7th Austin's PRIDE IN LOCAL MUSIC Showcase to Celebrate LGBTQ+ Artists and Musicians

Austin’s LGBTQ+ musicians, drag performers, artists and makers will take center stage on Saturday, September 26, when the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s 7th Annual Pride in Local Music Showcase + Queer Artist Marketplace takes over Drinks Backyard, 6328 S. Hwy 183, as part of the inaugural The Big Queer Weekend.

The free community event brings together a broad cross-section of Austin’s queer creative community for an evening of live music, drag, art, local makers, food, drinks and community activations. Free advance online registration is highly encouraged at BigQueerWeekend.com.

Presented by the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce and aGLIFF – Austin’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival, The Big Queer Weekend runs September 24–27 and combines four days of LGBTQ+ film, music, art, parties and opportunities to connect across Austin.

THERE’S NO SINGLE SOUND OF QUEER AUSTIN

From old-school country and honky-tonk to indiepop, indie rock and hip-hop, Pride in Local Music showcases the breadth of LGBTQ+ artists shaping Austin’s music community.

Headliner Melissa Carper blends old-time country, bluegrass, western swing, jazz and blues with observational songwriting and an unmistakably vintage voice. Dubbed “HillBillie Holiday” by Nashville musician Chris Scruggs, Carper draws deeply from American roots traditions while carving out her own place as a queer artist within them.

Austin-based Steph Cash brings Texas honky-tonk with an outlaw-country edge, pairing traditional storytelling with a classic sound built around fiddle and steel guitar.

Emerging indiepop band Painterly combines catchy contemporary melodies with personal songwriting exploring vulnerability, memory, loss and emotional connection.

Led by queer Asian American singer-songwriter James Tabata, Austin indie rock band Maru Haru draws from J-Pop, math rock, classical music, indie folk and video games. Their songs explore queer and Asian American identity, family, self-acceptance and finding empathy within complicated expectations.

The showcase was developed with the support of Austin singer-songwriter, music advocate and producer Julie Nolen of OUTlaw Pride and Pearlsnap Entertainment, who worked with the Austin LGBT Chamber to book talent and produce the event.

Together, the lineup reinforces a central idea behind Pride in Local Music: there is no single sound of queer Austin. LGBTQ+ musicians are creating across genres and traditions—and are an integral part of Austin’s creative economy.

BBOY WICKET CLOSES THE NIGHT

The evening culminates with a retro DJ set and live breakdance performance from Gabriel “Bboy Wicket” Jaochico, an internationally recognized breaker, DJ and educator with more than three decades in hip-hop culture.

Since beginning his breaking career in San Francisco in 1991, Wicket has performed, competed and taught around the world. Now he is based in Central Texas, he teaches hip-hop culture and breaking at Texas State University.

His appearance also bridges the music and film programs of The Big Queer Weekend. On Sunday, September 27, he becomes the subject of Closing Night documentary WICKET, chronicling his hip-hop career and deeply personal journey of coming out after 41 years in the closet.

The film will be followed by a live Q&A with Jaochico, director Lily Plotkin and producer Ryland Hormel.

See him perform Saturday night. Hear his story Sunday.

MAXINE LAQUEENE & FRIENDS BRING THE DRAG

Austin drag entertainer, trans activist and community advocate Maxine LaQueene will host Saturday’s festivities, joined throughout the evening by performances from Simone Riviera, Kelly Kline, Devonna St. James, Sirena Mirage and Solangel Vergara.

A fixture of Austin’s drag and nightlife community for more than a decade, LaQueene brings together entertainment and LGBTQ+ advocacy, making her a fitting host for an evening celebrating the many ways queer Austin creates, performs and shows up for its community.

QUEER ARTISTS & MAKERS JOIN THE CELEBRATION

The creativity extends beyond the stage with the Queer Artist Marketplace, featuring Austin-area artists, artisans, LGBTQ+-owned businesses and community organizations showcasing and selling artwork, jewelry, apparel, books, handcrafted goods and more.

Participating vendors include Nicky Tovar’s Little Art Show, Laura Marsh Jewelry, Pride Socks, The Little Gay Shop, OUTlaw Pride, Cedar Park Pride, BookWoman and others.

The Big Queer Weekend sponsors and community partners will also be on site with activations and experiences throughout the evening, including on-site HIV testing from AIDS Healthcare Foundation and signature Deep Eddy Vodka cocktails available for purchase.

The event takes place across the sprawling outdoor footprint of Drinks Backyard, featuring a large outdoor stage, 20-foot LED video wall, gathering spaces and on-site food trucks.

The Pride in Local Music Showcase + Queer Artist Marketplace is FREE and open to the public, with free advance online registration highly encouraged to help organizers anticipate attendance and communicate event information with guests.

Drinks Backyard is all ages until 8 p.m. and 21+ after 8 p.m.

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LOCAL DOCUMENTARY THIS IS TEXAS ADDED TO THE BIG QUEER WEEKEND FILM LINEUP

Organizers have also announced the addition of another distinctly Austin story to The Big Queer Weekend film program.

The award-winning documentary short This Is Texas: AGMC’s Journey to GALA, directed by Austin filmmakers John-Carlos Estrada and Zak Zeh, will screen immediately before The Dads on Friday, September 25 at 6 p.m. at Galaxy Theatres Austin.

The 23-minute documentary follows nearly 100 members of the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus as they prepare for and travel to Minneapolis for the GALA Choruses Festival.

At the heart of the film are the experiences of the chorus’s transgender members, including Finn McMillan, whose stories unfold against the backdrop of a state where their identities are increasingly politicized. Through intimate interviews, rehearsals and performances, the film explores the emotional weight of visibility and how music can become more than art, it can become community, protection, protest and power.

As the chorus takes the international stage, its performance becomes a declaration: we are still here.

This Is Texas received a Silver Telly Award for Social Impact and has been selected for LGBTQ+ and independent film festivals around the country.

The short will be followed by feature documentary The Dads, which follows fathers of trans and gender-expansive children as they navigate questions of family, safety and standing beside their children amid a changing political landscape.

Following the films, Austin filmmaker and LGBTQ+ advocate Fiona Dawson will moderate a special community conversation with local leaders reflecting on the films and the experiences of trans and gender-expansive Texans and their families.

This is Texas

USA | 2026 | 23 minutes | English

Directors: John-Carlos Estrada & Zak Zeh | Cast: Finn McMillan, Karl Logue, Adrian J. Lancaster, Marlon Johnson, Armando Barrientos

Nearly 100 voices strong, the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus takes the international GALA stage to defend Texas trans youth. At its heart is Finn, a quiet trans singer who finds his courage and shows how music can rise as protest and power.

Scheduled to appear for a live Q&A: Director Zak Zeh and subject Finn McMillan

ABOUT THE BIG QUEER WEEKEND

September 24–27, 2026 | Austin, Texas

Presented by the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce and aGLIFF – Austin’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the inaugural The Big Queer Weekend brings together Austin’s queer creative community for four days of film, music, art, makers, filmmaker conversations, parties and community connection.

The film lineup at Galaxy Theatres Austin includes Opening Night selection Lady Champagne, with writer, director and star D’Arcy Drollinger in attendance; The Dads; Billie Jean King documentary Give Me the Ball!; international documentary Out Laws, with filmmakers in attendance; the Queer Black Voices presentation of Assembly; and Closing Night selection WICKET, along with locally produced short films.

Full list of films and events can be found at BigQueerWeekend.com.

PRIDE IN LOCAL MUSIC + QUEER ARTIST MARKETPLACE

Saturday, September 26
Drinks Backyard
6328 S. Hwy 183, Austin, TX 78744
FREE | Advance online registration highly encouraged

BIG QUEER CREATIVES BRUNCH | SEPTEMBER 27

Big Queer Creatives Brunch

Sunday morning from 11a-1pm on the Pool Deck at Hotel Indigo. Suggested $10 donation to enter and includes a breakfast taco buffet and an all-day pool pass at the Hotel Indigo.