Holiday Hootenanny is making its return to southeast Austin this December, rolling back into Radio/East for a two-day run with Thundercat and Magdalena Bay topping the bill. Now in its third year, the mini-festival is pitching itself as an easygoing, pre-winter hang with a mix of buzzy touring acts, rising names and holiday-flavored extras.
According to The Austin Chronicle, Thundercat will headline Friday, and Magdalena Bay will close out Saturday at Radio/East on December 11 and 12. The Chronicle notes that after trimming down to a single day last year, organizers are stretching Holiday Hootenanny back to a full weekend. More artists and on-site activations are set to be announced as the dates get closer.
Lineup highlights
Friday leans into soul and psych-pop, with 54 Ultra, The Two Lips, Drugdealer and Sports all warming up the stage ahead of Thundercat. Saturday shifts toward electronic and art-pop, with Frost Children, Coco & Clair Clair, Avalon Emerson and others supporting Magdalena Bay, according to CultureMap Austin. The only Austin act currently on the flyer is Quiet Light, the project of local artist Riya Mahesh, giving the hometown crowd at least one true local to root for. Organizers say the initial slate, which already covers indie rock, electronic and neo-soul, will grow as more performers are confirmed.
Promoters and production
The boutique festival is presented by Resound Presents in partnership with photographer-turned-booker Pooneh Ghana and local public radio station KUTX, per reporting from The Austin Chronicle. This year, Austin production outfit Special Delivery, the team behind ILLfest, has joined the booking crew and is expected to bring more of a dance-music edge to the curation, according to the promoter's website. Special Delivery Presents highlights its experience producing iLLfest and other electronic-focused events.
Tickets and timing
Tickets are already on sale through the event platform Prekindle, which is handling the Radio/East calendar and Holiday Hootenanny listings. Prekindle currently shows doors at 2:00 p.m., with music kicking off around 3:00 p.m. Coverage of the announcement points to tiered pricing, including limited tier-one single-day passes plus weekend general-admission and VIP options. CultureMap Austin lays out the pricing tiers as reported in the event press release.
What to expect
Organizers are promising more than just back-to-back sets. Past Holiday Hootenanny editions have brought in a vendor market, a gingerbread house contest, a mechanical "reindeer" ride and family-friendly craft stations, all of which local outlets have flagged as part of the fest's holiday twist. The Houston Chronicle and other previews have noted many of those activations returning in recent years, with producers also using the market component to spotlight local makers alongside the touring acts.
If the early lineup sticks, Holiday Hootenanny is shaping up as a compact, weekend-long destination for Austin music fans who would rather skip the sprawling park festivals in favor of something a little more neighborhood-sized. For updates and new artist drops, keep an eye on the event page maintained by Resound Presents: Resound Presents.
