The Bat City Bombshells are marking their 17th year of scaring up laughs and sequins with Tits-or-Treats, the troupe's annual Halloween burlesque show, returning to Come and Take It Live in South Austin. Costumes are encouraged, and the night promises what organizers describe as a mix of seductive scares and classic burlesque theatrics.
According to CultureMap Austin, the 17th annual Tits-or-Treats burlesque show is listed for Austin. Planomato lists Nico de Gallo as host of the Bat City Bombshells' August 2026 Wild Thangzzz production.
A Troupe With Deep Roots in Austin Burlesque
The Bat City Bombshells formed in 2009 as a collective of hobbyist dancers, making them the second-longest-running active burlesque troupe in Austin, per the same Planomato report. Tits-or-Treats itself has been a fixture on the Halloween calendar for years, with its 16th annual edition staged in October 2025 at the same venue, according to an Eventbrite listing for that prior show.
Co-producer Sherry Bomb has been part of the troupe since its founding and now serves as executive director of the Austin Academy of Burlesque, where she also designs costumes that have been featured at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, according to the Austin Academy of Burlesque. The troupe's résumé includes winning Best Group Routine at the San Antonio Burlesque Festival in 2013, and this year the Bombshells were named finalists for Best Burlesque Troupe in the Austin Chronicle Readers' Poll, according to Austin Burlesque Performers and Troupes.
Inside the East Riverside Drive Venue
Tits-or-Treats takes the stage at Come and Take It Live, located at 2015 East Riverside Drive. The venue is a two-story, 500-capacity live entertainment club that regularly hosts heavy metal and punk shows, according to a venue profile from Come And Take It.
Austin's burlesque scene extends well beyond this single troupe or venue. The city has hosted the Texas Burlesque Festival since 2007, with the annual event celebrating its 19th year in May 2026 as one of the longest-running burlesque festivals in the world, according to the Austin Chronicle. Austin is home to at least 10 established burlesque troupes, placing it alongside the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex as one of Texas' primary hubs for the art form, per 21st Century Burlesque Magazine.
Legal Backdrop for Adult Live Shows in Texas
Shows like Tits-or-Treats now operate under a sharpened legal framework. In February 2026, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a federal injunction that had been blocking Texas Senate Bill 12, a 2023 state statute imposing restrictions and misdemeanor penalties on sexually oriented performances occurring in public or where minors are present, according to Texas Scorecard. Separately, under Chapter 102 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code, establishments defined as sexually oriented businesses or hosting adult entertainment must restrict entry to individuals aged 18 or older, per the Texas statutes referenced by the state's own code repository.
For now, Tits-or-Treats continues the tradition the Bombshells have built over 17 years.
