Bat Fest 2026 20th Anniversary Festival

Bat Fest 2026 returns to the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin for a 20th anniversary celebration that mixes live music, local color, and one of the city’s signature wildlife moments.

This is the kind of Austin festival that draws families in the afternoon, music fans into the evening, and plenty of neighbors who simply want a memorable night downtown. Between the kids’ zone, bat costume contest, arts and crafts vendors, food booths, and the nightly emergence of the Congress bridge bats, it checks a lot of boxes for anyone searching family events in Austin, festivals in Austin, or things to do in downtown Austin this weekend.

• Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
• Time: 3:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
• Location: Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, 100 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX
• Admission: General admission is $15 in advance, $25 day-of; VIP is $125; children 10 and under are free with an adult.
• Parking & transportation: Paid parking is available at the Embassy Suites garage, the Austin American-Statesman lot, the TXDOT lot, Palmer Events Center Garage, One Texas Center, and the Long Center; Austin B-cycle valet runs from 6:00 p.m. to midnight.
• Food & drink: Food and drink vendors, including sweets, barbecue, lemonade, empanadas, and festival fare, are part of the event.
• Weather plan: Rain or shine.

Festivalgoers should bring chairs if they want a more comfortable setup, keep bags light for quicker entry, and plan to arrive before dusk for the best chance to catch both the performances and the bat flight. It is a full afternoon and evening, so pacing the day helps.

For more community happenings and local events across Central Texas, readers can check My Neighborhood News for more community happenings.