Everything worth knowing on the Austin honky-tonk scene. New rooms and old favorites, the bands worth driving for, festivals, dance happenings, and the stories behind the floors we love. We keep it short and link you to the full thing.
May 26, 2026
Giddy Ups Is Coming Back to South Austin
South Austin's "Biggest Little Stage" lost its lease in 2024 and went dark. After 441 days, it's reopening June 1st at 2pm, about two miles down the road at 10509 Old Manchaca Rd.
The new owners are people who actually loved the place. Anna Bosworth, who ran the floor as general manager at the old location, is taking over with longtime regulars Roy Antognini and Carissa Bunker. Antognini started going to Giddy Ups at 23. He's 50 now. "It was my second home," he told the Austin Chronicle.
The plan is a bigger footprint than the old room, an expanded outdoor area and space for a larger stage, while keeping the living-room feel that made Giddy Ups what it was. Live music, neighborhood crowd, no pretense.
Giddy Ups. 10509 Old Manchaca Rd, Austin, TX 78748. Reopening June 1, 2026 at 2pm. Live music and a new outdoor stage.
If you know the history, you know why this matters. Nancy Morgan tended bar there for two years, bought the place in 1996, and ran it like an extension of her own house. She brought Gregg Allman and W.C. Clark to that little stage and hosted years of community shows before she passed in 2023. Her son Michael kept it going until the lease fell through. This reopening picks up her vision.
Opening weekend kicks off June 1st. Watch their official channels for the lineup.
Sources: Austin Chronicle, Giddy Ups.
Texas Dance Festivals Through the Year
The recurring ones worth planning around, ordered through the year and tagged by what you'll dance. Most are built around real dance floors, not just a stage to watch. Dates shift a little year to year, so confirm before you drive. We lean toward the dance-hall and heritage festivals where the floor is the point, but the big ones are here too so you've got the whole map.
April
Honky-Tonk · Western Swing
Anhalt Western Roundup
Two nights of dancing at Anhalt Hall, the 1887 hall out near Spring Branch. Anhalt only opens its doors a handful of times a year, so this one is worth catching. 2390 Anhalt Rd.
May
Conjunto · Tejano
Tejano Conjunto Festival
San Antonio's long-running celebration of conjunto and Tejano, put on by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center at Rosedale Park. Accordion-driven, family-friendly, and a real dance crowd. May 14-17, 2026.
May
Polka · Czech
National Polka Festival
Ennis goes all in over Memorial Day weekend, three Czech fraternal halls (KJT, Sokol, and SPJST) with big wooden floors running polka, waltz, and folk dancing across the weekend, plus a parade and a King and Queen dance contest. One of the few festivals built entirely around halls you can actually dance in. May 22-24, 2026.
May
Polka · Small Town
Nordheim May Feast
Small-town Texas at its best. The Nordheim Shooting Club's annual feast runs a weekend of cook-offs and tractor pulls and caps Saturday night with a dance. May 15-17, 2026.
August
Polka · Czech
Praha Feast (Feast of the Assumption)
Every August 15, Czech families from across Central Texas gather in tiny Praha for Mass in the historic church, Czech food, and Texas Czech bands playing for dancing into the evening. A living tradition, not a production.
September
Polka · Czech
Westfest
Held every Labor Day weekend in West, Texas, since 1976. Authentic Czech music, polka dancing, and food at the West Fair and Rodeo grounds. A community-run festival, big but still rooted in the dance.
Fall
Polka · Sausage
South Texas Polka & Sausage Fest
Hallettsville's long-running polka and sausage festival, a Central Texas favorite for dancers who follow the Czech and German bands around the state. Check the date each year before you go.
November
German
Wurstfest
New Braunfels' ten-day German celebration in early November. It's a big one, sausage, beer, oompah bands, but there's real polka and waltz dancing if you come for the floor and not just the food.
November
Western Swing
Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Festival
Fort Worth honors the music that started it all, Western swing, at National Hall the first weekend of November. Live bands and a floor full of dancers who know the style. 3316 Roberts Cut Off Rd.
December
Fiddle · Mixed
Festival of Texas Fiddling
Twin Sisters Dance Hall in Blanco hosts a weekend of fiddling and dancing the first weekend of December: Western swing, honky-tonk, conjunto, polka, Cajun, and more, with dance lessons all weekend. The 1879 hall is worth the trip on its own. 6720 US-281.
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A new room opening, a favorite closing, a venue changing hands. If it matters to dancers, tell us and we'll chase it down.
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