Austin Fall Guide: Festivals, Markets and Halloween

Austin's fall calendar is one of the busiest of the year, and the next two months pack in enough to fill every weekend. If you're planning your October and November, here's where the city's festivals, markets and outdoor events land.

Music and film lead the charge. Austin City Limits Music Festival is back at Zilker Metropolitan Park for its second weekend, October 9-11, from noon to 10 p.m., with tickets starting at $170. Nine stages, ACL Eats, an Art Market and Austin Kiddie Limits round out the lineup, which includes Charli XCX, Rüfüs Du Sol, Twenty One Pilots, Lorde, Skrillex, Kings of Leon and The XX. Get in via the ACL shuttle from Republic Square Park, Cap Metro or rideshare dropping off at Barton Springs Road. The Austin Film Festival runs from October 29 to November 5 across multiple locations, with more than 150 sessions, world premiere screenings and panels. For something darker, the Austin Horror Film Festival screens horror shorts and features at the 29th Street Ballroom, 2906 Fruth St, from October 15-17, tickets from $16.24. Later in the fall, the Austin Food + Wine Festival brings chefs and Texas wines to the Texas State Capitol grounds, and the Hot Luck Festival, created by pitmaster Aaron Franklin and Mohawk owner, pairs city chefs with live music.

Cultural and heritage events keep the schedule full. Viva la Vida Fest, Austin's largest Day of the Dead celebration presented by the Mexic-Arte Museum, is free on Saturday, October 24, from noon to 6 p.m., with a procession along Historic 6th Street from noon to 1 p.m. The 30th Austin Celtic Festival takes over Pioneer Farms, 10621 Pioneer Farms Dr, on November 7-8, with Celtic music, dance, Highland Games and workshops; admission is $25 a day, $12 for ages 5-16 and free under 5. The Texas Book Festival is free at the Texas State Capitol on November 14-15, with more than 300 authors, panels, cooking demos and book signings. And on Saturday, November 21, the Austin Powwow at the Travis County Exposition Center, 7311 Decker Lane, stands as one of the largest single-day powwows in the country, tickets $10-12 and free under 12.

Markets and seasonal food are easy to slot in. The fifth annual Austin Coffee Festival is at the Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd, on October 17-18, with unlimited tastings, indie live music and latte art contests, tickets from $25.27. Austin Oktoberfest, run by the German-Texan Heritage Society at 507 E 10th St, is Saturday, October 10, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., tickets $17.85. The Art & Beer Night Market Austin is free at The Brewtorium, 6015 Dillard Cir A, on Saturday, November 7, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., with 70-plus local artisans, craft beers and food trucks. For a pumpkin fix, Pumpkin Nights at Pioneer Farms runs through October 31 with a half-mile trail of more than 10,000 hand-carved pumpkins, and Boo at the Zoo is $25 on October weekends. A free Halloween Carnival at the Neill-Cochran House Museum falls on Sunday, October 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Between the events, the weather does the work. Days stay warm in the 70s and 80s with cool nights, so layering is the move. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail loops 10 miles around Lady Bird Lake, the Barton Creek Greenbelt is open, and free concerts and movie projections run in Pan Am Park and Metz Park.