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The Austin Food & Wine Festival runs Friday, Nov. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, and the details that decide your weekend are in the fine print: there is no parking, the lawn gates open at 1 p.m., umbrellas are banned, and Saturday daytime tickets were on a waitlist when we checked on Monday, Nov. 2. The festival, in its 15th year according to ATX FYI, is at Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, with a Friday-night kickoff, Made In Texas, at the Long Center. Everything below comes from the festival's own ticket page and help center, read Monday afternoon. We have not been to the festival grounds, and its own guide page still listed the schedule as "coming soon."
Illustration generated with AI, not a photo of the festival.
What time does the Austin Food & Wine Festival start each day?
It depends on the day, and the City's own listing disagrees with the festival.
The festival's help center says the entrance opens Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. and closes at 5:30 p.m., with VIP ticket holders allowed in at 12:30. The City of Austin's events listing shows 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We went with the festival's number, because it is the organizer's, it appears on two of its own pages, and it matches what a local events site lists. If the City's 11 a.m. is right, you will be early, not late. The one thing that does start at 11 is the add-on Hands-On Grilling with chef Tim Love on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Auditorium Shores, which the festival says requires a festival ticket.
The box office sits next to the main entrance and is open Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For Friday, a separate Made In Texas box office is on the Long Center lawn from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Bring a government ID to pick up tickets.
Is there parking at Auditorium Shores?
No. The festival's directions page says it flatly: "There is no parking at AF&W Festival."
What it offers instead:
- Rideshare pickup and drop-off at 100 Lee Barton Dr.
- Bike parking by the box office and entrance off Riverside Drive and South 1st Street. Bikes are not allowed inside the grounds.
- CapMetro bus routes that the festival says run frequently near the park. We did not check which routes or how often.
The festival lists its address as 900 W. Riverside Dr., with two entrances, both off West Riverside Drive. We did not have a way to time a drive here, so we are not going to guess at one. Plan on being dropped off. If you are driving in and parking somewhere else, that is your own research, and we would rather say so than invent a garage.
If you want a picture of what this lawn does to the streets around it on a big day, our earlier piece on Auditorium Shores parking and road closures covers a different event at the same park.
Can I still get tickets?
Some, and the prices on the page are "starting at" numbers. Here is what the festival's ticket page showed on Monday, Nov. 2. Fees and later price tiers were not visible to us, and the page says prices rise.
| Ticket | Starting price | Status on Nov. 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Made In Texas (Friday, Long Center, 7–9:30 p.m.) | $185 | "Selling Fast" |
| Saturday daytime | $205 | Waitlist; verified resale link on the page |
| Sunday daytime | $200 | Buy button live, "before prices increase" |
| Weekender (Saturday and Sunday) | $280 | Buy button live |
| VIP (includes Made In Texas) | $750 | Buy button live |
| Hands-On Grilling add-on (Saturday, 11 a.m.) | $225 | Needs a festival ticket |
Two things stand out. First, Saturday is the day to worry about. Second, the Weekender is listed at $280, which is less than the Saturday and Sunday starting prices added together ($405). We cannot tell you why. Check at checkout, and read what the ticket covers. Every ticket includes food and drink, the festival says, and you must be 21 or older.
Prices on the page carry a "buy now before prices increase" note. If you are going Sunday, buying sooner costs less than buying Saturday morning.
Who is cooking, and which day is which?
The festival's talent page splits its chef showcase by day. As of Monday it lists these Austin-area restaurants, and the festival's own schedule page had not loaded for us, so treat this as a snapshot.
| Saturday, Nov. 7 | Sunday, Nov. 8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chef showcase | El Alma, BOA Steakhouse, Ēma, 2020 Market Scratch Kitchen & Bar, Geraldine's, Aris, Lutie's, Poke Poke, Butternubs, Wu Chow, Alteño, The Peached Tortilla, The Cavalier, Intero, Cousin Louie's Italian American, Justine's Brasserie, Tare, Loro Asian Smokehouse & Bar, Swift's Attic, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Summer on Music Lane at Hotel Magdalena, Skipjack Oyster | P6 at the Line Hotel, Honey Moon Spirit Lounge, Barbacana, Parkside, Yamas, Ezov, Casa Bianca, Bill's Oyster, Verbena, Poeta, SITI, Ensenada ATX, Café Fleurs de Nuit, The Corndog Company, Garrison, T-Loc's Sonora Hot Dogs, Mum Foods, Tacodeli, Juliet Italian Kitchen, Eberly, Hermanas, Serenade |
| Fire pit | la Barbecue, Pecan Square Cafe, ABW Can-Tina, B'Tween Sandwich Co | la Barbecue, Chica Restaurants, El Moderno, Micklethwait Barbecue |
JABS Burgers & Fries and Mexico Ceaty are listed both days. The demo tent features TV chefs Andrew Zimmern, Esther Choi, Kevin Lee, Lorena Garcia and Richard Blais; the page did not tell us which of them are on which day.
Friday night's Made In Texas list includes Emmer & Rye, Barley Swine and Odd Duck, Isidore, Uchi, Roya, Best Quality Daughter, Austin Oyster Co. and Épicerie.
Illustration generated with AI, not a photo of any festival dish.
We have not tasted anything here, and we did not confirm that every restaurant named is currently open. We cannot tell you the portion sizes or the lines, and the festival's pages do not say how many bites a ticket covers beyond "all-inclusive." What the festival does promise: food from more than 50 restaurants across the weekend, wine, beer and spirits from more than 25 makers a day, cooking demos, guided tasting sessions and a live fire pit.
What can I bring, and what gets turned away?
The festival's bag and prohibited-items pages are specific, and a few of them will matter on a rainy weekend.
Umbrellas, chairs, coolers, tents, canopies, outside food and drink, glass containers, pets (service animals excepted), bicycles, wagons, carts and drones are all on the festival's prohibited list. Ponchos are not mentioned on the pages we read, so ask before you pack one.
What is allowed:
- Clear bags no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, or a small clutch or fanny pack no bigger than 6 by 9 inches with one pocket.
- Empty reusable water bottles and hydration packs. All bags are searched.
- Basic point-and-shoot cameras without detachable lenses. No professional gear, no video recording.
- Non-aerosol sunscreen at 3.4 ounces or less.
Its VIP guide adds that the grounds are mostly grass, so wear shoes you can stand in for four hours, and bring a hat and sunglasses. The festival's advice on bags is the one we would pass along: "Leave your bag at home for the quickest entry."
What will the weather be?
Mild, with a rain chance that peaks Saturday. According to the National Weather Service forecast for Austin, pulled Monday afternoon: Friday is sunny and about 74°F, with a low near 50. Saturday is a high near 68°F with a 24% chance of rain showers. Sunday is also near 68°F with a 15% chance of showers early, then mostly sunny.
That is a forecast five days out and it will move. The practical point: umbrellas, tents and canopies are all banned, so if you have a choice of day, Sunday looks drier than Saturday on today's numbers.
What locals should know
- Gates are 1 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, per the festival's help center. The City's listing shows 11 a.m.; plan around the festival's number.
- Don't drive to the lawn. The festival says there is no parking. Rideshare drop-off is at 100 Lee Barton Dr.
- It is a 21-and-over event. The festival says so on every ticket page.
- Saturday daytime is the tight one. It was on a waitlist Monday. Sunday was still on sale.
- Friday night is a different ticket and a different place: Made In Texas is at the Long Center, 7 to 9:30 p.m., from $185.
- Check the festival's schedule page for tasting sessions and demos. Its guide page still said "coming soon" for the schedule when we read it.
We publish twice a day, morning and afternoon, on what is open, what is happening and what is worth the trip. For other things to do this month, see our things to do in Austin page and our best restaurants in Austin guide.
Sources: Austin Food & Wine Festival ticket page, festival guide, help-center articles on hours, directions, box office, bag policy and prohibited items, and 2026 talent page (all read Nov. 2, 2026); City of Austin events listing for the festival; ATX FYI event listing; National Weather Service Austin forecast, Nov. 2. Google Places was not available to this desk this run, so no restaurant's hours or open status were checked. Prices are "starting at" figures from the ticket page and exclude any fees.
FAQ
When is the Austin Food & Wine Festival 2026? Friday, Nov. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 8. Made In Texas is Friday at the Long Center, 7 to 9:30 p.m. The daytime festival is Saturday and Sunday at Auditorium Shores, with gates listed at 1 to 5:30 p.m.
Where do I park for the Austin Food & Wine Festival? You don't. The festival says there is no parking at the event. Rideshare pickup and drop-off is at 100 Lee Barton Dr., with bike parking at the entrance off Riverside Drive and South 1st Street.
How much are tickets? As shown Nov. 2, starting prices were $185 for Made In Texas, $205 for Saturday (waitlist), $200 for Sunday, $280 for the two-day Weekender and $750 for VIP, before fees. All tickets include food and drink, and you must be 21 or older.
Can I bring a bag or an umbrella? Clear bags up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches are allowed, plus small clutches and fanny packs up to 6 by 9 inches. Umbrellas are prohibited, along with chairs, coolers and outside food or drink.
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