City Cast Austin
🦇 Congress bat sculpture returns
June 27, 2025 · — Kelsey Bradshaw
😋 Happy Friday! Some barbecue news to get us going: Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood is now offering up an all-you-can-eat option for $29.95. Would you go for it?
What's CITY Talking About?
🏠 Abbott Signs Bill To Allow Work-From-Home
Gov. Greg Abbott has backtracked on his policy forcing state employees to work from the office, signing a bill into law this month that lets agencies decide their own remote work policies. [KUT]
🤔 Leaky Pipes, a Special Session, and a New SXSW
It’s been a big week in Austin: Gov. Greg Abbott announced a special session of the Texas Legislature, a new report found Austin is losing more than 9 billion gallons of water annually, and South by Southwest announced its makeover for 2026. Let’s get into it. [City Cast Austin 🎧]
🐝 Bumble Laying Off Hundreds
Austin-based dating app company Bumble Inc. is laying off 240 of its employees in a revamp effort. It’s not known how many of those employees work in Austin. [Austin Business Journal]
🦇 South Congress Bat Sculpture Is Back
Just in time for peak bat-watching season, “Nightwing” has returned to South Congress Avenue. The spinning bat sculpture is back at its post outside the YETI flagship store after it was taken down for restoration work in March. [Downtown Austin Alliance]
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Howdy, Austin. If you're in the market for new boots, come on by your neighborhood Tecovas Store on South Congress, at the Domain, and now north of Austin in Georgetown. Stop by, grab a cold one, and shop for a new pair of boots. Don't Go Gently, y'all!
What To Do
Friday, June 27
- 🔥 Austin Firefighters Relief & Outreach Fund Benefit Concert at Meanwhile Brewing Co. | McKinney
- 🎥 Kids Make and Watch: “Inside Out” at Austin Public Library Central Library | Downtown Austin
- 🐟 Phish at the Moody Center | UT Campus
- 🎊 Arty Party at Laguna Gloria | Tarrytown
- 👑 “Glee” Drag Tribute Show at Cheer Up Charlie’s | Downtown Austin
- ⭐ Music Under the Star: Ian Moore with Brodie Lane at Bullock Texas State History Museum | Downtown Austin
- 🎬 Austin Asian American Film Festival at Austin Film Society | St. Johns
- 🌈 SXSW “Y’all Means All” Pride Showcase at Cuatro Gato | Downtown Austin
Saturday, June 28
- 🦇 Bats 101 at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | Circle C Ranch
- 🌈 Pride Picnic at Pease Park | Old Enfield
- 🎤 Historias of Resilience: A Personal Essay Reading at Red Salmon Arts | Montopolis
- 🤠 BRONCO: PARD'NER Two-Step Workshop & Queer Tea Dance at Sagebrush | South Austin
- 🎥 “All About Eve” at Paramount Theatre | Downtown Austin
- 🎶 Blue October at Moody Amphitheater | Downtown Austin
- 🐟 Phish at the Moody Center | UT Campus
- 🫶 Community Pride Day at Austin Creative Reuse | Windsor Park
- 🦖 Dinosaur Day at Texas Science & Natural History Museum | UT Campus
- 🎬 Austin Asian American Film Festival at Austin Film Society | St. Johns
Sunday, June 29
- 🎥 “Jumanji” at Paramount Theatre | Downtown Austin
- 🩰 Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at the Long Center | Bouldin Creek
- 🎶 Hartman Foundation Concerts in the Park at the Long Center | Bouldin Creek
- 📚 Latinas & Libros: “Malas” at BookPeople | Downtown Austin
- 🎬 Austin Asian American Film Festival at Austin Film Society | St. Johns
- 🎤 Betty Who at Mohawk Austin | Downtown Austin
👋 Have a great weekend! I’m off to Houston to see Beyoncé!!!
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