Catch a Free Summer Show in These Austin Neighborhoods
Now that we’re officially past Memorial Day, it’s time to start putting together our summer social calendars. Austin features no shortage of warm-weather events to keep you busy throughout the season, and if you’re looking to save your dollars, the free summertime concerts and theatrical productions hosted throughout the city’s public parks shouldn’t be missed. These three neighborhoods prove especially reliable for free summer entertainment.
Zilker
Located between South Lamar and Lady Bird Lake, the neighborhood of Zilker benefits from its close proximity to Downtown Austin. Its abundant food and drink options as well as its above-average concentration of places to enjoy the beauty of nature are all close by. Barton Creek’s famous greenbelt, with its excellent biking and hiking trails and spring-fed water access (plus its rightfully-beloved freshwater pool) is a summertime destination for Central Texans, but if you’re in the market for live music and theater in the fresh air, Zilker’s eponymous park is the spot for you.
Every summer, Zilker Metropolitan Park welcomes free, full-scale performances from Zilker Hillside Theatre (ZHT), a local troupe whose summertime outdoor festival is the longest-running, non-profit musical production in the United States. This year, ZHT will bring “All Shook Up”, a jukebox musical based on the life of Elvis Presley, to the Beverly S. Sheffield Hillside Theatre in Zilker Park. Admission is donation-based, and guests are encouraged to bring blankets and coolers and enjoy a picnic during the show.
In more of an outdoor-concert mood? Zilker Park’s got those too, with co-sponsorship from local radio station KGSR. Their annual Blues on the Green series is an Austin music tradition, and this year they’ll bring blues-rock musician and hometown hero Bob Schneider to Zilker Park for free shows on June 13, July 18, and August 8.
Bouldin
On the opposite side of South Lamar Boulevard from Zilker, you’ll find Bouldin, a similarly-artistic community with major Austin attractions like the foodie drag of South 1st Street, public art like the famous Greetings From Austin mural, and Auditorium Shores, one of the city’s most prominent locations for live entertainment.
A park located on the banks of the Colorado River, Auditorium Shores contains The Long Center for the Performing Arts, an amphitheater presenting everything from the Austin Opera to the Symphony Orchestra to the Austin Shakespeare Festival. Most productions at the Long Center require a purchased ticket, but in the summer the theater hosts a series of free events, like the Sound and Cinema partnership with Alamo Drafthouse. On Wednesday nights from July 11 to August 15, Austinites can gather at the Long Center for live music from a local artist, followed by an outdoor film screening. The event is appropriate for all ages, so it’s a great summer-evening activity for the entire family.
Rosedale
Want a slightly more low-key outdoor experience north of the lake? In Rosedale, a classic residential neighborhood popular with University of Texas students and faculty, you’ll find a small and highly-creative Shakespearean theater festival offering their performances free of charge.
A small greenspace in the heart of Rosedale, Ramsey Park truly defines the neighborhood’s collaborative spirit. The park is cared for by a robust Friends of Ramsey Park non-profit organization, landscaped by a local Eagle Scout, and features arts programming enthusiastically supported by the community. A prime example of the latter can be found in Something For Nothing’s annual Shakespeare productions, performed under the Ramsey Park Pavilion. Led by a University of Texas PhD candidate and Shakespeare instructor, Something for Nothing focuses on inclusive casting and fun, accessible, non-elitist presentations of classic texts. This summer, they’ll bring “Twelfth Night” to the Ramsay Park stage from June 7-23, free of charge.