Queer Things to Do in Austin Beyond the Bar Scene

You don’t have to go to a bar to find queer Austin. There’s a gay men’s chorus, an LGBTQ+ softball league, the oldest feminist bookstore in Texas, a queer film festival, and a trans and intersex art collective, and most of them have something on the calendar this fall.

Every group below was checked against its own website on October 13, 2026. Dates are what each one posted that day. Our How We Choose page explains the method.

The Short List

Activity	What it is	When
Softball Austin	LGBTQ+ softball league	Sunday games; Texas Hoedown Nov 7 to 8, 2026
BookWoman	Feminist bookstore with readings	Author talks and a book group
The Vortex	Theater and burlesque on Manor Road	Shows and burlesque on its calendar
Gender Unbound	Trans and intersex art events	Events through the year
Austin Gay Men’s Chorus	Chorus, with auditions and volunteers	No concert posted yet
aGLIFF	Austin’s LGBTQ+ film festival	Held each September
Austin Pride	Pride and year-round events	Held each August
Splash Days	Party weekends	Memorial Day and Labor Day

Play, Read, and Watch

Softball Austin

Softball Austin says it “offers a safe and inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community and allies to enjoy sports and softball.” The fall 2026 season plays Sunday mornings at 9 AM at Krieg Fields. On November 7 and 8, 2026, it hosts the Texas Hoedown, an LGBTQ+ tournament with 27 teams coming from around the country. The site has registration and a player FAQ for new players.

• More: Softball Austin
• More every week: our guide to queer Austin by day of the week
• Rather sit down than go out? Try a queer game night
• Want to laugh? Our guide to queer comedy shows in Austin
• A day on the lake: Hippie Hollow, the clothing-optional park on Lake Travis, 18 and up

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BookWoman

BookWoman calls itself “the oldest, queerest, feminist-est bookstore in Texas,” and it’s celebrating 50 years. Its events calendar has author talks and the BookWoman BookGroup. Next on it when we checked were the BookGroup on October 22 and a 50th anniversary Songfest at the Princeton Palace on October 25, 2026.

• Where: 5501 N Lamar Blvd, #A-105, Austin 78751. 512-472-2785
• More: BookWoman events
• Other shops and free book clubs: our guide to queer bookstores and book clubs

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The Vortex

The Vortex is a nonprofit theater on Manor Road in East Austin. Its mission page says, “We uphold that every person has a right to express their gender as they wish.” Its calendar lists plays and burlesque nights; the next one we saw was The Bloody Ball on October 24, 2026.

• Where: 2307 Manor Rd, Austin 78722. 512-478-5282
• More: The Vortex
• More on stage and screen: our guide to queer choirs, theater and film

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Gender Unbound

Gender Unbound has been “empowering trans and intersex artists since 2016.” It started as an art festival and now runs events through the year. In 2026 that included a Trans Day of Visibility art market and picnic in March and a Mini Art Fest in September. Next up is an Intersex Art Jam on Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 1 to 4 PM at Community Arts, with art supplies provided.

• More: Gender Unbound events

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Austin Gay Men’s Chorus

The chorus runs auditions and also takes non-singing volunteers for its performances. No concert was posted on its site when we checked, so join its email list for the next one. A documentary about the chorus’s trip to the GALA choral festival, This Is Texas, screened at aGLIFF in September.

• Phone: (512) 477-7464
• More: Austin Gay Men’s Chorus

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Once a Year

aGLIFF

aGLIFF calls itself “Austin’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival.” Its 2026 edition, The Big Queer Weekend, ran September 24 to 27 with films, music, local artists, and parties around town. Watch its site for next year’s dates.

• More: aGLIFF

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Austin Pride

Austin Pride is in August. The 2026 festival was on August 22. The volunteer-run Austin Pride Foundation also runs events through the year, including the Austin PRIDE Pageant and a Selena-themed drag brunch.

• More: Austin Pride

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Splash Days

Splash Days is a run of pool and dance parties on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. Its site had no events posted when we checked, so look for next spring’s lineup.

• More: Splash Days

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For Youth

OutYouth has served LGBTQIA+ young people in Central Texas since 1990, with programs, counseling, and resources for parents. OutYouth lists its current programs.

Outdoors and Shooting

For hiking, camping, and outdoor groups, see our guide to LGBTQ+ hiking and camping groups.

Austin Trigger Warning is a queer gun club with its own site. As far as we know, it hasn’t met regularly since the pandemic. If you’d like to be put in touch, write us through the contact page and we’ll pass your message along. Our guide to LGBTQ+ gun clubs and shooting in Austin covers other groups and ranges.

Want Something Smaller?

If a big event isn’t your speed, Community Circles are small peer groups starting in early 2027. Join the interest list on that page.

What We Couldn’t Check

We didn’t attend any of these events, so nothing here is a first-hand review. Dates change. Check each group’s site before you go. The old version of this page said Austin Trigger Warning offered firearm training, which isn’t current as far as we know.

Last checked: October 2026. Dates and details from each group’s own website, read October 13, 2026. See a mistake or know a group we should add? Use our contact page.