austin, where live music culture thrives, at Lirica apartments.
