Things to do with other queer people in Austin, the kind you can become a regular at. Start with sports leagues, hiking and camping groups or drag shows. Can’t find your people? See how to start a group, or join the Community Circles interest list.
We couldn’t find a queer-only bike ride that runs every week in Austin right now. Queer Ride, the long-running one, has been on hiatus since August 2024. What Austin does have is a set of open social rides, most of them at night. Garrett, who wrote this guide, has ridden with two of these groups,…
Six Austin LGBTQ+ organizations say on their own sites that they want volunteers, and each one has a sign-up page. The jobs range from setting out chairs at a PFLAG meeting to tabling at health fairs for Kind Clinic. If you want a one-day commitment, Austin Pride in August is the easiest start, and its…
Austin has five bookstores with queer owners or a queer focus, and several free LGBTQ+ book clubs that meet every month. If you want one shop that stocks only queer books, go to The Little Gay Shop on East 12th. BookWoman on North Lamar has been at it for 50 years. For a free book…
Austin doesn’t have a queer bar that’s alcohol-free every night. What it has is a handful of queer groups that throw sober events, plus a sober bar and a sober social club that are open to everyone. If you’re looking for meetings rather than a night out, our LGBTQ+ recovery meetings guide covers the Austin…
We couldn’t find an LGBTQ+ fishing or hunting club in Austin, or anywhere in Central Texas. Other places have them, and a few take beginners online or for free. I haven’t fished since I was a young teenager, so this guide starts where I’d start: with what’s out there, what’s missing here, and how to…
Austin Pride happens in August, not June. The 2026 festival and parade were on Saturday, August 22: a daytime festival at Fiesta Gardens in East Austin, then a parade down Congress Avenue at 8 PM. The 2027 date isn’t out yet. The organizers post it on austinpride.org first. June still has plenty going on, including…
Hippie Hollow is a Travis County park on Lake Travis, and the county calls it “the only clothing optional public park in Texas.” You have to be 18 or older to get in. Entry is $8 per person, cash only, and the park is open every day from 9 AM to 7 PM. Queer Austinites…
Austin has LGBTQ+ leagues for volleyball, tennis, basketball, kickball, softball and running, and all six had a current season, schedule or open registration on their own sites in October 2026. Every one of them says beginners are welcome, and none of them starts at a bar. The Short List League Sport When Volleyball Austin Indoor…
You can see drag in Austin almost any night of the week. The easiest place to start is the free Saturday brunch on the Coconut Club rooftop. The 4th Street bars run weekly shows Thursday through Sunday, and on Tuesdays there’s a free drag game show on South Lamar. Times below come from each show’s…
Austin doesn’t have a lesbian bar right now. The group behind Austin’s weekly sapphic night says so itself: “Austin doesn’t have a standing one anymore. So we made our own.” Its version is a different bar every week. So the answer to “where’s the lesbian bar?” is a calendar. A weekly night moves from bar…