The Long Center for the Performing Arts is throwing open its doors on Saturday, September 19, for a free, four-hour celebration packed with live performances, family activities, and food trucks. The fourth annual Teresa Lozano Long Community Day runs from noon to 4 p.m. and honors the late philanthropist whose name graces the venue, with organizers asking attendees to RSVP in advance.
Cory Baker, president and CEO of the Long Center, joined Sierra Waggoner to discuss the day's programming and Long's legacy, according to KEYE. Teresa Lozano Long was the first Hispanic woman to earn a doctorate in health and physical education from the University of Texas at Austin, per the same report, and she and her husband, Joe R. Long, made significant contributions to education and the arts across Texas. Their lead gift of $20 million helped establish the Long Center itself, KEYE reports.
That gift sits within a much larger pattern of giving. Over their lifetimes, Teresa Lozano Long and Joe R. Long contributed more than $150 million to Texas educational, medical, and arts causes, according to the Texas State Historical Association, including establishing the Long Foundation in 1999. Their support helped rename UT Austin's Institute of Latin American Studies after a $10 million endowment in 2000, as noted by UT Austin's College of Liberal Arts, and a $25 million gift in 2017 led UT Health San Antonio to rename its medical school the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, bringing the couple's cumulative giving to the health center past $61 million.
A Life That Started on a South Texas Dairy Farm
Born on a dairy farm in Premont, Texas, in 1928, Teresa Lozano Long graduated high school as valedictorian at age 16 before earning her doctorate at UT Austin in 1965, according to the Texas State Historical Association. She later taught physical education in Alice, Texas, where she met her husband Joe Long. Her civic contributions earned her the National Humanities Medal from President Donald Trump at a White House ceremony in November 2019, according to KVUE, adding to state honors including the Texas Medal of Arts in 2005 and induction into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 2010.
Community Day, KEYE reports, continues Teresa Lozano Long's vision of making the arts accessible to everyone. The Long Center established the annual celebration in September 2023 to mark the venue's 15th anniversary and to honor Long's memory following her death in 2021, according to the Long Center; the inaugural festival drew more than 2,000 local attendees across indoor and outdoor stages.
What's on the Schedule Saturday
This year's lineup includes RuckusATX with Country Fried Dance at 12:15 p.m., Austin Shakespeare's World's Fastest Hamlet at 1:30 p.m., Ballet Austin's Rhythm on Stage at 1:30 p.m., and Austin Opera's Resident Stars at 3:30 p.m., per the Long Center's published schedule. KEYE reports the day also features musicians from the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin SoundWaves, and Ballet Folklorico de Austin, with Creative Action running KidOsky crafts and games and local community organizations meeting with attendees throughout the venue.
Food trucks and both indoor and outdoor activities round out the afternoon, KEYE notes, and Bubblepalooza returns as a crowd favorite presented by H-E-B. The bubble-filled staple traces back to the H-E-B Stage, a 3D-printed outdoor pavilion on the Long Center's Hartman Lawn that H-E-B became title sponsor of in May 2025 to expand free community arts access, according to H-E-B. The pavilion first debuted at SXSW 2023 as the world's first 3D-printed stage.
Getting There: Riverside Drive Construction to Know About
Attendees driving to the Long Center should plan for detours: street construction that began September 1 has closed portions of Riverside Drive directly in front of the venue through early 2027, the Long Center says. Riverside Drive is the main route to the venue's parking garage and drop-off points, so visitors may want to build in extra travel time.
The Long Center itself opened on March 28, 2008, following a sustainable adaptive reuse project that recycled materials from Austin's 1959 Lester E. Palmer Municipal Auditorium, according to the Austin Chronicle. The venue retained the footprint and ring beam of the former auditorium overlooking Lady Bird Lake, and now serves as the permanent home to resident companies including Ballet Austin and the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The complete schedule, participating-organization list, and free RSVP are available at thelongcenter.org.
