Credit cards are not made of magic. I mention this not only because I recently discovered this alarming fact, but also because if you are like me – or rather, your credit card is like my credit card – your credit card is probably screaming at you to give it a break.
Figuratively speaking. Again, credit cards: not magic.
By the time you make it to SXSW, you’ll probably have spent money on plane tickets, concert tickets, movie tickets, and other things that don’t involve tickets at all. And while those things are all absolutely worth it, SXSW and Austin have plenty of things to offer that are free (FREE!) that are worth it as well.
FREE Concert at Auditorium Shores
(Photo courtesy of Christopher Nelson)
Even the folks that put on SXSW want you to have a good, free time. On March 15, 16 and 17, the biggest stage of SXSW will play host to The Shins, Counting Crows and The Cult among others. Whether the shows rock your face off or not, being free makes it all sorts of better.
FREE Bats
SXSW happens to coincide with the beginning of bat season (I don’t think it’s actually called bat season, but it works). The Congress Avenue Bridge is right next to downtown Austin and also happens to house the world’s largest urban bat colony. At dusk, the bats take flight to do bat-like things. It’s a pretty amazing sight to see and the bats don’t charge you anything.
FREE Celebrity Watching
Of COURSE there are celebrities at SXSW! Between the bands performing, the actors promoting their films and just cool celebrities who come to SXSW because they are cooler than we even realized, Austin is crawling with people for you to tweet about seeing. Make sure your iPhone is charged and also remember to act like it’s NBD when you see them.
FREE Embarrassment Karaoke
The SXSW interactive showcase kicks off March 9th at The Stage on Sixth with an evening of Live Band Karaoke. It does require an RSVP because, well, there are only so many renditions of I Will Survive everyone can hear, even for free. RSVP through EventBrite.
FREE Yoga (little, itty-bitty catch)
Ruta Maya Coffee offers free yoga – with a purchase of $3 or more. But come on! When was the last time yoga only cost you three dollars? That’s right, never. And you’ll get zen and balance and flexibility for (mostly) free. Plus, you’ll be grateful for the coffee.
There are plenty of other free and mostly-free things to do while in Austin. When it’s not listening to music, keep your ear to the ground and check back to SXSurvival for more stuff. Because our blog, among other things, doesn’t cost you a dime.
