Free Cumbia by the Lake Tonight and Rainey Street Brass

Austin, TX · September 25, 2026

Steam is already rising off the pavement early today, but the weekend lineup is more than ready to pull you outside. Between brass bands warming up on Rainey Street and free cumbia at the lake, there is zero reason to stay cooped indoors.

The Lead

Austin ISD is navigating fresh financial turbulence after fall enrollment came in more than 2,000 students below projections. At Thursday night’s board meeting, Chief Financial Officer Katrina Montgomery informed trustees that the unexpected gap could drain roughly $14 million in state attendance-based revenue. Compounding the shortfall, student transportation costs have jumped $1.9 million over initial forecasts, largely driven by surging diesel prices.

Although the district welcomed 8,500 new students this fall, more than 6,400 students enrolled in the spring failed to return. To prevent the operational deficit from swelling further, administrators must identify at least $5.7 million in immediate spending reductions across central operations. Superintendent Matias Segura and his finance team now face the task of drafting those specific line-item cuts for trustees to weigh at their October budget work session.

Local Pulse

City Cancels Planned Winter Lake Austin Drawdown Parks Property owners along the water will bypass lowered lake levels after officials and river authorities called off scheduled maintenance.
New Capital Fund Backs Local Small Businesses Business Local entrepreneurs can tap new city loan matching, interest rate buydowns, and university seed funding to expand neighborhood enterprises.

Today's Outlook

High 96°F · Low 77°F — Overcast
- Heavy cloud cover will keep the afternoon muggy, so keep water handy outside.

What's On Around Town

Today

American Indian Heritage Day Bullock Texas State History Museum (1800 Congress Ave), 10:00 AM · Free Celebrate Native cultures with traditional dancing, drumming, storytelling, and family demonstrations.
Banger's Oktoberfest Banger's Sausage House & Beer Garden (79 Rainey St), 11:00 AM · Free Kick off three days of brass bands, bratwurst, and Bavarian steins.
Rock the Park with Money Chicha Mueller Lake Park & Amphitheater, 6:30 PM · Free Catch energetic psychedelic cumbia tunes lakeside on the amphitheater lawn.
Built to Spill Central Machine Works Brewery & Beer Hall (4824 E Cesar Chavez St), 7:00 PM · Paid Enjoy seminal indie rock in a converted east side industrial warehouse.
WaterWork Immersive Art Seaholm Intake Building, 8:00 PM · Free Walk through luminous sound and projection art inside the historic intake facility.

Tomorrow

Art City Austin's Fiesta Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (600 River St), 10:00 AM–6:00 PM · Free
Crossroads Guitar Festival Moody Center (2001 Robert Dedman Dr), 4:00 PM · Paid
Indigo Girls ACL Live at The Moody Theater (310 W Willie Nelson Blvd), 8:00 PM · Paid

Sunday

Oktoberfest Finale Banger's Sausage House & Beer Garden (79 Rainey St), Noon · Free
Dan and Phil ACL Live at The Moody Theater (310 W Willie Nelson Blvd), 7:00 PM · Paid
The Lagoons 3TEN ACL Live (310 W Willie Nelson Blvd), 7:30 PM · Paid

Spotlight & Story

Philosopher's Rock Unveiled in 1994 near Barton Springs, Glenna Goodacre’s bronze sculpture captures thinkers J. Frank Dobie, Roy Bedichek, and Walter Prescott Webb. While his friends lounge in swim trunks, Webb stands in street trousers—he gathered at the waters for decades without ever learning to swim.

Austin Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.

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