SxSw RSVP & Party List 2024
(best on computer, not phone friendly)
Baller ATX
Food, Drink, Music, Film, Art, Events, and the whispers of the ghost haunting Austin Tx.
(best on computer, not phone friendly)
Sxsw 2024. BallerATX.com
Free food, free drinks, free music, free movies. We list more free SxSw Rsvp events than any other page. And we will never charge you for something that is already free and on the internet. We do this for free every year for all of our friends and followers. Bookmark this link, and also make sure you also follow us on facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/ballerATX
Every RSVP event is an individual event and you must click on each event to RSVP and find out what requirements are, if there are any. Many of the events posted are during SxSw are not not actually affiliated with the official festival, so you do not need any special credentials, besides a valid over 21 ID.
We post free events in the Austin area all year long on our facebook!
ballerATX
The first weekend of ACL Fest 2023 was not only filled with amazing music and fun times for all, but we had what was probably the BEST weather in Central Texas in six months! A very welcome change indeed, and the perfect atmosphere for our favorite music festival.
But there was so much more than just live music, great weather, and amazing food at ACL. So if you’re planning to be out there for weekend 2, don’t forget to check out all the sponsor activations going on around the park. Did we mention FREE swag?!
Test your skills and win Tito’s swag playing their infamous claw machine. Or take a break and set a meet-up spot for your pals just outside the activation area on some comfy chairs under shady umbrellas. And remember… for the FIRST TIME EVER, all festival goers (21+) can purchase liquor, including a refreshing Tito’s Sparkling Lemonade at ANY of the bars around the park! No longer is the booze reserved for the VIPs, y’all!
Don’t forget to stick around and enjoy some amazing bands under the shady Tito’s Tent stage.
Head into the Hulu House for that free Hulu gear AND a cool spot to catch all the live streaming ACL Fest content from the best seat in the house.
Chill out and charge up at the ultimate FREE backstage experience located behind the T-Mobile Stage (entrance is to the right of the stage). Gain instant access if you’re a current T-Mobile customer by adding your “Club Magenta” pass to your mobile device via the T-Mobile Tuesdays app (an amazing baller way to get exclusive discounts btw!). When you get inside, you’ll find charging stations, upgraded (A/C!) restrooms, a private (cash) bar, and a chance to see your favorite bands playing the T-Mobile stage with exclusive side-stage access!
Be sure to check out the AMEX lounge and get access to the VIP upstairs viewing area (for AMEX cardholders), or the Honda Retreat (across from the Honda stage) to recharge with friends and enter for a chance to win a 2024 Honda HR-V Sport! There’s also the Coke Studio, the Wrangler Ranch, and the Topo Chico Hard Seltzer Experience (21+) where you can score all the swag and recharge in between sets. All of these spots are easy to find on the festival map, and provide far less populated areas to meet up with friends when those crowds get CRAZY! Hey, you paid a lot for those wristbands, so take advantage of everything ACL (and its sponsors) have to offer! Happy Weekend Two everyone!
by John Beard
Cons or conventions are characteristically known for their ability to bring individuals from all walks of life together to examine, discuss and celebrate a common interest. Now with that being said the only cons or conventions I’ve ever attended were home and boat shows some twenty years ago with my parents. So it suffices to say that I have no idea what to expect when it comes to attending Dreamcon.
Knowing what I do about RDC World who happens to be the host and presenter of Dreamcon, I’m expecting nothing less than to have to wholeheartedly defend my stances on multiple anime subjects; from One Piece being the most unnecessarily long anime to what anime has the best character development (it’s my hero academia). With that being said, I’m looking forward to discussions, debates, and insider information from guest speakers and everyone in attendance. Conversation creates comradery and helps build relationships that last beyond the con itself.
After trying to convince the whole con that Naruto is just a half-decent anime at best, it’s time to make a run for the food and drink vendors. Now as I mentioned earlier this would be my first con in a good while so I’m looking for a variety of foods and drinks to choose from. I’m hoping that there will be a lean towards Japanese cuisine to reflect what our favorite characters eat on the shows. Themed food and drinks that reflect anime and manga are starting to become more commonplace at smaller scale restaurants and drinking establishments just think of the DBZ-themed ramen bar.
Last but not least, I’m ready for the cosplay. I feel that a good measure of how well a con is doing overall is the lengths people will go to make their cosplay come to life. Let’s be honest if you go to a con and not one person is dressed up it basically sets the tone for the rest of your stay at that con.
Overall I’m expecting Dreamcon to have at least these few key elements throughout the convention. Now if RDC has any other tricks or treats up their sleeves for those of us attending that will just act as the cherry on top of what I hope to be a very engaging convention.
 | ReplyForward |
When you think of SXSW, you think of the parties, the shows, the drinks, and the FUN! And the best way to experience everything SXSW has to offer is to have that magical official badge. But how do you get a badge on a budget?! VOLUNTEER for SXSW. I know what you’re thinking. “I don’t have enough time to volunteer! So many hours! It’s too much work!” But no worries… there are different levels of time commitment, and the best part is you’ll get to see the inner workings of this amazing conference/festival!
Make your schedule work and sign up to volunteer. You work some (mostly easy) shifts, you get a badge. A badge most people pay WELL over $1800 for. It’s almost too good to be true! There are plenty of crews who need volunteers, so head on over to https://volunteer.sxsw.com/register/ to learn more.
You’ll get into SO many parties, lounges, panels, films, shows, etc. that you wouldn’t have if you didn’t have that badge. RSVPing can only get you so far… so help out, get a badge, and have the best SXSW ever!
If you’re a live music fan, I think you can agree that it’s been the longest 18 months EVER! Here at Baller ATX, we are SO READY to get back out there and enjoy what we love most… live music in Austin, TX! That’s right, y’all… we’re heading out to ACL Fest Weekend 2 to hear some amazing bands, eat some incredible food, and experience all the other fun stuff we have come to know and love from our favorite little hometown music festival!
Yes, there is way more than just live music and food at ACL. So many of their sponsors have some pretty sweet activations going on inside Zilker Park. Some to keep you cool, some to give away that coveted swag, and all of them help you make new friends along the way!
Show some love!
Festival goers can write a thank you postcard to a festival crewmember & hang it on the “Love, Tito’s” wall. For every card that is signed, Tito’s donates $5 to Crew Nation (up to $10,000) to support production crew who were out of work during the pandemic. (Tito’s has always been a generous company, and this is amazing!)
Play to win!
Stock up on Tito’s swag playing Plinko (Sunglasses! Bandanas! Koozies!) or test your hand-eye coordination at the infamous Tito’s claw machine (where you can win a pair of wristbands granting access to the exclusive, private Stillhouse Lounge backstage at the Tito’s tent!)
Get a souvenir for your dog you left at home!
Create a personalized dog tag at the Tito’s custom dog tag machine
Relax and recharge!
People can enjoy a taste of free WIFI and find a spot to relax in the chairs outside the “shack”, which is actually a tiny version of Mockingbird Distillery, where Tito’s was created! There is also a phone charging station and lawn games to play with friends.
Don’t forget to stick around and enjoy the shady Tito’s tent where you can catch some amazing artists like one of my new faves, Claud, who is playing at 1:45pm on Friday!
Head over and enjoy Miller Lite’s new Miller Time Social space near the ACL Fest Photo Frame! This is THE spot to connect with your friends, enjoy a Miller Lite (21+ only please), cool off with their fan walls, and recharge yourself and your phone!
And don’t forget about the incredible artists playing the Miller Lite stage over by the Lady Bird Lake entrance to the festival. Check out the incomparable Erykah Badu at 7pm on Friday, or local faves Nane at noon on Sunday.
Chill out and charge up at the ultimate FREE backstage experience located behind the T-Mobile Stage (entrance is to the right of the stage). Gain instant access if you’re a current T-Mobile customer, or snap and share a selfie to score entry. When you get inside, you’ll find charging stations, upgraded (A/C!) restrooms, a private (cash) bar, and a chance to score epic prizes thanks to T-Mobile. You’ll also find a water refill station, a giant misting fan, and seats in a shady space where you can watch the bands appearing on the T-Mobile and Lady Bird Lake stages on a huge screen. That private bar will certainly come in handy when the bar lines around the park are 50 people deep!
Be sure to check out the Bumble Hive to charge your phone and snag some swag, or the Honda Trading Post (across from the Honda stage) to recharge with friends and get a free tattoo! So many of the activations this year are not only giving away free stuff, but are providing phone charging, a space to relax a bit in the shade, and lots of “meetup” spots to gather with those friends who tend to get lost in the crowd. Hey, you paid a lot for those wristbands, so take advantage of everything ACL (and its sponsors) have to offer! Happy fest-ing everyone!
If you had only one day to attend Riot Fest 2021, would you go? I sure did and it was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. Having a day job and getting very little notice of my approval for a press pass meant I would only have one day (Friday) to attend. Thankfully three of my favorite bands were playing one after the other with no conflicts on that day. Motion City Soundtrack, Coheed and Cambria, and The Smashing Pumpkins: the bands that made up most of my high school playlists circa 2004. I couldn’t ask for a better lineup for my first event coming out of the pandemic. Riot Fest really brought the heat on this one.
COVID precautions also took center stage, with vaccine cards or negative results being a prerequisite to gain entry. I felt better about attending and being in such a large crowd with those guidelines in place. Riot Fest also went one step further and even had a rapid test station on-site (for $50), as well as a local hospital administering free COVID vaccines for those who wanted one. For us photographers, we had to wear a mask in the pit and in our press area when not eating or drinking. It wasn’t that big of a deal to me and I am glad they were thinking of everyone’s safety.
It’s been two years since my last festival, Intersect, and it was great to be back again. The lines to get in seemed to move quickly, the VIP line even faster. This being my first Riot Fest, I was impressed by the sheer size of it. However, trying to get from one stage to another can get tiring, and I’m not sure if I could have done all 3 days. I definitely got all my steps in for the week! The food vendors were great, most of which consisted of carnival-themed food, which I love, and the VIP area had an even better selection. I will admit being able to use VIP bathrooms was great. Upgraded (cleaner) bathrooms are where it’s at.
I started my day with Circa Survive, not a band I really listened to but still a pretty great show. Anthony Green was very energetic and it made for some great photos. After that, I went to see Anti-Flag, where I got to see some excellent moshing after we left the pit. I went to the ferris wheel during the remainder of their set where I got to witness one of the largest circle pits (seen in the cover photo of this post). Soon after, it was time for a band I’ve been into since I saw them at my first concert ever (Warped Tour 2004)… Motion City Soundtrack. Seeing them took me all the way back to high school, and they still had the same classic sound and energy as if they hadn’t aged a day. I took some of my best shots of audience members after crowd surfing; some of the happiest faces I’ve seen in such a long time.
Next up was a band just as close to my heart, Coheed and Cambria. While we were standing outside the pit, there were so many of us photographers who were split into two groups having 7 minutes each, and I thought to myself… what, so 1 song? And of course, the first song they played was In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, but damn what a song to open with, and to be that close! I found myself getting lost listening and headbanging with the crowd. Who can’t resist shouting “MAN YOUR OWN JACKHAMMER!!!”?
I couldn’t have picked a better way to end my night and the whole reason why I would make such a journey for one day of the fest… The Smashing Pumpkins! I was born in ‘87 so I wasn’t quite old enough to see them in the beginning. It wasn’t until they released Zeitgeist and went back out on tour that I finally got to see them live. I had fond memories of watching MTV (when it played videos) waiting for Tonight, Tonight, or 1979 to air. Billy Corgan still has those pipes. They played pretty much all classics and some new songs from CYR. However my favorites had to be EYE with Meg Myers stepping in, and then Shame, two rarities I haven’t heard live before. It even rained and it only added to the magic of the night.
Trying to leave Riot Fest was madness that took hours, albeit through no fault of the festival. So many people using the same rideshare app made for long delays and surging prices. Also, downtown was mostly shut down due to celebrations of Dieciseis de Septiembre (Mexican Independence Day), another wild sight to see. All in all, it was a great day and an amazing festival. I would like to thank the staff at Riot Fest and congratulate them for pulling this off during the most difficult times for live music in our lifetime.
Photos by Terry Flemings
Those looking for extra summer money, I did only 3 trips today on Uber as a driver in 30 mins and made $100 extra. They are in need of drivers in Austin! Other have told me once they are signed up using links below they are seeing the $100 promo as well!
From (cut/paste) Uber promos (new drivers promo first, then below that one existing drivers who haven’t taken a trip since March 20, 2021
New drivers: I just invited you to drive with Uber. Sign up and earn $1,180, guaranteed, after completing your first 100 trips. See how. https://partners.uber.com/i/u5q5msa2j
Existing drivers link who havnt taken a trip since 3/20/21: Hi, I’ve been driving and earnings on Uber are high! Median earnings in Austin are $33/hour*.
Make at least $1,575 guaranteed by taking 115 trips with my referral link**. Go to http://hero.uber.com/2ft?p=769zq to accept my invite.
And in case you didn’t know – Uber has introduced new policies and features to help keep everyone safe, including a mandatory mask policy and free disinfectant supplies for drivers.
*Stated trip earnings of $33/hour are based on median earnings of drivers in Austin from 3/29/2021 to 4/12/2021 date who drove approximately 20 hours per week. Actual earnings vary, depending on factors like number of trips provided, time of day, and location. Earnings include trip fares, some promotional offers (including Quest and Consecutive Trips), and tips, which are provided at the discretion of the rider. Median earnings in your specific location may be lower than the city figure. Since median is the middle, you may make more or less than the median amount.
**Your guaranteed amount and requirements may vary if you are signed up as a delivery person or driver, and if you drive in a different city from your referrer. See the referral link for offer details.
free stuff if you early vote in Austin:
Independence Brewing Co. – It’s officially EARLY VOTING TIME in Texas! Come to the brewery during our weekend taproom hours, show us your voting sticker and get a Freak Power on us! Power to the freaks, y’all — Now get out there and vote already! #vote #earlyvoting #freakpower
St Elmo Brewing Company – Hey there, early voters! Swing by the brewery today and get yourself a FREE half-pint of beer! Just flash us your “I Voted” sticker and the beer is all yours! 🙌🏼🇺🇸🍻 #election2020
Still Austin Whiskey Co. – Free draft cocktail w/ “I Voted” Sticker!
Austin Eastciders Barton Springs – Through October 13-16 wear your “I Voted” sticker at the Barton Springs Location to receive a free pint free pint of cider. There is a limit to one pint per guest.
4th Tap Brewing Co-op – is giving people with a sticker a free 10 oz pour through Friday, October 16th.
Texas Saké Co – Bring in your “I Voted” sticker and receive a 1.5oz shot with any purchase between October 15th – 18th! Let’s Go Texas #vote2020#txsakeco
Easy Tiger – Swing by any Easy Tiger location for a free cookie when you present your ‘I Voted!’ sticker! Must be present to redeem offer, does not apply to Curbside or Delivery. Valid until Tuesday, November 3
Galaxy Cafe – Bring in your “I Voted sticker to any of the three locations of Galaxy Cafe (Central, Northwest, or South) anytime during early voting and they’ll give you a free small chips and queso (dine-in only).
Seoulju Korean Kitchen & Bar – The Korean spot Seoulju is giving away five free dumplings when you show them your “I Voted” sticker at their North Lamar location this week, from October 15th-18th.
Marcelino’s – Bring your “I Voted” sticker to the East Austin taqueria Marcelino’s, and they’ll give you a free breakfast taco.
El Mesón – From Oct. 13 to 15, stop by the Mexican restaurant between 4 and 8 p.m. for a free marg. (Just make sure to be wearing your “I Voted” sticker.)
Paprika ATX – Cast your ballot then get a free carnitas taco. Sounds like a win win to us.
El Chilito – Between October 13-30, show your “I Voted” sticker to receive a free regular-sized queso. If you vote by mail, you can use the promo code Queso2020 to receive your free queso on an online order.
Home Slice Pizza – From October 13 – November 3. both Home Slice Pizza locations will offer a free slice of pizza to any guest who shows up to its slice windows wearing an “I Voted” sticker.
The Soup Peddler – Show your “I Voted” sticker to receive a free 8 oz. soup. Valid at all locations.
Launderette Austin will give guests with an “I Voted” sticker a free draft beer during lunch on the next three Fridays (the 16th, 23rd, and 30th).
And lastly and bestly, from Jackie Venson:
“It’s early voting time! If you’re waiting in line to #vote in Texas, DM this (her fb not ours) page and I’ll send you my new, unreleased record, Vintage Machine, to listen to while you wait FOR FREE. I am the record label, I can do these things lol.”
Photo of Jackie by: Ismael Quintanilla III Photography
A list of places that have closed permanently due to ongoing pandemic crisis. If restaurant has more than one location, we will list which location closed.
RIP:
Austin Java (all closed, but Menchaca Rd)
Barracuda
B.D. Riley’s
Be More Pacific
Black Walnut Café
Blue Dahlia (East side location)
BT2 Club aka Bout Time
Botticelli’s
The Brewer’s Table
Buffalo Billards
Buzzmill Coffee Shady (East)
Cafe Josie
Cap City Comedy
Chocolaterie Tessa
Dart Bowl
Daruma Ramen
Dirty Dog Bar
Dive Bar & Lounge
Easy Tiger (Downtown)
Fricano’s Deli
Full English
I Luv Video
Luby’s
Lucy’s on the Lake
Magnolia Café (West)
Mugshots
Ni-Kome
The North Door
NXNW
One-2-One Bar
P Terrys (Downtown)
Plush
Scratchouse
Shady Grove
Skull Mechanix
St. Roch’s Bar
Sugar Mama’s (East)
The Townsend
Troublemaker
Threadgill’s
Veggie Heaven
Vulcan Video
Yuyo