Monday night, the Austin Critics' Table, an informal collective of local arts critics, will usher in seven new inductees to the Austin Arts Hall of Fame, and will dole out achievement awards to this year's nominees in categories including Theatre, Design, Dance, Art, and Classical Music. The "Table" has been in the award-giving business for 16 years, recognizing Austin's wide variety of talent with a pat on the back and an annual rip-tootin' good time.

There's a lot to celebrate this year, from Ballet Austin's fantastic Cult of Color: Call to Color to Hyde Park Theatre's riveting, sold-out The Pillowman...from Zach's amazing Porgy & Bess to Rude Mechanical's "audacious" The Method Gun, it was a fine year for performance art. The classical music scene saw such events as none other than Kathleen Battle gracing the Long Center, not to mention outstanding work from the choral group Conspirare, whose Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. In art, the Beats took over the Ransom Center, and Austin got a glimpse of Kerouac's famous scroll, while galleries from Okay Mountain to Women and Their Work, and so many more, supported a host of local talent.

We make it a point to attend the ceremony, as there's almost nothing more amusing than a room packed full of drunk giddy über-talented geniuses. And it's free! Come on over and join in the fun.