The Austin Coffee Festival runs Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road, in two sessions a day, and your pass works only for the session printed on it. According to ATX Things' read of the festival's own pages, the general-admission sessions are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., a VIP hour starts at 9 a.m., and the pours stop 15 minutes before each session ends. The Eventbrite page said "Sales end soon" when we read it this morning.
This is a plan for the weekend, built from the organizers' pages, the Palmer's own parking page, and a National Weather Service forecast. We have not been to this year's festival, and we did not reach the organizers. Where a detail is missing, we say so.
AI-generated illustration, not a photo of the festival.
What time should you go to the Austin Coffee Festival?
The schedule is the same both days, per the festival's About page:
| Session | Who gets in | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Session 1, VIP hour | VIP ticket | 9–10 a.m. |
| Session 1, GA | General admission and VIP | 10 a.m.–1 p.m. |
| Service break | All-day passholders may stay inside | 1–1:30 p.m. |
| Session 2, GA | General admission and VIP | 1:30–4:30 p.m. |
Source: Austin Coffee Festival, About page, read Oct. 16, 2026.
Three rules from the fine print matter more than the table. A pass is valid only for the session you bought, and it is forfeited if you do not use it in that window. All service stops 15 minutes before a session ends, so the last real pour in Session 1 is around 12:45, and in Session 2 around 4:15. And the VIP ticket is the same as GA plus the early hour: the organizers say it includes the GA time too.
A limited number of All Day passes exist, with in-and-out privileges and the right to stay inside during the break. The festival says there is no difference in vendors between Saturday and Sunday. The difference is the live music.
If you only want the quiet hour with the roasters, the 9 a.m. VIP hour is the one the festival built for it. Session 2 starts at 1:30 and runs to 4:30, with the pours stopping around 4:15.
What does a ticket include, and what does it cost?
Coffee tastings from the vendors are included. Food is not: it is for sale inside. Reusable mugs are allowed, the festival says, and non-coffee options are on offer for anyone who does not drink it. Every entry needs a ticket, because of venue capacity.
On price, we have one third-party number and no first-party one. Visit Austin's listing says tickets "start at $25.27 on Eventbrite as of September 20; pricing and availability may change." The festival's ticket page loads its prices from Eventbrite and showed "High demand" and "Sold out" labels in its widget. We could not tell from outside which sessions those labels belong to. Check Eventbrite before you drive.
The festival's pages say the event is indoors and goes ahead regardless of weather. That matters this weekend for the wrong reason: it is a nice one. The National Weather Service forecast, pulled Friday morning, has Saturday sunny near 69°F and Sunday sunny near 73°F, with Saturday night near 48°F.
Who is pouring, and what is worth a stop?
AI-generated illustration.
The festival's roasters page shows logos linked to the sites of about 17 exhibitors. From the links, they include Armadillo Coffee Roasters, Greater Good Roasting, Intelligentsia, Civil Goat, Creature Coffee, Medici Roasting, Texas Coffee Traders, Blendin Coffee Club, Heritage 1857 and Humo Coffee. The page says exhibitors are subject to change. We did not see the floor plan.
The part that is easy to miss is Coffee Convos, short learning sessions on the festival's own page, each about 30 minutes. They fall inside specific sessions, so which pass you hold decides which you can hear:
- Saturday 11:30 a.m. to noon (Session 1): a panel on trust and loyalty between roasters, cafe owners and producers. Linked panelists include accounts for Medici Roasting, Barrett's Coffee, Greater Good Roasting and Creature Coffee.
- Saturday 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. (Session 2): a panel on whether "serious" and "embarrassing" coffee drinks are real categories, from hazelnut syrup to fruit-fermented Colombian beans. It is moderated by Alex Hernandez of Ethos Syrups.
- Sunday 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. (Session 1): Miranda Haney of Barista Friend on a home espresso setup, with Sightseer Coffee in the cup.
- Sunday 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. (Session 2): long-time roasters and the new shared roasteries that hand beginners the keys.
Music is listed by session too. Saturday shows Pie and Rafa x Josue under Session 1, and Sunday shows Natalie Price in Session 1 and Rachel Laven in Session 2. The festival says performers are subject to change.
The panelists above come from the festival's Coffee Convos page and the account links on it. Speakers and topics are listed as subject to change.
Where do you park for the Austin Coffee Festival?
The Palmer's own parking page is the source here, and it has two things to know. The garage has 1,200 spaces on four stories and two entrances, on Riverside Drive and on Barton Springs Road. Event parking is $12 per vehicle unless special rates are posted, and it is cashless: cards only. Clearance is 8 feet 2 inches on the first level and 7 feet 2 inches above it.
Second, Riverside Drive is under construction. The Palmer says westbound Riverside reopened Oct. 12 and is closed at the roundabout through Nov. 13, with garage access from westbound Riverside by a left turn across the median. The page's tip: "If there is any traffic, enter on Riverside."
Crowds are the other variable. The Palmer's September news release lists NAMIWalks Central Texas on Saturday, with walkers taking off from the Palmer, and Markets for Makers on Saturday and Sunday in the same building. That is three events in one building on Saturday, all sharing the Palmer's garage and its overflow. The Palmer names the One Texas Center garage, at the southeast corner of Barton Springs Road and South First Street, as overflow when the main garage fills.
Plan on the $12 garage and a card, and leave time for the Riverside detour. We have not seen the garage on a Saturday with three events, so we cannot say when it fills.
Can kids and dogs come?
Children under 13 do not need a ticket but must be with an adult. The festival "discourages" bringing children, because of hot beverages everywhere, and says responsibility is the adult's. Dogs that are not service animals are not allowed without prior written approval from the Palmer.
How does this fit with the rest of the weekend?
The cool front is the story of the weekend. If you want the outdoors, the same Saturday has our guide to the Eastside Kings Festival, and the Texas–Florida and Austin FC plan covers the stadiums. For what else is opening near you, see our hub of things to do in Austin and our report on Urban Egg's Burnet Road opening.
Quick answers
When is the Austin Coffee Festival 2026? Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, with sessions 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 1:30–4:30 p.m., and a VIP hour at 9 a.m., per the festival.
Where is it? Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd., Austin, TX 78704.
Is coffee included? Yes, vendor tastings are included in a ticket. Food is for sale.
How much is parking? $12 per vehicle, cashless, per the Palmer, unless special rates are posted.
Can you bring a dog? Not unless it is a service animal or you have prior written approval from the Palmer.
Reporting note: this piece rests on the festival's published pages, the Palmer Events Center's parking page and news release, Visit Austin's listing, and the National Weather Service. We did not speak with the organizers. If a time or price changes, we will add a dated correction here.
This desk publishes twice a day, morning and afternoon, on what is actually open, actually happening and worth the drive. Come back this afternoon for the evening edition.
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