South Austin's UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum throws open its gates this Sunday for StrawFest, a free fall festival expected to welcome more than 1,000 guests for live raptor shows, a costume parade through the sculpture garden, and a lineup of hands-on activities for families. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 25 at 605 Azie Morton Road, with admission free and open to the public.
According to KXAN Austin, the festival is presented by H-E-B and Favor and features wildlife presentations from the WILDcenter of Texas, which will bring live birds of prey and reptiles to the grounds. The Austin-based group specializes in raptor and reptile conservation and education, and per WILDcenter of Texas, it offers education programs for classrooms and schools. The group has scheduled two Raptors + Reptiles shows for StrawFest, at noon and 2 p.m.
Bats, Bronze, and a Costume Parade
The Austin Bat Refuge will also provide interactive educational programming about the city's flying mammals, the station's report notes. Founded in December 2015 by Dianne Odegard and Lee Mackenzie, the nonprofit rescues and rehabilitates injured and orphaned bats across Central Texas, according to Austin Bat Refuge. The group's presence at StrawFest echoes a much larger local phenomenon: Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge hosts an estimated 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats each season, forming the largest urban bat colony in North America, with the colony emerging nightly.
The signature costume parade winds through the sculpture garden from 1 to 1:30 p.m., and the day's schedule also includes pumpkin painting, paper craft activities, face painting, caricature artists, a magician, inflatable games, and lawn games, per the same account. Food trucks and booths from community and conservation partners round out the grounds, and families can take in an Alice in Wonderland and Mad Hatter-inspired tea etiquette lesson, storytime, and meet-and-greet. The Austin Fire Department will visit from 2 to 4 p.m., giving guests a chance to view a fire truck and meet local firefighters.
Art You Can Touch, History Underfoot
Beyond the festival-day programming, StrawFest unfolds amid one of Texas's more unusual art collections. The UMLAUF Sculpture Garden features the state's largest collection of touchable outdoor sculptures, with more than 50 bronze works regularly washed and waxed so visitors of all sight levels, including those who are visually impaired, can interact with the art through touch, according to Visit Austin. The museum preserves and exhibits the work of American sculptor Charles Umlauf, who taught at the University of Texas at Austin School of Art for 40 years, from 1941 to 1981, and is credited with having more sculptures displayed in Texas public spaces than any other artist, per the Texas State Historical Association. His work is also held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian.
The museum itself opened in 1991 on a six-acre parcel next to Zilker Park following a 1985 donation by Umlauf and his wife, Angeline, who gifted their home, studio, and 168 pieces of art and sculpture to the City of Austin after purchasing the property in 1944, the historical association notes. StrawFest's hands-on art-making activities take place among that permanent sculpture collection and garden, reflecting the UMLAUF's broader mission to cultivate curiosity, community, and connection through art, nature, and education while supporting contemporary artists through rotating exhibitions and year-round public programming.
A Street Name Rooted in Civil Rights History
The museum's Azie Morton Road address carries its own local history. The street was renamed from Robert E. Lee Road in April 2018 when the Austin City Council honored Azie Taylor Morton, the first African-American Treasurer of the United States and a local educator, according to Community Impact.
Getting There
RSVPs are recommended but walk-ups are welcome, and free parking is available at the UMLAUF lot and Wright Field, with additional parking at Zilker Park. Organizers are encouraging guests to use rideshare services, carpool, or public transportation to reach the festival.
