I’ll start this analysis the same way I’ll end it: GO HOME AND TAKE TWO PEOPLE WITH YOU! It’s that time of year - the start of the 7-month festival season in Austin.
Context
Before I get to my specific event analysis, let me start at the macro-level. Overall, the Austin March festivals and events are strong.
This is what we do here. The audiences appear not to be dissuaded by the global madness. Another kicker is the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) just hit $90 a barrel as of this writing in early March 2026. Oil is what we do in Texas (although Austin is really a technology, BBQ and music hub) and because, in my estimate, 90% of the mineral rights appear to be held by private owners - the trickle down and multiplier effect is huge.
Downtown Austin (Photo Credit Nina Brudie)
Contrast that with Alaska where I consulted Charles Wohlforth, long-time writer focused on Alaskan matters including his books and stints at the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. “All subsurface oil in Alaska is owned by the state or federal government or the Native corporations, including subsurface below private land. This doesn’t have near the same economic impact as the cashflow hittin’ Texas (and Austin) right now.
- The Texas wealth effect is magnified right now (one friend’s monthly royalty check surged to $29k).
- For many, It’s party time to go out buy a Pink Cadillac (listen to the 1984 hit from Bruce Springsteen’s Pink Cadillac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRE3OAlApmU) then go eat BBQ, drink Lone Star beer and find decriminalized cannabis in Austin before attending one of the events below.
The events listed below are a luxury, not a necessity, and fueled by discretionary income. Guess that was the point I was trying to make. LOL!
THE GOOD STUFF - Austin March 2026 Events
- Early March 2026 – NASCAR had 300,000 attendees
- Mid-March 2026 - South by Southwest (SxSW) 300,000 attendees (this is down from 450,000 for a variety of reasons including it was cut back this year because of the reconstruction of the Austin Convention Center)
- Early/Mid-March 2026 - Austin Rodeo will have 500,000 attendees
- Late March 2026 – the COTA Moto GPS Motorcycle Race will have around 120,000 attendees
The March events listed above total over 1,220,000 folks. The population of Austin is just over a million (1,054,000). Austin is a small town similar to Portland OR.
Ergo - I conclude with how I opened. We are FULL. Go home and take two people with you LOL. But seriously - we’ll keep the lights on if you wanna visit Austin, just maybe not in March 2026.