Austin, TX – Coming off a stellar year in 2025, Austin closed the chapter with its reputation fully cemented on the international stage, and then some. The city earned global culinary credibility with even more restaurants landing in the MICHELIN Guide, while still holding tight to its soul, crowned by Yelp as the No. 1 barbecue city in the United States. Travel rankings echoed what locals already knew, WalletHub placed Austin among the top five U.S. summer destinations, RoughMaps called it the Friendliest City in America, and Time Out named it one of the top ten best cities in the United States. With that momentum not set to slow down, Austin enters 2026 not easing in but accelerating. 

2026 isn't just a year in Austin. It's a kaleidoscope of festivals, openings and new gems. 

New Cultural Hubs 
In East Austin, the historic Govalle neighbourhood has been officially designated a Cultural District. This designation shines a spotlight on a mix of artists, makers, and cultural institutions, including The Museum of Human Achievement, Canopy creative community space, and the 979 Springdale business hub. Public art, special events, and community-driven initiatives honour the area's deep roots, diverse population, and dynamic programmes. 

For first-time visitors, the newly restored Austin Visitor Centre is more than a pit stop, it's a cultural welcome mat. Featuring curated curios, coffee, and personalised guidance, it sets the tone for exploring the city, helping you tailor your experience to your interests and goals for the trip. 

Thrills Ahead: COTALAND Theme Park 
Austin's entertainment scene revs up with the upcoming COTALAND Theme Park at Circuit of The Americas, home to F1. Opening in 2026, the park will feature thrill rides, family attractions, and plenty of race-day excitement, poised to become one of Austin's top destinations. Even before the park officially opens, visitors can enjoy COTA's professional racing events, including MotoGP, NASCAR, Formula 1, and GT World Texas, along with go-karts and a mini golf course, offering a full spectrum of motorsport action and leisure experiences. 

New Food Spots To Kick Off The Year 

Austin's culinary landscape is quietly reshaping itself, with new places to eat and drink popping up like secret invitations. Downtown's Grá Mór brings Irish‑inspired bites and strong coffee into an easy-going daytime rhythm, while Rocco's Neighbourhood Joint adds big‑hearted Italian‑American comfort to North Loop. In a tucked‑away North Austin alley, Old Alley Hot Pot turns meals into interactive gatherings around rich broths and shared flavours. On the East Side, Strangelove Coffee & Wine blurs the line between caffeine fix and sunset glass of wine, and Handsome Dan's winks with retro brewery vibes and hearty sandwiches. Siti infuses Southeast Asian influences into elevated plates, and Paprika, now in its North Lamar home, serves up tacos that feel both familiar and fresh.  

Food trucks have new personalities too. Soul Seoul Sol brings Korean‑fusion flair to Stargazer, Knuckle Sandwich stacks big, crunchy sammies at Ants Beer Cave, and Kyoko Coffee delights with Japanese‑style drinks worth seeking out. The drinks scene itself has softened into something stylish yet unpretentious. East End Ballroom lounges with retro‑luxe cocktails and Sunday brunch, Bar Hacienda whispers tropical sip escapes, Revenge Bar thrives on electric late nights, and 1972 celebrates women's sports with big screens and buzzy game‑day energy. 

Live Music, Fast Cars and Bats   

• OUTsider Festival (February 18–22, 2026): As one of Austin's most progressive festivals, OUTsider brings together Austin's LGBTQI community for five days of creation and inspiration. This multidisciplinary art festival showcases film, performance art, music, visual art and more. This annual festival and conference unites queer artists, audiences and scholars from around the globe to exchange ideas, ignite conversations, transcend boundaries and experience new pleasures through artistic discovery. 

• South by Southwest (SXSW) (March 12–18, 2026): Known as one of the largest and most influential festivals globally, South by Southwest (SXSW) seamlessly combines film, music, and interactive media. The event attracts a diverse array of industry professionals and music lovers as the whole town pulses with a week of film premieres, music showcases, tech talks, comedy sets, and creative conversations all melting into one another. It's seven days of being everywhere and nowhere at once, from morning panels to late-night gigs, and all roads seem to lead back to downtown Austin. 

• ABC Kite Fest (April 11–12, 2026): Every spring, the skies above Zilker Park in Austin are the focus of the beloved ABC Kite Fest. This event, founded in 1929 by The Exchange Club of Austin, is the nation's longest-running kite festival. Initially designed to inspire creativity among children, it has evolved into a cherished tradition with an estimated 50,000 attendees of all ages each year.   

• Bat Fest — Congress Avenue Bridge (August 2026, exact date TBD): Celebrate the world's largest urban bat colony as it takes seasonal residence beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge. The festival offers a full day of family-friendly activities, including educational exhibits about the bats, interactive games for children, and a quirky costume contest. Attendees can watch the spectacular nightly emergence of thousands of bats over the bridge while enjoying Austin's quirky atmosphere and local food vendors. 

• LEVITATION Fest (September 10–13, 2026): Levitation Fest is a four-day music festival in Austin that features indie, psychedelic, metal, and experimental acts across multiple venues. Bands and artists overlap, collide, and echo into unexpected spaces, while art installations and late-night performances blur the line between audience and spectacle. 

• Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival  (Date TBA-September): Sweat and laughter and regret mingle with fierce heat as local and national fire sauces compete for your attention. It's not just food — it's a dare with a line and a crowd cheering you on as you inch toward hotter and hotter territory. 

• Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival (October 2–4 & October 9–11, 2026): One of the country's largest celebrations of music, this six‑day festival features 140+ musical acts over two weekends in Zilker Park, welcoming roughly 75,000 fans per day. Previous lineups have been led by major performers like Sabrina Carpenter, Hozier, Luke Combs, The Strokes, Doechii, John Summit and others, blending pop, rock, country, hip‑hop, and indie sounds across multiple stages 

• Formula 1 United States Grand Prix — Circuit of The Americas (October 23–25, 2026): Three days of high-speed Formula 1 racing unfold at the world-class Circuit of The Americas, featuring practice sessions, qualifying rounds, and the main Grand Prix race. Fans can enjoy on-site camping, interactive fan zones, food and beverage experiences, and a full schedule of motorsport activities that make the weekend immersive for both casual viewers and die-hard F1 enthusiasts. 

• Austin Food + Wine Festival (Date TBA – November): Pamper your palate in one of the hippest cities in the country at the Austin Food + Wine Festival. Join top chef talent, sommeliers and winemakers from across the nation and Austin's own acclaimed gourmet scene for an indulgent, three-day epicurean adventure unlike any other, topped off with live musical performances. 
    

Austin Keeps Growing  
In addition to new places and events, Austin continues to evolve with enhancements at Austin‑Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) ensuring easier access and more reasons to explore. Offering more than 200 daily flights and non-stop service to over 75 domestic and international destinations including London, where British Airways has expanded its service to twice-daily non-stop flights from Heathrow.