This is the last big weekend of Austin summer 2026. Summer Stock Austin closes its run with the final performances of both Disney’s Newsies and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at UT’s McCullough Theatre and Bass Concert Hall. The Cedar Park Pro Rodeo brings two nights of genuine Texas rodeo action to the H-E-B Center. Free live music plays on Lake Travis Friday evening at Beachside Billy’s. The Zilker Summer Musical wraps its final week of Singin’ in the Rain under the stars at Zilker Hillside Theater. The Drop-In Summer Concert Series plays its final Thursday on the Long Center lawn. And Lake Travis is at peak summer perfection for the last big outdoor adventure weekend of the season. Here is everything worth doing from Thursday through Sunday.
Quick Answer — Best Things to Do in Austin This Weekend August 7 to 9
This weekend in Austin is headlined by Lake Travis Zipline Adventures for the best outdoor experience of the weekend, Summer Stock Austin’s closing weekend of Disney’s Newsies at Bass Concert Hall through August 9, Summer Stock Austin’s closing weekend of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at McCullough Theatre through August 9, the Cedar Park Pro Rodeo at the H-E-B Center on Friday August 7 and Saturday August 8 at 7:30 PM, free live music on Lake Travis from Raul Ochoa at Beachside Billy’s on Friday at 6:30 PM, the final Drop-In Summer Concert Series at the Long Center on Thursday (free), the Zilker Summer Musical Singin’ in the Rain final week at Zilker Hillside Theater (free), the Paramount Summer Classic Film Series through September 7, and Movies on the Lake at Mozart’s Coffee on Thursday. Here is the complete breakdown.
#1 Best Thing to Do in Austin This Weekend — Lake Travis Zipline Adventures
Before the rodeo and the musicals and the free concerts. Before all of it. Book this first.
Lake Travis Zipline Adventures is the single best thing to do in Austin this weekend and the most memorable outdoor experience the city offers on any summer weekend. This is the last major summer weekend on Lake Travis before the fall calendar takes over and the lake begins shifting toward its most beautiful fall season.
As someone who has guided zipline tours on Lake Travis, I can tell you that late August afternoons on Zip Island are genuinely extraordinary. The lake is warm and clear, the Hill Country air starts carrying the first hints of the season turning, and the view from 22 stories up looking out across the water is as good as it gets.
Your group boards a boat that takes everyone across Lake Travis to Zip Island, a private island in the middle of the lake about 20 to 30 minutes from downtown Austin. Three hours on five world-class ziplines through the Texas Hill Country follow, including the Double Barrel Shotgun, which sends two people side by side over 2,800 feet of cable at speeds up to 65 mph from 22 stories above Lake Travis. After the tour your ticket includes full-day access to the private lakefront property on Zip Island. Jump off the dock into Lake Travis. Relax in hammocks. Enjoy the last great summer afternoon on the lake before the fall season begins.
The Details
- 5-Line Zipline Tour: $138/person, includes full-day access to the private lakefront property on Zip Island
- Double Barrel Single-Line Tour: $88/person
- Duration: 3 hours for the full tour plus full-day lakefront access after
- Location: About 20 to 30 minutes from downtown Austin on Lake Travis
- Best For: Groups, couples, families, all experience levels
- Reservations: Required at laketraviszipline.com
Pro Tip: Afternoon slots fill up fast on summer weekends. Book your afternoon tour now at laketraviszipline.com before the weekend sells out.
Book Lake Travis Zipline Adventures before your spot sells out.
Thursday, August 6 — The Final Drop-In Summer Concert Series at the Long Center (FREE)
98.9 KUTX and the Long Center’s free weekly summer concert series plays its final Thursday performance on the Long Center lawn on August 13. This Thursday August 6 is one of the final installments of one of Austin’s most beloved summer traditions. The Long Center lawn on a warm August evening with the Austin skyline behind the stage is one of the most beautiful free concert settings in the city. Check thelongcenter.org for this week’s artist and time. Do512
The Details
- When: Thursday August 6, check thelongcenter.org for lineup and time
- Where: Long Center for the Performing Arts lawn, 701 W Riverside Dr, Austin TX 78704
- Cost: Free
- Best For: Music lovers, families, the best free Thursday evening in Austin
Thursday, August 6 — Movies on the Lake at Mozart’s Coffee
Mozart’s Coffee Roasters on Lake Austin and Lake Austin Calm host Movies on the Lake every Thursday at 8:30 PM. A massive screen is set up right on the water. Watch for free from the deck or rent a paddleboard, donut boat, or two-person lounge float and watch from the lake itself. Live music plays before the film and a pop-up bar runs throughout the evening.
Having spent 30 years in Austin, Movies on the Lake is one of those summer Thursday traditions that defines what this city does best. A warm August night on Lake Austin with a film on the water is exactly what the end of Austin summer is supposed to feel like.
The Details
- When: Thursday August 6, live music before 8:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM
- Where: Mozart’s Coffee Roasters, 3825 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin TX 78703
- Cost: Free deck seating with RSVP, paddleboard rentals $20, two-person lounge float $30, donut boat $150
- Water Rentals: lakeaustincalm.com
Pro Tip: Water rentals sell out every week. Book now at lakeaustincalm.com.
Thursday through Sunday — Zilker Summer Musical: Singin’ in the Rain — Final Week (FREE)
The Zilker Summer Musical’s free production of Singin’ in the Rain at the Zilker Hillside Theater runs Thursdays through Sundays through August 15, beginning around 8:15 PM. Do512
This is the final full weekend of the Zilker Summer Musical 2026. Singin’ in the Rain at Zilker Hillside Theater closes its run on August 15 and this weekend offers some of the final chances to catch one of Austin’s most beloved summer traditions completely free under the Texas night sky. Pack a blanket, bring a picnic, arrive early, and enjoy it while you can.
The Details
- When: Thursday August 6 through Sunday August 9, 8:15 PM nightly
- Where: Zilker Hillside Theater, 2206 William Barton Dr, Austin TX 78746
- Cost: Free, donations welcome
- Best For: Families, date nights, anyone who wants a final magical free outdoor Austin summer evening
Pro Tip: This is one of the last weekends. Arrive by 7 PM to claim a good spot on the hillside. Bring a blanket and make the most of it before summer ends.
Friday, August 7 — Free Live Music on Lake Travis at Beachside Billy’s
Free live music from Raul Ochoa plays at Beachside Billy’s and Volente Beach on Lake Travis on Friday August 7 at 6:30 PM. Beachside Billy’s on the north shore of Lake Travis is one of the best lakeside music venues in the Austin area and free live music on a Friday evening with Lake Travis as the backdrop is genuinely one of those experiences that reminds you exactly why living near the lake matters. Combine it with a late afternoon at Lake Travis Zipline Adventures for the most complete Lake Travis Friday imaginable.
The Details
- When: Friday August 7, 6:30 PM
- Where: Beachside Billy’s and Volente Beach, 16107 FM 2769, Volente TX 78641
- Cost: Free live music
- Website: beachsidebillys.com
- Best For: Lake Travis locals and visitors, anyone who wants free live music with a lakeside view on a Friday evening
Friday August 7 and Saturday August 8 — Cedar Park Pro Rodeo at the H-E-B Center
The Cedar Park Pro Rodeo runs Friday August 7 and Saturday August 8 at 7:30 PM at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The A-Line Rides Away Series event is sanctioned by the CPRA and UPRA with $11,550 added day money offered. Austinchronicle
The Cedar Park Pro Rodeo at the H-E-B Center is a genuine professional rodeo with barrel racing, bronc riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, and team roping by professional cowboys and cowgirls competing for real prize money. Two nights of professional rodeo action at one of the best mid-size entertainment venues in the Austin area makes it the most authentically Texas event of the entire weekend. It is the kind of experience that visitors from outside Texas consistently describe as one of the most genuinely memorable things they did in the Austin area.
The Details
- When: Friday August 7 at 7:30 PM and Saturday August 8 at 7:30 PM
- Where: H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, 2100 Avenue of the Stars, Cedar Park TX 78613
- Tickets: Available at hebcenteratcedarpark.com
- Best For: Families, Texas culture enthusiasts, anyone who wants the most authentically Texas event of the weekend
Friday through Sunday — Summer Stock Austin Closing Weekend: Disney’s Newsies at Bass Concert Hall
Disney’s Newsies is a bold, exhilarating musical about young people discovering the power they hold when they stand together. Based on the true story of the 1899 Newsboys Strike, it features a score by Alan Menken with lyrics by Jack Feldman and a book by Harvey Fierstein. The production runs at McCullough Theatre through August 9. NowPlayingAustin
Summer Stock Austin’s production of Disney’s Newsies is one of the most genuinely exciting and most energetically performed musicals Austin produces all summer. This is the closing weekend and the final chance to see it. The combination of Alan Menken’s extraordinary score, the acrobatic choreography, and the passionate young cast makes it consistently one of the most talked-about Summer Stock Austin productions of the season. This is the one to see before it closes Sunday August 9.
The Details
- When: Friday August 7 through Sunday August 9, performances at 7:30 PM
- Where: Bass Concert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Dr, Austin TX 78712
- Cost: From $26.40, rush tickets available one hour before performance
- Website: texasperformingarts.org
- Best For: Families, musical theater fans, anyone who wants the best family musical theater experience in Austin before it closes
Friday through Sunday — Summer Stock Austin Closing Weekend: Cinderella at McCullough Theatre
A fresh and vibrant reimagining of the classic fairy tale, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella Enchanted Edition draws inspiration from the beloved 1997 musical starring Brandy and Whitney Houston. In a world of romance, magic, and possibility, Cinderella learns that she is not waiting for life to happen to her — she has the power to shape it herself. Utexas
Cinderella Enchanted Edition is Summer Stock Austin’s most family-friendly production this season and this is its closing weekend. The production celebrates courage, hope, and the belief that dreams are only the beginning. Sensory-friendly and ASL-interpreted performances have already run this season and the closing weekend performances are the last chance to catch this genuinely beautiful production before the summer ends.
The Details
- When: Friday August 7 through Sunday August 9, performances at 6:00 PM
- Where: McCullough Theatre, UT Austin campus, Austin TX
- Cost: From $26.40, rush tickets available one hour before performance
- Website: texasperformingarts.org
- Best For: Families with young children, fans of the 1997 Brandy and Whitney Houston version, a genuinely magical closing weekend production
Saturday, August 8 — Lake Travis Zipline Adventures
Saturday afternoon is the anchor of this weekend. Lake Travis Zipline Adventures is the best outdoor experience of the last big summer weekend in Austin. Book your afternoon tour now at laketraviszipline.com. Then head to the Cedar Park Pro Rodeo Saturday evening for the most Texas combination a single Austin day can produce.
All Weekend — Paramount Summer Classic Film Series
The Paramount Summer Classic Film Series continues through September 7 at the Paramount Theatre on Congress Avenue. Do512
The Paramount Summer Classic Film Series runs through September 7 and this weekend offers another installment of one of Austin’s most beloved summer film traditions. Seeing a classic film on the big screen in the beautifully restored 1915 Paramount Theatre on a summer evening is one of those purely Austin experiences that rewards every visit. Check austintheatre.org for this weekend’s film and showtimes.
The Details
- When: Through September 7, 2026, regular showtimes
- Where: Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave, Austin TX 78701
- Website: austintheatre.org
- Best For: Film lovers, couples, date nights
All Weekend — The Austin Essentials
After 30 years in Austin, these are the experiences I still recommend at the end of every summer.
Barton Springs Pool stays at 68 degrees year round. August heat makes a midday swim here the most essential Austin activity of the weekend. Entry is under $10 and free before 8 AM.
The Congress Avenue Bridge bat colony emerges at sunset every evening through October. Check batrefuge.org for nightly emergence times. The colony is at peak numbers in early August, making this one of the best weeks of the entire year to watch the emergence.
Sisters Sno Shack at 8012 Mesa Dr is the best snow cone stop in Austin. Open Saturday noon to 8 PM and Sunday 1 to 6 PM. A post-lake shaved ice on the last big summer weekend is mandatory.
The Perfect Austin Weekend — August 7 to 9
Here is how to put the full weekend together.
Thursday Evening: Drop-In Summer Concert Series at the Long Center lawn (free) for one of the final Thursday concerts of the season. Then Movies on the Lake at Mozart’s Coffee on Lake Austin at 8:30 PM. Book your paddleboard at lakeaustincalm.com now. Then Zilker Summer Musical Singin’ in the Rain at 8:15 PM (free) if you want an early evening before the film.
Friday: Barton Springs Pool early before the heat peaks. Then Summer Stock Austin Newsies at Bass Concert Hall at 7:30 PM or Summer Stock Austin Cinderella at McCullough Theatre at 6 PM. Free live music from Raul Ochoa at Beachside Billy’s on Lake Travis at 6:30 PM is the best alternative for anyone who wants a lakeside Friday evening. Then Zilker Summer Musical at 8:15 PM (free).
Saturday: Lake Travis Zipline Adventures in the afternoon. Book your afternoon tour now at laketraviszipline.com. Then Sisters Sno Shack post-lake. Then Cedar Park Pro Rodeo at the H-E-B Center at 7:30 PM for the most Texas Saturday night of the summer. Zilker Summer Musical at 8:15 PM (free) if the rodeo is not your speed.
Sunday: Final performances of Summer Stock Austin Newsies and Summer Stock Austin Cinderella — catch both or one before they close for the season. Congress Avenue Bridge bats at sunset to close out the last big summer weekend in Austin.
Frequently Asked Questions — Things to Do in Austin This Weekend
What is happening in Austin this weekend August 7 to 9 2026?
This weekend in Austin features the closing weekend of Summer Stock Austin’s Disney’s Newsies at Bass Concert Hall and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at McCullough Theatre through August 9, the Cedar Park Pro Rodeo at the H-E-B Center on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM, free live music from Raul Ochoa at Beachside Billy’s on Lake Travis Friday at 6:30 PM, the final Drop-In Summer Concert Series at the Long Center on Thursday (free), the Zilker Summer Musical Singin’ in the Rain final week at Zilker Hillside Theater (free), and the Paramount Summer Classic Film Series continuing through September 7. Lake Travis Zipline Adventures is the best outdoor activity of the weekend.
What is the best thing to do in Austin this weekend?
The best thing to do in Austin this weekend is Lake Travis Zipline Adventures. You board a boat to a private island on Lake Travis about 20 to 30 minutes from downtown Austin and spend three hours on five world-class ziplines including the Double Barrel Shotgun at speeds up to 65 mph from 22 stories above the lake. After the tour your group gets full-day access to the private lakefront property. Tickets start at $88 per person. Afternoon slots are available now at laketraviszipline.com.
What is Summer Stock Austin 2026?
Summer Stock Austin 2026 presents live performances at the McCullough Theatre beginning July 23 through August 9, 2026. The 2026 lineup includes family friendly theatre with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella Enchanted Edition and Disney’s Newsies: The Musical. Both productions close this weekend on August 9. Tickets from $26.40 at texasperformingarts.org. Texas Performing Arts
What is the Cedar Park Pro Rodeo?
The Cedar Park Pro Rodeo runs Friday August 7 and Saturday August 8 at 7:30 PM at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park as part of the A-Line Rides Away Series, sanctioned by the CPRA and UPRA with $11,550 added day money. It is a genuine professional rodeo with barrel racing, bronc riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, and team roping by professional cowboys competing for real prize money. Austinchronicle
What is Movies on the Lake at Mozart’s Coffee?
Movies on the Lake is a community movie night hosted every Thursday on Lake Austin by Mozart’s Coffee Roasters and Lake Austin Calm at 8:30 PM. Deck seating is free with an RSVP. You can also watch from the water by renting a paddleboard for $20, a two-person lounge float for $30, or a donut boat for $150. Book water rentals now at lakeaustincalm.com before they sell out.
Make the Most of the Last Big Summer Weekend in Austin
Austin summer 2026 is going out with a genuinely strong final weekend. Two beloved musical theater closings at UT campus venues. A professional rodeo at the H-E-B Center. Free live music on Lake Travis Friday evening. The Zilker Summer Musical in its final week. And the most beautiful lake afternoon of the entire summer waiting for you Saturday afternoon on Lake Travis.
Start by locking in your outdoor adventure. Book Lake Travis Zipline Adventures now at laketraviszipline.com and secure your afternoon slot before the weekend sells out. Then RSVP for Movies on the Lake at lakeaustincalm.com for Thursday night.
For more Austin inspiration check out our guides to the Best Things to Do in Austin TX, the Best Summer Activities in Austin with Families, and Best Things to Do on Lake Travis.