Free Week celebration of Austin's local music scene returns for 21st year

Red River Culture District's annual Free Week begins Friday night, with 11 venues hosting dozens of local musical acts and performers, all entirely free to the public.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Red River Culture District's annual Free Week returns Friday and Saturday nights, with 11 venues hosting dozens of local musical acts and performers, all entirely free to the public.

RRCD, an Austin-based nonprofit, tells KXAN that the event is a "rare opportunity" to attend shows at the city's "iconic" music venues for free.

Nicole Klepadlo, Red River Cultural District's interim executive director, calls Free Week a "for locals, by locals" event.

"What Free Week intends to do is be a celebration of what has made Austin such an iconic destination — Music is part of our fabric, it's part of our economy," Klepadlo said. "It's really an opportunity to check out potentially a band that you've never heard of, check out some genres that you've never heard of, maybe step foot into a venue that you've never been in before."

While the event is free to attend, the musicians are still paid, according to RRCD.

"This is a great opportunity [for the bands]. This is an opportunity for musicians to get on stages, get in front of a new audience [and] share their music with the community," Klepadlo said. "[Free Week] is certainly an opportunity, like an incubation opportunity...you're playing at different venue sizes, growing your audience and then moving on to bigger festivals."

'Preserving and Evolving'

The first Free Week in 2003 was held at Austin music venue Emo's original location, Sixth Street and Red River Street. A spokesperson for RRCD said that the event was a way to keep revenue flowing and staff employed during slower winter months.

While Emo's downtown location has since closed, Free Week continued and grew into its current multi-venue incarnation.

In 2017, RRCD started a summer version of Free Week called "Hot Summer Nights," a three-day, admission-free event held in July.

"We are active year round and thinking about how do we preserve what we have here that's so special on Red River Street, but also how do we evolve it," said Klepadlo about RRCD's mission.

That mission comes with a set of challenges, especially after the 2020 pandemic and as Austin grows.

"The pandemic shut down these spaces, so we very much in a place where our venues are kicking back in full gear and the industry is responding," Klepadlo said. "Secondly, we've talked about this very frankly, that development pressures are real for the Red River Cultural District, as well as affordability challenges for our music community."

She added that RRCD works with other groups to advocate at the local and state levels to find support for the live music industry, and that creative thinking might be required for the future of Red River Street. But creative business ideas need investment.

"This community is a competitive place to be, and our economy is strong," Klepadlo said. "The Red River cultural district is definitely a nighttime destination. We would love to get to a point where we can see [venues] open earlier for happy hour. There's a general desire to do that, and that takes investment, and that takes time."

Have pictures or video from Free Week that you'd like to share with KXAN? Please email it to us at ReportIt@KXAN.com.