The free music festival is back for year nine, and this time the deals are doing almost as much work as the bands.

Hot Summer Nights, Red River Cultural District’s admission-free summer festival, runs July 16 through 18 across more than a dozen downtown venues, with over 130 local artists and DJs on the bill. It’s the warm-weather counterpart to the district’s winter festival, Free Week, and the goal hasn’t changed in nine years: get paying gigs in front of Austin musicians and foot traffic in front of the bars, food trucks and restaurants that keep this stretch of downtown running the other 49 weeks of the year.

This year’s food and drink lineup includes two newcomers. SipHaus, a Persian-inspired coffeehouse and lounge that’s one of the newest small businesses on the block, is offering 15% off any drink when you mention the festival, plus $1.25 wings and DJs from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. all three nights. DittyDog, a longtime Red River food truck, is making its first official festival appearance with a stacked menu of its own, including a $44 Full Family Feast built for four hot dogs and two orders of fries. Nobody’s making you order that alone, but nobody’s stopping you either.

Returning favorites round out the list. Stubb’s BBQ is knocking 10% off food for anyone who mentions Hot Summer Nights, and Jo’s Coffee is running an extended happy hour with $2 off beer, frosé and wine. Central District Brewing has $2 off Kölsch for all three days. Pelon’s Tex Mex is offering two tacos and a Dos Equis for $8. Hoboken Pie has a $10 slice combo, and Marinara Miracles is selling a $10 chicken parm hero. Better Days and The Side Bar are both pouring a Dos Equis pint with a tequila shot for $10.

Full specials list, July 16-18 unless noted:

  • Better Days: Dos Equis pint and well tequila shot, $10
  • Central District Brewing: $2 off Kölsch
  • DittyDog: Combos from $12 to $44
  • Golden Castle at Marlow: 15% off
  • Hoboken Pie: $10 slice combo
  • Jo’s Coffee: $2 off beer, frosé, wine
  • Marinara Miracles: $10 chicken parm hero
  • Pelon’s Tex Mex: Two tacos and a Dos Equis, $8
  • The Side Bar: Dos Equis pint and well tequila shot, $10
  • SipHaus: 15% off drinks, $1.25 wings, late-night DJs
  • Stubb’s BBQ: 10% off food

“Hot Summer Nights is one of the most exciting weekends of the year for Red River, but it has always been about more than what happens on our music stages,” said Nicole Klepadlo, the district’s executive director. “Our summer fest is about supporting the venues, artists, service workers, restaurants, bars, food trucks and small businesses that give this district its energy year round.”

No ticket required, but RSVPing gets you festival updates and an entry into a prize raffle that includes concert tickets, gift cards and a pair of skip the line badges. A $5 donation gets two entries, $10 gets three. Performances will take place at Mohawk, Stubb’s, Elysium, Valhalla, Swan Dive, Flamingo Cantina, Kingdom, The 13th Floor, The Side Bar, The Creek and The Cave, Chess Club, Marlow, Liberty Lunch, True Blue Tattoo and Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park. Schedules and venue maps are expected in the coming weeks.

RSVP and details: redriverculturaldistrict.org/hot-summer-nights

Hot Summer Nights 2026 runs Thursday, July 16 through Saturday, July 18, across multiple venues in Downtown Austin. Admission is free.