May is when Austin starts feeling like summer is just around the corner. The days are getting longer, patios are packed, pools are becoming social destinations and the city’s restaurant and bar scene is shifting outdoors. There is plenty happening around town this month, from new restaurants and cocktail spots to food festivals, live music and outdoor events.

If April was the month to ease into spring, May is when Austin starts turning the volume up.

One of the biggest food events on the calendar is Hot Luck, the annual food and music festival created by Aaron Franklin, James Moody and Mike Thelin. The festival returns to Austin over Memorial Day weekend, bringing chefs, barbecue, live music and plenty of drinking together across several venues.

Hot Luck has become one of the city’s most distinctive food events because it doesn’t feel like a traditional food festival.

There isn’t a giant convention center full of booths.

Instead, Hot Luck spreads across Austin, with chefs cooking special meals and events in different locations.

That means the city itself becomes part of the festival.

And for Austin food lovers, that is exactly what makes it fun.

The event attracts chefs from Austin and around the country, giving locals a chance to try food they wouldn’t normally find on an Austin menu.

The festival’s connection to live music is equally important.

This is Austin, after all.

You can eat a plate of food from a nationally recognized chef and then hear a band.

You can drink beer while watching a chef cook.

You can spend the afternoon eating barbecue and end the evening at a concert.

Hot Luck combines several of Austin’s favorite things into one weekend.

May is also a big month for restaurant openings.

One of the year’s most anticipated openings is Este, the coastal Mexican restaurant from the team behind Suerte. Located on Manor Road, Este focuses heavily on seafood and the cooking traditions of Mexico’s coastal regions.

The restaurant is part of a larger change happening in Austin’s Mexican food scene.

Austin has always been a taco city.

It has always been a Tex-Mex city.

But diners are increasingly looking for regional Mexican cuisine that goes far beyond the standard taco-and-enchilada menu.

Este fits perfectly into that movement.

The restaurant’s seafood-focused menu gives diners another option for Mexican food while also reflecting Austin’s growing interest in more specialized culinary concepts.

If you’re looking for somewhere new to try this month, Este should be near the top of the list.

Another major addition to the city is Maie Day, the steakhouse from the team behind Olamaie. Located at South Congress Hotel, Maie Day brings a modern Austin interpretation of the classic steakhouse.

And this is exactly the kind of restaurant that works well in May.

Steak.

Oysters.

Cocktails.

Wine.

Outdoor seating.

South Congress.

It has everything needed for a long summer evening.

The location also makes it easy to build an entire night around the restaurant.

Start with drinks.

Walk South Congress.

Have dinner.

Grab another cocktail.

Listen to music.

By the time summer arrives, South Congress will be packed, so May is a good time to enjoy the area before the heat becomes intense.

The city’s bar scene is changing along with the weather.

Rooftops and patios are becoming increasingly popular.

Places like Wax Myrtle’s are turning downtown into a destination for people who want cocktails with a view, while Austin’s established rooftop bars are entering their busiest season.

There is something about having a drink outside in Austin that makes the city feel different.

A cocktail inside a dark bar can be great.

But a cold drink on a rooftop while watching the sun set over downtown is a completely different experience.

May is one of the best months for it.

The heat is arriving, but it hasn’t reached its peak yet.

That means outdoor drinking is still enjoyable rather than an endurance test.

Austin’s breweries are also taking advantage of the weather.

Beer gardens are filling up, food trucks are becoming busy and breweries are scheduling more live music and outdoor events.

For locals who haven’t explored Austin’s brewery scene recently, May is a good time to start.

The brewery culture has expanded well beyond the traditional taproom.

Many breweries now have kitchens, food trucks, patios, games, live music and special events.

You can spend an entire afternoon at one without needing to make another stop.

The city’s restaurant-park trend is also becoming more noticeable.

One of the most interesting examples is The Pitch, the North Austin soccer and entertainment complex that opened earlier this year.

The Pitch combines multiple restaurants, bars and outdoor spaces, creating a destination where people can eat, drink and watch sports without having to visit several different places.

With Austin FC’s popularity growing, the venue is particularly attractive on match days.

And even if you’re not a soccer fan, the food and outdoor atmosphere make it worth checking out.

May is also when Austin’s sports and nightlife scenes increasingly overlap.

Austin FC matches have become social events.

Fans meet for drinks before matches.

Restaurants around the stadium fill up.

Bars show games.

And supporters gather afterward.

That is another sign of how quickly Austin’s sports culture has grown.

For decades, Austin was known primarily for music.

Now sports are becoming a major part of the city’s entertainment calendar.

Austin FC is bringing an entirely different type of crowd into bars and restaurants, especially around match days.

And the city’s nightlife is adapting.

Speaking of nightlife, East Austin remains one of the best areas to explore if you’re looking for something new.

The neighborhood continues to add restaurants, bars, cocktail lounges and food trucks, and May’s weather makes walking between places much more enjoyable.

A typical East Austin evening can easily turn into a five-stop adventure.

Dinner at a new restaurant.

Drinks at a cocktail bar.

A brewery.

Live music.

Late-night tacos.

That’s the beauty of the neighborhood.

There isn’t one single destination.

The neighborhood itself becomes the night out.

The same is true around Red River.

Austin’s live-music scene doesn’t take the summer off.

Smaller venues continue booking local and touring acts, while outdoor events become increasingly common.

If you haven’t been to a live show in a smaller Austin venue recently, May is a great month to do it.

You don’t need to wait for a major festival.

You don’t need to buy a huge ticket.

You can find a small venue, grab a drink and hear a band you’ve never seen.

That’s still one of the best ways to experience Austin.

And for anyone visiting the city, it is often a better experience than simply checking off the biggest tourist attractions.

The city’s food scene is also increasingly tied to the nightlife scene.

Late-night restaurants are becoming more important as people stay out later.

Tacos, burgers, pizza and other casual food are available well into the night, giving Austin’s bar crowd somewhere to eat after the kitchen at a traditional restaurant closes.

That is important because Austin’s nightlife increasingly extends beyond midnight.

People go out later.

Bars stay busy.

Music venues have late shows.

And restaurants that understand that demand can become extremely popular.

May is also the beginning of pool season.

Austin’s hotel pools and pool bars are becoming social destinations, particularly on weekends.

Some are relaxed places to spend the afternoon.

Others are full-on party destinations.

Either way, pools are increasingly part of Austin’s summer entertainment culture.

And May is when they start getting busy.

For locals, that means it is worth keeping an eye on hotel pool calendars and summer events.

A normal Saturday can easily turn into a pool day, dinner and drinks downtown.

That combination is becoming a classic Austin summer weekend.

But don’t wait too long to make plans.

Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest weekends of the spring, and with Hot Luck taking place at the same time, restaurants and hotels can fill quickly.

If you want to attend a food event, book a reservation or see a particular chef, now is the time to make plans.

May also marks the beginning of the city’s outdoor festival season.

The weather is warm enough for outdoor events, but many people still consider the month more comfortable than June, July or August.

That makes it one of the best times of year to be outside.

And Austin has plenty of places to do it.

Parks.

Breweries.

Patios.

Rooftops.

Food trucks.

Outdoor concert spaces.

Restaurant courtyards.

The city is designed for it.

If there is one thing to remember about Austin in May, it is that the city is moving outside.

The restaurants are opening their patios.

The bars are filling rooftops.

Breweries are hosting outdoor events.

Food festivals are returning.

Austin FC fans are taking over sports bars.

Musicians are performing outside.

And locals are finding excuses to stay out until sunset.

That’s what makes May one of the best months on the Austin calendar.

The giant heat of summer hasn’t fully arrived.

The spring festival rush has calmed down.

But the city is busy.

New restaurants are opening.

New bars are being discovered.

Old favorites are becoming packed again.

And the calendar is filling with events.

For Baller ATX readers, May is the month to get outside and explore.

Try a new restaurant.

Find a rooftop.

Go to Hot Luck.

Catch an Austin FC match.

Visit a brewery.

Listen to a local band.

Or simply grab a drink on a patio and watch Austin do what Austin does best.

Summer is coming.

And the city is already getting ready to party.