Things To Do This Month: 10 Great Events Happening in Austin

Fall is fast approaching and bringing with it cooler weather, back-to-school sales, piles of leaves to jump in, pumpkin spice lattes, and some great events in Austin! Read on for a list of fun things to do in the Austin area this month and start the season off right. Happy September!

September 1st – September 3rd: World Beard and Moustache Championships

Hosted by the Austin Facial Hair Club, this three day event will attract hundreds of beard competitors from around the world (Who knew there were so many!) and even more spectators. The competition is held every two years and this is the first time it has ever been held in Texas! It’s not just about impressive and sometimes bizarre beards and moustaches though! There will be plenty of other entertainment including live music and family friendly activities. Plus, don’t miss out on some delicious food from local vendors or the styling and grooming vendors with tips, tricks, and products for both men and women!

September 2nd – September 3rd: Pirelli World Challenge

Sports car enthusiasts and racing fans will love this event coming to the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin! Over the course of the two day event, drivers will speed down the racetrack in all your favorite luxury brand sports cars – Bentley, Cadillac, Ferrari, McLaren, Maserati, Porsche, Audi, and more! When your eyes aren’t glued to the tracks you’ll also have an all access pass to the paddocks where teams work on the cars. Get an up close look at the cars, listen to the engines roar, and speak with some of the drivers!

September 4th: Free Day of Yoga

Whether you’re an experienced yoga enthusiast, want to try a new style, or the only yoga you’ve ever tried is child’s pose, Austin’s Free Day of Yoga is enjoyable for all levels of athleticism and fitness. Join Austin area yoga instructors to learn about all the incredible benefits of yoga, from physical fitness to stress relief. With more than one hundred classes throughout the day at various locations throughout Austin, there’s sure to be a class to fit your schedule and skill level! The event kicks off at 7:30am at the Whole Foods Lamar Pavilion. Bonus – they will have a few giveaway items up for grabs!

September 8th: Zilker Relays

Not just for runners, the Zilker Relays are fun for everyone! If you want to participate, just find three friends, family members, coworkers, or even strangers to join your team. The 10-mile race is broken up into a team relay, so you each only have to run a 2.5 mile loop! After the race is when the real fun begins, though! Every participant is treated like a winner at the Zilker Relays Festival with live music, dinner, and a beer garden! There’s also a kids relay for any kiddos who want to race but whose little legs aren’t quite ready to run 2.5 miles! It’s sure to be fun for the whole family and a great way to get outside and enjoy Austin’s beautiful fall weather!

September 14th – September 16th: Lone Star Le Mans

Circuit of the Americas is hosting yet another great event for race fans this month! COTA is teaming up with FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) for a thrilling weekend. This is the only U.S. stop for the WEC, so you won’t want to miss it. Race weekend kicks off early on Thursday with drivers practicing all day and a qualifying race for the World Series Formula V8 3.5. Entrance is FREE all day on Thursday so even if you’re on a budget, don’t miss out on a great opportunity to watch some of the best up and coming drivers in the world! Throughout Friday and Saturday there will be qualifying races and plenty of other fun events for spectators like autograph signings and pit and grid walks. All this leads up to the main event kicking off at noon on Saturday –  a six hour long FIA World Endurance Championship race!

September 17th: Austin Museum Day

The 20th Annual Austin Museum Day is a great way for art lovers, nature enthusiasts, and history buffs to see some of the best sites Greater Austin has to offer! More than thirty-eight museums around town will participate in the event sponsored by the Austin Museum Partnership. Entrance to all participating museums is completely FREE and you will get VIP treatment with special programming including guided tours, fun hands-on activities, and much more! Bring your cell phone and be prepared to take lots of pictures too, because there’s an Instagram photo contest with some great prizes!

September 21st – September 28th: Fantastic Fest

Movie lovers won’t want to miss this event at Alamo Drafthouse! Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in all of the United States and specializes in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action – basically every fantastic movie ever made! Not for the faint of heart, the lineup this year is full of blood, gore, suspense, and the supernatural! Unfortunately, passes for the event are all sold out. But there’s good news for anyone who didn’t score a badge ahead of time! If there’s a film in the lineup that you’re dying to see, head to the theatre box office ten minutes before the start of the show to try to snag a walk-up ticket. Enjoy the show!

September 23rd – September 24th: Fall Pecan Street Festival

Austin’s Fall Pecan Street Festival is back and better than ever for its thirty-seventh year! For those who are new to the scene, the event is free to enter and features hundreds of local and national artisans selling their original and incredible handcrafted creations. Of course it wouldn’t be a festival in Austin without live music! This year the event’s music lineup features twenty-four great artists performing on three different stages downtown. There will also be approximately 30 food vendors offering tasty treats like funnel cakes, crepes, regional cuisine, and delicious fresh squeezed lemonade! The event is not just for adults either! There will be kid-friendly activities including carnival rides, a petting zoo, face-painting, and more! It’s the perfect way to spend the first few official days of Fall!

September 30th: Austoberfest

The 5th Annual Austoberfest will be celebrated at Scholz Garten this year, the oldest continuously operating tavern in the state! The festival celebrates German heritage in Texas. Not German? No problem! Anyone can enjoy the delicious sausage and ice cold German beer! Plus there will be live music and bowling! Funtober.com rated Austoberfest one of the Top 10 Up and Coming Oktoberfests in the country, so you don’t want to miss out! Tickets are $50 and include items like souvenir beer mugs and hat pins, access to the Garten, Scholz’s Saengerrunde Halle and Bowling Alley, drink tickets, and unlimited sausage tastings. Some of your favorite Austin area BBQ joints will be represented as well, with Louie Mueller, Micklethwait, and Black’s BBQ on the list of vendors. Don’t forget to dust off and dawn your lederhosen and dirndls for the costume contest too!

September 30th:  Texas Craft Brewers Festival

Get ready for the largest beer festival for Texas Brewers, by Texas Brewers! The Texas Craft Brewers Festival is back for its 14th year in a row. Sixty-five of your favorite Texas craft breweries will be in attendance including Austin’s own (512) Brewing and Austin Beerworks! Ticket prices start at $35 with General Admission tickets that will get you a commemorative tasting cup and 8 sample tickets. There will also be plenty of delicious food from local vendors to enjoy while you drink, and non-alcoholic beverages for the responsible designated drivers. The event’s full music lineup will be announced soon, so check out their website and stay tuned for more details about this can’t miss celebration of good ol’ Texas beer!