6 Best Performing Arts Venues in South Austin and South Congress District, Austin

The original Drafthouse location in downtown Austin may have permanently closed, but the locally grown cult movie theater–turned–national chain still operates other locations around town that remain must-visits for movie lovers. A Drafthouse movie is always an experience, whether you pregame with some karaoke at the attached Highball bar and lounge or attend a themed sing-a-long screening in full costume with friends. Expect new releases, cult classics, and loads of seasonal and special event screenings, all paired with a full food and drink menu served in-theater.

Austin's first professional opera company has been putting on multiple mainstage productions a year for 35 seasons and counting. Voted “Opera Company of the Year” for 2020 in a national BroadwayWorld.com poll, the company combines international stars with extraordinary local talents. Performances are hosted at the Long Center.

Eight classical concerts, four pops concerts, a holiday-favorite performance, a children's Halloween presentation, and many free events are performed by the Austin Symphony, Austin's oldest performing arts organization, throughout the year. Performances are held at the Long Center.

You’ll want to visit the Long Center as much for what’s happening inside as for its ultramodern exterior and unbeatable views of the downtown skyline. The lakefront performance venue and community gathering place is home to a range of live performances throughout the year, including lyric operas, ballets, rock concerts, and many of Austin’s prime foodie and outdoor festival events, from the Austin Food + Wine Festival to SXSW. Food trucks, pop-up art installations, and a wide variety of free special events are also hosted on the city terrace.

The performing arts scene is alive and well in Austin thanks in part to this expansive venue along the shores of Lady Bird Lake. The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts (to use it's full name—it's generally shortened to the Long Center), plays host to a wide variety of performing arts groups and touring national and international acts like the Vienna Boys Choir, Burt Bacharach, and Blue Man Group. It also serves as the permanent home to Austin Lyric Opera, and the Austin Symphony Orchestra. In addition, the center houses a wing for community arts education programs.

One of the city's most vibrant and innovative theaters, this expansive multistage complex hosts a number of theatrical performances, intimate celebrity talks, and special events year-round. An integral part of the Austin community for more than 90 years, ZACH also serves the local arts community with a year-round season of shows, theater camps, and educational activities.