Snapshots from Sunday's Zilker Kite Festival...

This Sunday, grab a friend, grab a kite and head down to Zilker Park for a local tradition that is over 50 years older than SXSW and over 70 years older than ACL Fest. If we're talking about true Austin, the Zilker Park Kite Festival can't be beat....

Austinist & Gothamist are proud to announce our SXSW day party, taking place on Wednesday, March 12 at the Mohawk. The party kicks off around 11 a.m., and the day ends at 6, but not before Shout Out Louds, Shearwater, Liam Finn and Phosphorescent perform. As usual, the party is free, open to all. See you then!...

As if this weather hasn't been enough to get even the laziest of Austinites out and running, Paul Carrozza and his team over at RunTex are creating even more reasons to get out and about in 2008. Over the course of this month, the Lake Austin Boulevard RunTex will be stripped of its retail shelves—in its place will be a running institution aimed at consulting, training, and creating various fitness programs and seminars for local athletes....

In the latest issue of Newsweek, "admission officials, educational consultants, students, parents and college and university leaders" were questioned to find the best American colleges in specific fields. The Top 25 Listing included topics such as Hottest Sports Fans (Florida), Hottest in the War on Terror (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology) and Hottest for Loving the Outdoors (St. Mary's College of Maryland). Individual achievements by various UT professors and the efforts of Teach......

Coldplay's Chris Martin recently described Travis as "the band that invented my band and lots of others." That should give most people a solid idea of what to expect when Glasgow's indie-pop quartet stop into Stubb's Thursday night. After debuting with the raucous pub rock album Good Feeling in 1997, the band did an about-face with 1999's The Man Who, a moody, ballad-filled acoustic record produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck) that produced several......

Award-winning afro-beat singer, composer and band leader Femi Kuti along with his band, Positive Force, will shower Stubb’s outside with Nigerian grooves, American funk and soothing jazz. Son of the legendary musician Fela Kuti, Femi has taken many traditions from his father, such as his struggle to effect positive social and political change in his Nigerian homeland. Also, Femi is working to keep their musical lineage alive. His teenage son plays alto sax in his......

WEDNESDAY [9] books • Amy Guth presents Three Fallen Women at BookWoman (7:00pm) comedy • Jimmie Roulette at Cap City Comedy Club film • Texas Doc Tour: "Ten Under Ten 2007" at Alamo Downtown film • "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with Golden Ticket Giveaway at Alamo Downtown film • Weird Wednesdays: "Cop Killers" at Alamo Downtown food • Angel Valley Organic Farm Farmstand at Asian American Cultural Center, 11713 Jollyville Road (10am-2pm) food......

Followers of the indie-rock scene may be a little shocked to find out that it has only been two years since Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's debut demos stormed across the blogosphere. The decidedly scruffy demos were a revelation, full of Talking Heads-like vocals, soaring minimal guitar lines, and (perhaps most importantly) a very danceable rhythm section that sounded quite different to the many Interpol-derivatives of the day. Having seen the then-unknown CHYSY win......

WEDNESDAY [11] books • JoAnna Barrett presents The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom at BookPeople (7:00pm) film • Texas Doc Tour: "Fish Kill Flea" at Alamo Downtown film • Open Screen Night at Alamo Downtown film • Weird Wednesdays: "Marta" at Alamo Downtown film • Jim Jarmusch Film Series: "Dead Man" at Alamo Village film • "Babe" Organic Vegetarian Feast at Alamo Village film/discussion • Screening of Israeli film director Eytan Fox's "Walk......

Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew, known throughout the world as Yo La Tengo, are one of the most beloved and respected groups in the history of indie music. Their music is timeless, atmospheric, and provocative. The best combo to ever blend innovative psychedelia and post-punk pop. Ira Kaplan is one of the all time guitar greats. He is easily up there with legends such as Kevin Shields, J. Mascis, Pete Townsend, and......

Note: Several weekend events will be added in the afternoon. THURSDAY [5] fashion/music/party • Car Stereo (Wars), Visuals by Super!Alright!, and 30-40% Everything at Strut (6-10pm) film • "Military Intelligence and You" at Alamo Drafthouse Lakecreek (7:30pm) art •Opening Reception for Aki Nagasaka's "Yellow Labyrinth" at Women and Their Work (6-8pm) books •Pam Oslie presents Love Colors at BookPeople (7:00pm) books •Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht presents "In 1926: Why and How?" at The Harry Ransom......

MONDAY [29] opera • Philip Glass' Waiting for the Barbarians at Bass Concert Hall music • Unwed Sailor, Bayta Darell, The Twilight Lieutenants at Emo's Lounge music • Hidden Hand, Kylesa, The Roller, Ironclad at Emo's music • The Fray, Mute Math at Frank Erwin Center music • Hill Country Outdoors' New Member Meeting at Opal Divine's Penn Field film • Darkon: The Movie at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • Melody at Alamo Drafthouse......

Summer is quickly becoming a fond memory of blistering heat and ice cold mojitos, but that does't mean that the oportunities to get hot and sweaty are as distant as summer's attendant glories. Drink lots of water this Saturday night because it's time to dance, and like your mom the Austinist wants you to be safe while having fun. This Saturday at Stubb's they're forgoing the usual BBQ sauce slathered briskett and mixing a......

Well this could be the last time. This could be the last time. May be the last time. I dont know. [07.22 in Music] Last chance to see A Scanner Darkly with composer Graham Reynolds [07.22 in Movies] Celebrating Slackerdom...Again: This Week's New Movie Releases! [07.21 in Movies] World War III, IV, or V? [07.21 in News] Austin Duo Brave Sharks and Sea Monsters for Vets [07.21 in Fitness+Outdoors] Lock Up the Children and......

We spent last Sunday afternoon the way we usually spend Sundays, at the movies…alone. But last Sunday offered a variation on the theme, as we watched a documentary at The Hideout as part of the Austin Film Festival. The documentary in question was “Muskrat Lovely,” an entertaining look into the lives of the people of Dorchester County, Maryland and their annual Outdoors Festival. The Outdoors Festival is a unique cultural oddity that is part......

This past weekend, exhausted from all the goings-on of Friday and Saturday nights, Austinist temporarily fled Austin to seek refuge in the Great Outdoors. We headed out west along HWY 290 to Pedernales Falls State Park, where we hoped to go on the 4-Mile Loop hike. Upon arrival at the Park's Headquarters, we were dismayed to learn that the river was too dangerous to traverse, what with all the recent rain we've had. As a......