We’ve got a ton of stuff coming up.

• Sunday, February 19 – Spare the Rock Live at the Academy of Music, part of Four Sundays in February!  We’re super excited to return to our original home of Northampton, Massachusetts, to do record an episode of the show live.  We’ll have Dan Zanes, Lloyd H. Miller of the Deedle Deedle Dees, The Stuntmen, Lord Russ, Abbie Morin, Katie Ha Ha Ha, Henning Ohlenbusch doing songs of Turkey Anders, Calvin the Really Big Puppet, a Yo Yo champion, the SHOW Circus Kids, and much more.  We’ll be celebrating the legacy of David Bowie, LGBTQ youth, and more.  Details and tickets at NorthamptonArtsCouncil.org.
• Wednesday, March 15 through Saturday, March 18 – we’ll have a Spare the Rock Stage at KUTX Live at the Four Seasons…some amazing acts on our stage and on the main stage; we’ll announce more soon.
• Wednesday, March 15 (rain date March 16) – Family Music Meltdown at Pan Am Park, Austin, Texas (during SXSW).  We’ll have sets from Red Yarn, The Deedle Deedle Dees, Ralph’s World, Riders Against the Storm, Strumero, and El Tule…and more!  Free!
• Friday, March 17 – Willie Is For Everyone at Scottish Rite Theater.  The lineup for this Willie Nelson tribute is still getting set, but it’ll include Little Miss Ann, the Barton Hills Choir with very special guest Ray Benson, Ralph’s World, Red Yarn, The Que Pastas, Beth Chrisman, Suzanna Choffel, Sugar Free Allstars, Rockaroni & Cheese, Lucky Diaz, and the Deedle Deedle Dees….and more TBA.  Proceeds to benefit the Scottish Rite Theater’s renovations.
• Saturday, March 18 – Rock & Read at the Domain.  Finalizing the lineup for this too, but it’ll include Riders Against the Storm, Lucky Diaz, the Deedle Deedle Dees, Little Miss Ann, and Sugar Free Allstars.  Free!
• Saturday, March 25 – The River’s Family Music Meltdown & Book Bash at Smith Voke in Northampton, Massachusetts.  What a lineup, both for authors and music.  Jeff Kinney, Mister G, Expandable Brass Band, Stacey Peasley Band, Tom Knight, The Deedle Deedle Dees, Keith Munslow, and much more.  Details at RiverMeltdown.com!  Free!

We are super excited to be partnering up with LiveMom.com as part of the Austin Summer Fun Checklist.  Here’s how to have fun this summer — most importantly, come dance with Koo Koo Kanga Roo this saturday!

1. Print the 2016 Austin Summer Fun Checklist for Kids or pick up a copy of Austin Family Magazine and tear out the Checklist.

OR

Come to the Summer Fun Launch Party on June 4th, from 9 am to noon, at Whole Foods Market Lamar to pick up a copy of the checklist. Koo Koo Kanga Roo will perform at 10am and there will be free breakfast tacos from Hat Creek Burger Co., free KIND Bars and Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee, activities and prizes! Tickets are just $5 for adults, free for kids with all proceeds benefiting Whole Kids Foundation.

2. Pick an activity or two or three to do.

3. Do activity.

4. Check it off the list.

5. Once you’ve done at least three activities on the checklist, you can earn prizes for even more Summer Fun!

6. Upload photos of you and your kids doing activities on the Summer Fun Checklist for a chance to win prizes including a two-night stay at Omni Barton Creek, Chaparral Ice Skating Passes, free museum admission to the Bullock Museum, season passes to Hawaiian Falls, Terra Toys gift certificates, and free admission to the Hill Country Science Mill. Use #AustinSummerFun as the hashtag. Read more details about the weekly prize giveaways here.

We’ve mapped out all of the details for the activities on the 2016 Summer Fun Checklist for Kids in the 2016 Summer Fun Guide. Read about the different activities and events, including details on places to visit on your day trips, event dates to save on your calendar.

Check back here all summer long for more in-depth articles about our 2016 sponsors and activities.

Anytime Fun Includes:

• Slide Down a Water Slide
• Dig in the Sand
• Take a Break from the Hear at Chaparral Ice
• Find Art in Public Places
• Watch the Bats Emerge at Dusk
• Play a New Board Game
• Rock Climb
• Listen to Live Music
• Star Gaze
• Jump on a Trampoline at Springfree Trampoline
• Take a Hike or Ride a Bike
• Drink a Milkshake
• Explore Science at the Hill Country Science Mill
• Go Rollerskating or Skateboarding
• Ride a Train
• Go Bowling
• Play Indoors at Catch Air
• Visit a Farmer’s Market
• Dive Into a Swimming Pool
• Romp in a Splash Pad
• Catch a Flick
• Take a Picture in Front of a Mural
• Kayak/Canoe/Paddle on your Favorite Waterway
• Go Caving
• Play Putt-Putt Golf
• Sip a Smoothie
• Play at a Park
• Visit an Austin Museum

Or you can go to a few awesome Austin events this summer including:

• Second Saturdays Are for Families at The Contemporary Austin
• Mr. Will at Whole Foods Market, Bee Cave
• Unplugged at the Grove
• Children’s Day Art Park
• Blues on the Green
• Shrek the Musical at Zilker Hillside Theater
• Live Music Sundays at Whole Foods Market, Domain
• Summer Free Family Film Series at the Bullock Museum
• Summer Fun Launch party at Whole Foods Market, Lamar
• Pollyanna Theatre’s Cowboy in the Kitchen
• Taste North Austin at The Domain
• Family Eldercare’s Summer Fan Drive
• Juneteenth Celebration
• Pollyanna Theatre’s Trouble on the Double
• 4th of July Fireworks
• Back to School Bash at Creative Action
• Austin Summer Musical’s Big Bad Musical

How about a day trip to explore other places that are still close to home?

• Johnson City
• Waco
• Wimberley
• San Marcos
• New Braunfels
• Fredericksburg
• LaGrange
• Cedar Creek
• Texas State Parks Close to Austin

I hope to gather the energy to do a full SXSW wrap-up post soon, because it was seriously one of the most amazing musical weeks I’ve had, but I wanted to quick get the videos from our Bowie tribute, presented with the Scottish Rite Theater and LiveMom.com, up soon.  Here’s the whole playlist, and you really should watch it all because the performances were so very wonderful:

Win a VIP bag for your family at the 3rd Annual Family Music Meltdown happening at Pan Am Park on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 from 3-7 pm.

This very special annual music event is a favorite with Austin families! Now in its third year, Family Music Meltdown won’t disappoint with an amazing lineup, including TWO Latin Grammy winners (Mister G and Lucky Diaz) along with the 2015 Austin Chronicle Musician of the Year, Gina Chavez!

• Strumero
• Gina Chavez
• Red Yarn
• Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band
• Sugar Free Allstars
• Mister G
• The Deedle Deedle Dees
• El Tule

Activities include:

• Hands-on science activities with the Thinkery
• Trampolines courtesy of Springfree Trampoline
• Austin Humane Society will be doing crafts with the kids (and they’ll be bringing some dogs who are adoptable)
• Craft stations

Food and drinks will be available from Emoji’s Grilled Cheese Rosarito’s Food Truck and Uncle Louie G’s. Blankets, picnics, and lawn chairs are welcome!

What: Family Music Meltdown

When: Wednesday, March 16, from 3 – 7 pm

Where: Pan Am Park’s Hillside Theater, 2100 E. Third Street, Austin

Cost: FREE!

Register to win a VIP bag stocked with swag and snacks!

Gather your friends and family on Sunday, March 20, 2016 for Rock + Read, a free book and music fest happening at the Domain.

Get out and enjoy one last hurrah of Spring Break / SXSW 2016 with this fun book and music fest! Both kids and adults will enjoy the great lineup of musicians. In between sets, BookPeople will be on-hand in the storytime tent with an amazing lineup of local authors who will be reading stories from their books, doing activities with the kids, and signing books. This event is FREE and open to the public.

The Music Lineup:

• Lucky Diaz & the Family Jam Band
• Mister G
• The Que Pastas
• Big Don
• The Not-Its!
• Red Yarn
• The Deedle Deedle Dees

Local Author Lineup:

• Rob Harrell, Life of Zarf: The Troll Who Cried Wolf
• Dianna Hutts Aston, An Egg Is Quiet
• Don Tate, The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton
• Chris Barton, Mighty Truck
• Emma Virján, What This Story Needs Is a Hush and a Shush

In addition to the live music and storytime tent, there will be Easter crafts for the kids, jumping on one of the Springfree Trampolines that will be set up throughout the Domain II, and local vendors!

Thanks to our sponsors, The Domain, Austin Diagnostic Clinic and Springfree Trampoline, for making this event possible.

When: Sunday, March 20, 2016

Time: 1 – 5:30 pm

Where: 3220 Amy Donovan Plaza, The Domain, Austin

Cost: FREE!

We’ve got three full-on showcases coming up during South by Southwest this year, plus we’ll present a couple of bands (Red Yarn and David Wax Museum) during KUTX’s Wednesday morning show at the Four Seasons.  Every show is free, no badge required.

Family Music Meltdown

Wednesday, March 16 • 3 – 7 pm (rain date Thursday)

Pan Am Park’s Hillside Theater, 2100 E. Third Street, Austin

Confirmed Acts:

• Strumero
• Gina Chavez
• Red Yarn
• Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band
• Sugar Free Allstars
• Mister G
• The Deedle Deedle Dees
• El Tule

Yes, by the way, we’ve got two Latin Grammy winners on one bill (Mister G and Lucky Diaz), along with the 2015 Austin Chronicle Musician of the Year (Gina Chavez)!  That’s crazy great.  We’ll also have science activities, trampolines courtesy of sponsors Springfree, and much more!

All The Children Boogie: A Family-Friendly Tribute to David Bowie

Friday, March 18 • 11 am – 4:30 pm • an LMNO Show

Austin Scottish Rite Theater

• Bad Luck Jonathan (Jon Langford + Band)
• Riders Against the Storm
• David Wax Museum
• Nakia
• The Deedle Deedle Dees with Red Yarn
• Joe McDermott
• The Barton Hills Choir with Charlie Sexton
• Rockaroni & Cheese
• Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band
• Groundwork Music Orchestra
• The Pop Ups

Rock & Read

Sunday, March 20 • 1 – 5:30 pm

The Domain • Austin

Confirmed acts:

• Lucky Diaz & the Family Jam Band
• Mister G
• The Que Pastas (CD release show!)
• Big Don
• The Not-Its!
• Red Yarn
• The Deedle Deedle Dees

We’ll also have a series of authors doing story time, thanks to amazing book store Book People!

Mark your calendars, friends, ’cause this is going to be great.  And it’s all free!