Austin's psych-rock carnival is back. Levitation 2026 takes over the city from Thursday, September 10 to Sunday, September 13, with more than 60 performances, art installations, merchandise and sessions spread across the Red River Cultural District and East Austin. It's a long-running, multi-day festival built around psychedelic and experimental music, and it's one of the bigger annual fixtures in a city that bills itself as the Live Music Capital of the World.
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The lineup is the real draw. Bikini Kill, Die Spitz and Gibby Haynes of Butthole Surfers play RADIO/EAST, while American Football, The Garden, Kylesa and Monolord take Stubb's. Arlo Parks and Temples are at Mohawk, and a string of club shows rounds out the bill with Avey Tare and Geologist of Animal Collective, Nitzer Ebb, Lunar Vacation and Iguana Death Cult. Molchat Doma, Cabaret Voltaire and Peter Hook and the Light are also in the mix, along with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and Elder. There are more than 20 individual shows across the weekend, so you can build your own version of the festival rather than committing to the whole thing.
Where you end up depends on what you're after. RADIO/EAST is the central hub, running a two-stage expanded configuration at 3504 Montopolis Drive — it's the spacious, vibrant sibling to the South Austin institution Radio Coffee & Beer. Stubb's Bar-B-Q at 801 Red River is the Texas barbecue spot turned venue that Christopher Stubblefield started in Lubbock in 1968 before moving it here in the early 1980s, and it can hold anywhere from 25 to 2,370 people. Mohawk, at 912 Red River on the corner of 10th, is a multilevel indoor-outdoor space that opened in 2006. Empire Control Room & Garage at 7th and Red River is 15,000 square feet split between a 1,050-capacity garage, a 350-capacity indoor control room and a 200-capacity creekside patio. Hotel Vegas on East Sixth, Elysium Nightclub, The 13th Floor, Kingdom, and 29th Street Ballroom near the UT campus all fill in the rest.
On tickets, a GA 3-day RADIO/EAST pass is $185 plus fees and taxes, and a Deluxe 3-day pass is $485, which adds express entry, climate-controlled restrooms, a private bar and lounge seats with stage views. Single-show GA and Deluxe tickets run from $25 to $75 plus fees and taxes, subject to dynamic pricing and prone to selling out, with more than 20 individual show passes on sale. The four-day GA, Deluxe and Super Deluxe passes are already gone.
A few ground rules before you go. Most shows are all ages, but The 13th Floor and Kingdom are 21+, and you'll need a valid photo ID. Children 8 and under get in free at RADIO/EAST with one adult, one child per adult. Re-entry is fine for anyone 21 and over, but under-21s can't get back in once they leave. Small bags and camera bags are okay, and disposable or digital cameras are allowed as long as there's no flash and no professional gear or detachable lenses. Outside chairs, instruments, food, drink, weapons, light sticks and audio or video recording equipment aren't permitted. The festival is ADA-compliant with venue-specific accommodations, so email info@levitation.fm in advance if you have accessibility needs. Metered street parking and private lots are around downtown, but carpooling, rideshare or a taxi are the easier calls.
Published Date
20 August 2026
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