This weekend you can see a variety of children’s plays, give wakeboarding a go, swing dance, eat tons of ice cream or have a day at the races!
Here are our Top 10 Austin Family events…
Friday:
— ZACH Theatre’s Performing Arts School presents Seussical the Musical Jr., a FUNtastical, magical, musical extravaganza based on the books of Dr. Seuss. Playing at ZACH Theatre at 7 pm (2 pm show is already sold out), this production features Austin’s most talented youth and adult performers in a full scale production guaranteed to entertain the whole family. Tickets are $10 and you can buy them here.
— Get a free lesson in swing dance and see hot jazz and American swing band, Aunt Ruby’s Sweet Jazz Babies, perform at Planet Music at the Dougherty Arts Center. Free, doors open at 6:30 pm, dance lesson at 7 pm and band will perform afterward.
— Swing by Haymaker for their Sno Cone Happy Hour from 4 – 8 pm for free non-alcoholic snow cones and $3 “adult” snow cones (aka with vodka)!
Saturday:
— Scream for ice cream at the Austin Ice Cream Festival where you can play games, participate in contests and activities and enjoy live entertainment from 10 am – 7 pm. The fest will be at Fiesta Gardens and tickets are $10 for 8 and up, kids 8 and under are free. Ticket price includes three tickets to redeem with the ice cream vendors of your choice, and some booths will be handing out free samples until they run out!
— Barton Springs Fest at Barton Springs Pool will have kids activities like music from Mr. Habitat, balloon art, endangered species activities and the Splash Exhibit from 10 am – 2 pm, as well as educational speakers and workshops, live music, yoga, poetry, snacks and more throughout the day. There are even snorkel eco-tours and hikes (sign up by emailing [email protected])! Admission to pool rates apply, which are $1 – $4, fest is from 8 am – 7 pm.
— The Affordable 250 Races and Budweiser Music Series with Mike Ryan, Denny Herrin and others will kick off at 3 pm at the Central Texas Speedway. Watch the race and see music performances throughout the day. Get up close to the real action in the general admission bleacher stands or experience the races in style by booking one of the track’s recently renovated VIP Suites. Tickets are $10 – $120 and you can buy them here.
— Cheer on young wakeboarders, try it yourself, or just hang out at Austin’s newest wakeboarding cable park, Quest ATX, for Young Guns + Groms, a friendly wakeboarding competition that tracks personal progress and growth for ages 8 – 16. If your child doesn’t want to compete, they can enjoy a bounce house, stand up paddleboards, kayaks, a 40-foot waterslide and half-off all park passes for the day (making an all day wakeboarding pass just $10)! Event is from 9 am – 12 pm, entry into the park is free. More info.
Sunday:
— Free Kids Show with the Groundwork Music Orchestra at Cherrywood Coffeehouse at 10:30 am! Get some breakfast and jam out with one of Austin’s favorite children’s bands.
— It’s time for the Austin Summer Musical for Children, the annual free theatre production for kids! See The Wizard of Oz at the Boyd Vance Theatre at either 2 pm or 4 pm. Tickets are limited and will be handed out 45 minutes prior to showtime. Lines have been known to form an hour ahead of time, so get there early! Tickets will be distributed quickly and you do not need to have your whole group with you when they are being handed out; one adult can get tickets for the family. When you get your tickets you can leave and come back, or hang out and see all of the cool exhibits at the George Washington Carver Museum. You must take your seats five minutes prior to showtime.
— Have a Sunday FUNday at BabyEarth with free-time play, crafts and games starting at 3 pm. At 3:30 pm, a story time for all ages will be offered by The Signing Connection, followed by a performance from children’s performer, Staci Gray at 4 pm. Free!
Have fun!
