Forget SXSW and Austin City Limits: If there’s one festival that sums up the artistic and cultural vibe of the live music community, it’s Art Outside. Taking place Oct. 24-27 in Apache Pass, about an hour from Austin, Texas, the annual three-day event has become a microcosm of the artists, performers and eclectic community perpetuating Austin’s nickname as “live music capital of the world.”
Where music festival lineup announcements have become increasingly predictable, this month’s Art Outside has managed to carefully curate a unique musical bill that complements – yet never overshadows – what’s arguably the event’s true headliner: the art, as well as the progressive community that supports it.
Now in its tenth year, the Texas festival is the last of its kind for the season; think of it as your last opportunity to camp amidst the music before festival season goes into hibernation for winter. A full sensory experience for grown-ups, Art Outside is a big kid playground of interactive installations, acrobatic performances, meditation and aromatherapy seminars, wire-wrapping workshops, a tea lounge and more.
A thoughtfully curated musical variety ranging from funk (The Motet, Marco Benevento) and live electronica (Conspirator, Papadosio) to glitch hop and downtempo (Emancipator, Blue Sky Black Death), the festival offers a balance of DJs and bands that will satiate even the pickiest musical appetites. Despite such diversity, one common thread among many of the artists booked to perform – like David Sugalski of The Polish Ambassador/Wildlight and Nahko and Medicine for the People – hold and promote many of the ideals valued by the AO community: Environmental awareness, inner spirituality, wellness and sustainability, to name a few.
Although perhaps lacking a massive headliner to guarantee ticket sales, the festival has maintained the intimate, homegrown vibe that’s made it a local favorite over the last decade – and attendees seem to prefer it that way. It’s this sort of quality control allows the focus to remain on art of all forms, and gives attendees an opportunity to enjoy the intimacy in addition to exploring other hidden gems of the festival, like the art gallery, wellness workshops and educational seminars.
Art Outside takes place Oct. 24-27 in the small town of Rockdale, TX. Chartered bus options to and from Austin allow city dwellers and daily Art Outsiders to safely come and go as they please. (For out-of-towners, there’s even a bus coming from Colorado). You can find all of this information, including tickets, here.
Check out some videos from last year’s Art Outside below: