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Events

Old Pecan Street Spring Arts Festival

It is said everything is bigger in Texas, and it is hard to imagine a bigger or better arts and crafts street fair than the one that takes place in Austin's Sixth Street (originally named Pecan Street) in May and September every year. For 25 years this lively event has drawn the crowds and now 250,000 are expected to browse among the wares of more than 300 crafters from all around America. In addition there is plenty of live musical entertainment and a host of food and beverage stalls. For more information, call the festival hotline on (512) 443 6179.

Venue: East 6th Street
Date: 3-4 May 2008 and 20-21 September 2008
Time: 11am to 10pm
Website: www.oldpecanstreetfestival.com

Austin City Limits Music Festival

Rated as one of the largest music festivals in the United States, the three-day Austin City Limits event in a 15-acre city park grew as an offshoot from the popular television series of the same name. The Festival draws young and old to a series of stages where 130 bands give ongoing performances.

Venue: Zilker Park
Date: 26-28 September 2008
Website: www.aclfestival.com

Carnaval Brasiliero

One of the biggest carnivals staged outside Brazil, and undoubtedly Austin's biggest party, is the euphoric Carnaval Brasiliero, a tradition in the city every February since it was started on a small scale in 1975 by a group of home-sick Brazilian students at the local university. Carnaval was adopted enthusiastically by Austinites and today the crowds pack into the Palmer Events Centre to samba, march and drum the cold winter night away.

Venue: Palmer Events Centre
Date: February 2009, TBC
Time: 9pm
Website: www.sambaparty.com

South by Southwest

The largest and most important of the many live music events for which Austin is renowned is the annual South by Southwest festival, held at more than 50 venues around the city and drawing performers from around the world. The festival programme includes 1,000 performances on more than 50 stages over a five-day period. In recent years the festival has expanded to encompass film and multi-media, both these categories now forming separate extravaganzas to make South by Southwest a convergence of entertainment and media. Call the South by Southwest Headquarters on (512) 467 7979 or email sxsw@sxsw.com for more information.

Venue: Austin Convention Center
Date: 13-22 March 2009
Website: www.sxsw.com

Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival

Austin becomes a cuisine and fine wine destination towards the end of March and beginning of April with some of the best chefs in the US culinary scene descending upon the town at the behest of many of Texas's local masters to educate and indulge a hungry and thirsty public. For more information, call (512) 249 6300 or email info@texaswineandfood.org.

Venue: Main venue: Four Season’s Hotel, downtown Austin
Date: 16-19 April 2009
Website: www.texaswineandfood.org