Viva México, Mooncakes, and Motorbikes in Our Recommended Events

Epiphany

Through October 26, Co-Lab Projects

“I live to have my mind turned inside out.” So says curator and artist in her own right Alyssa Taylor Wendt. She’s gathered a slew of art to do just that – wrinkle your brain, shed new light, and yes, maybe even lead to your own epiphanies. The collection pushes borders, featuring work that spins through the eyes and mind like those magic-eye books for kids. Every piece takes a slight skew on familiar topics. It might be a new take on a pattern. Or an unexpected use of color. Or a sculpture with a detail that just pops. Somehow, somewhere, something will reveal itself. It’s just a matter of whether you’re looking closely enough.   – Cat McCarrey

Kiersten White’s Lucy Undying Book Release

Thursday 12, BookPeople

Lucy Westenra was, through no fault of her own, one of Dracula’s first victims. But after rising from the grave as a perfectly capable vampire herself, Lucy spends infinite years trying to escape the old demon’s clutches (they are literal clutches), seeking to discover who she is (a vampire?) and, you know, self-actualize. Then, Lucy falls in love with Iris. Complications ensue, proving that vampire life is suspiciously similar to our own. Attend BookPeople’s talk with author Kiersten White, buy the book, and see what happens next. It’s possible Lucy destroys Dracula once and for all (not likely).   – Brant Bingamon

Into the Woods

Through September 29, City Theatre Austin

Many have tried to reveal the darkness behind our most beloved fairy tales, but few did it better than Stephen Sondheim. The first act plays straight, as familiar faces like Jack and his Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood seek new lives. The second act shows the truth behind the old adage: Be careful what you wish for. It’s an incredible depth of story, accompanied by the always-interesting musical turns of a Sondheim score. Things fall apart, they’re rebuilt, and everyone’s changed in the end. Enjoy your travel into these wild woods while learning that fairy-tale life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.   – Cat McCarrey

Hacksfest

Friday 13 - Sunday 15, Fallout Theater

You want comedy, but you don’t want to be subject to the capricious whims of fate – as is common in the devil’s art form, aka improv comedy. Fallout Theater has heard your cries, so they gathered the best in the Austin biz for a three-day celebration of scripted comedy. From early access to works-in-progress to one-person shows, sketches to film, Hacksfest is all killer, no filler. Current lineup heavies include Austin Mime & Movement Co., Daddy Strong Legs, Technically Music!, Trisha, and many more – including acts yet to be announced. After you experience this weekend of written humor, you’ll be shouting from the rooftops: “ALL HAIL LOCAL SCRIPTED COMEDY!”   – James Scott

Friday the 13th on Friday the 13th

Friday 13, Multiple locations

Inside the Friday the 13th films, there are two wolves fighting. One wants the movies to be about Jason Voorhees, the mutilated and occasionally undead killer under the hockey mask. The other wants the franchise to be about anyone other than Jason. Everyone knows the original killer wasn't Jason but – editor’s note: spoiler alert! – his loving momma instead, but a lot of people forget that the producers kept trying to replace him. So, pick your fighter as Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In shows Part II (the first film where Jason's the killer) at both its Downtown and North Central locations; We Luv Video screens the flick with not one but two Jason substitutes (Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning); and Hyperreal Film Club continues their opening week with Part VI: Jason Lives, in which the big guy comes back from the dead.   – Richard Whittaker

Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition

Friday 13 - Wednesday 18, Alamo Slaughter Lane, Alamo Lakeline

The slow-motion picture: That’s how the first cinematic voyage of the Starship Enterprise was mockingly described when first released in 1979. Audiences wanted the pulp action of Star Wars, and the insatiable appetite for space adventure was enough to get the franchise to the beloved Wrath of Khan and beyond. But what director Robert Wise created, and amplified with his 2001 remaster/re-edit, was to capture the original series’ sense of cosmic wonder. The torpor becomes spectacle and introduces all the themes of aging, friendship, and loss that would define the ongoing star trekking of Bones, Spock, Kirk, Scotty, and Uhura.   – Richard Whittaker

MotoAmerica Superbikes

Friday 13 - Sunday 15, Circuit of the Americas

Over 120 motocross superbikes going 190 mph sound like something your kid – and, let’s be honest, you – would enjoy? Well they’re in luck, as the MotoAmerica Superbikes races are coming to Circuit of the Americas this weekend. Five classes of road racing are competing, all with sick names including Steel Commander Superbike, Mission King of the Baggers, Supersport, BellissiMoto Twins Cup, and the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship. Kids under 12 get in free with a paying adult, and in addition to the race they can sample free carnival games and a stunt show.   – Lina Fisher

Kingdom 3.0

Friday 13, Oilcan’s

Last month spelled the end for Friday happy-hour drag show Kingdom’s second incarnation with cast members Kino Kino and Selma Bawdy. In a post on his Instagram, host Alexander the Great gave an explanation for the change: “[We] are not immune to the economic downturn that’s affecting live entertainment as a whole ... support local entertainment, local venues, and local businesses, if you want to keep them.” A depressing reality of nightlife entertainment, yet the show goes on! For the next three Fridays, attendees can catch Alexander alongside cast members Brigitte Bandit and Iggy Bank for the limited-release Kingdom 3.0! Be there or be a lowly pauper...   – James Scott

The Third Man

Friday 13 - Thursday 19, AFS Cinema

Having bought tickets to a film noir, I wonder if audiences in 1949 laughed out loud when they first heard Anton Karas’ jaunty zither score. Sure, the Old World stringed instrument was geographically on point for a film set in post-World War II Vienna. (Director Carol Reed discovered Karas strumming away in a bar during the on-location shoot.) Still, it was a far cry from the moody, broody sound you’d expect to score a suspense about an American writer (Joseph Cotten) investigating the mysterious death of his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But if audiences laughed, they also clapped, and bought the bejesus out of the soundtrack. The perfect music for, yes, a perfect movie.   – Kimberley Jones

Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space

Friday 13 - Wednesday 18, AFS Cinema

How can I, a cool Kat on Earth, not love A Punk Cat in Space? Way back in 2003 around when it came out, the Japanese animation was a hit with our own Marc Savlov, who opened a four-star review by saying, “I’m tempted to call this the best film of the year so far based on its sheer originality alone, but my dog would never speak to me again.” It’s delightfully weird, telling a story of a kittycat in Tokyo who goes to outer space against her human mom’s wishes and happens upon the mysterious Planet Q. Tamala’s mostly black-and-white animation evokes the silent film era’s Felix the Cat in look and the Seventies’ Fritz the Cat in tone, and a new restoration ensures a high-quality viewing. In Japanese with English subtitles.   – Kat McNevins

First Light’s One-Year Block Party

Saturday 14, First Light Books

Since opening last August, First Light Books has become a Hyde Park destination for bibliophiles, coffee drinkers, and anyone in need of a good old-fashioned “third place” hang. One year (and almost one month) later, the shop celebrates its success with another community favorite: a block party. Free and all ages, running from 4pm past First Light’s usual 9pm closing time, the event promises live music, drinks from Rambler and St. Elmo Brewing, and food from All Day Pizza and Zee’s Wiener System. Who said you couldn’t be bookish and fun?   – Carys Anderson

Viva México 2024: A Celebration of Independence

Saturday 14, Oswaldo Cantu Pan Am Recreation Center

Seventeen years hosting this Mexican Independence Day celebration has made Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center an expert in throwin’ a party. Enjoy live mariachi music, folkloric dances, arts & crafts, and a signature Frida Friday ATX market on the hillside – plus many other activities and entertainment. Univision’s own Claudia Talamantez leads the festivities as master of ceremonies, with Mexican Consul Humberto Hernández Haddad performing the Grito de Independencia. Bring friends, family, and yourself out to what the event copy calls “an East Austin tradition that brings the Austin Latino (Latina/e/x) community together.”   – James Scott

Mooncake Fest 2024

Saturday 14, OMG Squee

To all who haven’t encountered the pure pleasure of an OMG Squee treat, this event may be the perfect time to try ’em out. The local bakery holds their third annual mid-autumn festival with offerings like free drinks, giveaways, and specials on their adorable mooncakes – made special just for the event. Feel free to also check out their maker’s market, curated by local artist Kaiju Cut and Sew, while enjoying a delicious taiyaki sundae. Just don’t drip any White Rabbit flavored soft-serve on the merch.   – James Scott

Harvest Moon Festival & AACC 24th Anniversary Celebration

Saturday 14, Asian American Cultural Center

While the full harvest moon doesn’t hit peak moon-capacity until Sept. 17, there’s more than just celestial happenings to celebrate this Saturday. Austin’s Asian American Cultural Center has provided, in their words, “the facilities, expertise and unique space for the sharing of culture between the East and the West in the American Experience” for 24 years. To honor that commitment, as well as the upcoming harvest moon, they’re hosting a night of music, authentic Asian dance performances, games, food, and a “Taste of Mooncake.”   – James Scott

Paper Dragon 3: Small Press Fair

Saturday 14, Cloud Tree Gallery

Every dragon has a different “hoard” it keeps within its cave. Some covet jewels & gems, while others salivate over mountains of gold. The scaled and smoking mascot of this small-press fair, however, has a more accessible obsession: print media. Come see this dragon’s hoard of zines, comics, booklets, and other paper arts for free with over 20 local vendors offering their DIY goods. And lucky you, the paper dragon’s pretty chill about letting you snatch up their hoard – unlike some fictional fire-breathers we won’t name in print. Dragons are surprisingly litigious.   – James Scott

Pecan Street Festival

Saturday 14 - Sunday 15, Sixth Street

Enough! I can no longer remain silent: The weird rabbit mascot for Pecan Street Fest creeps me out! He’s Poochie-coded, and I don’t like him. Thankfully, this annual Downtown fair offers much more than that harebrained specter. Families, friends, and the furry alike can enjoy entertainment within the bustling heart of our city like kiddie rides and local craft vendors. Live music sets the soundtrack while you browse vendors, featuring sets by the Fresh Kils Trio, Rococo Disco, Big Sky Collective, and many more. There’s even a petting zoo, although god willing the rabbit’s not there. Perhaps by then he’ll have returned to his home planet.   – James Scott

Blanton All Day: Keepin’ It Surreal

Sunday 15, Blanton Museum of Art

The Blanton is relaunching Second Saturdays with the new Blanton All Day series, with extended hours and alternating to Sundays when Texas Football has a Saturday home game. First up: Sunday’s celebration of brand-new exhibition “Long Live Surrealism! 1924–Today.” Activities include “Drawing to See” sketching, kid-friendly storytime and cardmaking, guided small tours called “Looking Together” that emphasize “making meaning in response to works of art,” live music, and more. After a full day ingesting art, purchase food and drink on-site, or bring your own, to cap the day with a picnic on the Blanton’s lovely grounds.   – Kimberley Jones

Pumpkin Spice & Abortion Rights

Sunday 15, Brew & Brew

In what seems like a play on “sugar and spice and everything nice,” Lilith Fund presents its fall fundraiser with promises of a raffle and live DJs along with food and drinks from the lovely Brew & Brew. One of the brews is coffee (try a churro latte with caramel, cinnamon sugar, and a mini churro) and the other is beer, meaning an excellent selection of craft brewskis. So grab a bev and a sandwich and hope your name gets called for the raffle as you network with fellow do-gooders raising funds for this org that provides vital access to reproductive health care, ever under threat across the nation, and especially so in Texas.   – Kat McNevins

Trans Femme Workout

Sunday 15, OutWellness

Getting fit and fabulous is all about tailoring a routine to specific needs – such as, IDK, looking c*nty as hell? OutWellness, who won a Best of Austin for their trans-masculine group workouts, hosts a class specifically for the dolls. Every week, interested parties can join this fitness community where the focus is on “building a feminine physique, increasing confidence, and celebrating your unique journey.” On their What to Expect list, OutWellness does make mention of “glute-enhancing” exercises, so I guess you should expect to develop an Elasti-Girl-sized caboose. Exciting stuff!   – James Scott

Run a Boat Sunday Supper Series

Sunday 15, Canje

Get to know Canje’s new chef de cuisine, Cleophus Hethington, through this family-style dining series that explores the distinct cuisines of the Caribbean islands. We’ll let Chef Ophus explain the concept: “‘Run a Boat’ is all about community – a Jamaican phrase for gathering to cook and share a meal, with everyone contributing.” Two seatings a night, with only 12 seats at the table, this intimate series highlights Guyana on Sept. 15 & 22; Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 29 & Oct. 6; Grenada on Oct. 13 & 20; Saint Vincent & the Grenadines on Oct. 27 & Nov. 3; Barbados on Nov. 10 & 17; and Saint Lucia on Nov. 24 & Dec. 1.   – Kimberley Jones

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Want to see all of our listings broken down by day? Go to austinchronicle.com/calendar and see what's happening now or in the coming week.