Fall Festival Guide

6 hottest fall music festivals in Houston and beyond

UPDATE: Sound on Sound Fest, scheduled for November 10-12 in McDade, Texas, has been canceled. The story has been updated.

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Feel that? It’s the waning days of summer. Admittedly, our fall weather isn’t as glorious as that of our friends in the northern U.S., but cooler temperatures sure do have us feeling a lot more like being outside. Especially when it involves music. In Houston and beyond, here are our picks for seven fabulous fall music fests.

Utopia Fest
Utopia, September 22-24
Now in its ninth year, Utopia Fest has managed to retain the magic of its first year. With a cap on attendees, BYOB policy, cool artisan market, late-night acoustic events at after-hours stage Tank Good Times, and a lineup that spans from Dr. John to Suzanna Choffel, it’s no wonder that this festival inspires cult-like devotion. Limited tickets are still available. Note: This is the final year it will be held at Four Sisters Ranch.

Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love
Marfa, September 28-October 1
Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love is an amalgamation of music, camping, art, and magical mystery under the big stars of Marfa. It all happens at desert lodge El Cosmico and reflects the bohemian nature of the place — think Burning Man meets the Wild West. Attend workshops, score free Topo Chico, and take advantage the opportunity to stay in a yurt while listening to the likes of Jenny Lewis, Roger Ellis, and Lee Ann Womack.

Gruene Music & Wine Festival
Gruene, October 5-8
Gruene is a small town with mass appeal. It’s just the kind of place to stroll around while listening to music, glass in hand, at The Gruene Music & Wine Festival. The lineup includes Americana and Texas country by Ray Benson, Cory Morrow, Walt Wilkins, Jack Ingram, and a host of other similar artists. You can buy into the whole weekend or pick a day. Wine lovers will want to hit up the Tastings and Tunes event on Saturday, while ice-cold brew aficionados will prefer the Craft Beer Tasting on Sunday. Proceeds benefit the United Way and Hurricane Harvey victims.

Austin City Limits
Austin, October 6-8 and October 13-15
ACL boasts two jam-packed weekends with multiple stages, artists, and vendors, plus fare from Austin food trailers and tons of booze. You can also expect a lot of out-of-town visitors. Because who wouldn’t want to descend upon our Zilker Park to laze about in the sun and listen to some sweet jams? Approximately 450,000 folks attend the festival each year, and the headliners just keep getting bigger. This year, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Killers close out both weekends.

Houston Open Air
Houston, October 14-15
Sister fest to Chicago Open Air, the recently debuted Houston Open Air is every metalhead's dream. Held at at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, the fest showcases high-profilers like Avenged Sevenfold, Mastodon, Five Finger Death Punch, Prophets of Rage, Marilyn Manson, and lots more headbanging heavy rockers.

Mala Luna Music Festival
San Antonio, October 28-29
Mala Luna Music Festival in San Antonio presents a Halloween weekend of rap and EDM tunes at Nelson Wolff Stadium. Only in its second year, Mala Luna attracts big acts like Future, Lil Wayne, and Wiz Khalifa. There's also multiple food vendors and art installations. As you might expect, attendees get creative with costumes, especially those inspired by Dia de Los Muertos. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Network for Young Artists (NYA.)

Sound on Sound Fest
McDade, November 10-12
Enjoy three full days of music and camping at The Lost Pines Forest, a medieval-style village located 35 miles from Austin, via popular new fest Sound on Sound. All genres take the stage, from indie to punk to hip-hop to metal and to dance, along with comedians, podcasts, and panel discussions. Notable names this year are Grizzly Bear, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Iggy Pop, and The Shins. In order to get the full experience, pop up a tent, rent a glamping spot, or bring your RV. Campgrounds have hot showers, water refill stations, and late-night performances.

Sound on Sound Fest makes its triumphant return November 10-12.

Sound on Sound Fest 2016 Street Style Sterling Bittenbender Emily Sousa Ashlee Miller Stefanie Carolla

Photo by Shelley Neuman

Sound on Sound Fest makes its triumphant return November 10-12.

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Movie Review

Pop star Charli XCX seizes 'The Moment' in new mockumentary

Photo courtesy of A24

Charli XCX in The Moment.

There have been plenty of music documentaries and biopics that show how the life of a music star can be a trying one, with fans, record label executives, and hangers-on all wanting a piece of a certain singer or band. Charli XCX knows the pressures as well as anyone thanks to back-to-back hit albums, but instead of addressing her life with a self-aggrandizing promo film, she’s gone the unexpected route with the mockumentary, The Moment.

The singer plays a fictionalized version of herself who’s coming off of “Brat Summer,” a cultural phenomenon that followed the release of her 2024 album, Brat. In addition to a planned tour, she and her team are trying to come up with other ways to capitalize on the moment, ideas that sometimes include her input and sometimes don’t. The one that becomes the driving force of the story is a concert film that will be directed by the in-demand filmmaker Johannes (Alexander Skarsgård).

Even though Charli XCX had already planned out the visuals, props, and other elements of the tour with good friend Celeste (Hailey Gates), Johannes slowly but surely pushes his ideas to be used instead. As that part of her life starts to slip from her grasp, she starts to lose it in general, agreeing to endorse a Brat-themed credit card, taking an ill-advised spa trip to Ibiza, and more.

Written and directed by Aidan Zamiri (who’s directed two Charli XCX music videos) and co-written by Bertie Brandes, the film should in no way, shape, or form be interpreted as giving viewers an accurate idea of who the singer really is. Aside from the presence of well-known actors like Skarsgård and Rosanna Arquette and comedic actors like Kate Berlant and Jamie Demetriou, everything in the film is heightened sufficiently to understand it shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Still, it’s clear that fans of Charli XCX or those who participated in Brat Summer will be more invested in the film than others. Knowing that Rachel Sennott’s cameo likely stems from their friendship following Charli XCX doing the score for Sennott’s film, Bottoms, or that she enjoyed early fame from the inclusion of her song, “Boom Clap,” in “a movie about two kids with cancer,” as her character puts it, adds some depth to the film.

One of the funniest things about the film is the lack of a showcase of Charli XCX’s music. She doesn’t sing a single note in the entire film, and any songs of hers that are heard are incidental to the story. There is, however, a ton of oppressive flashing titles and frenetic imagery during the various transitions in the film. If you are even slightly affected by rapid lights and/or movement, it might be best to avoid the film entirely.

As George Clooney can attest from Jay Kelly, it’s more difficult to play a version of yourself than you might think, and Charli XCX deserves credit for playing into rumors of her “bitchiness” in this film. Upcoming roles in other films will prove whether she’s truly a good actress or not, but she has a presence that serves this movie well. Skarsgård, who seems to be having a moment of his own in the real world, is the clear winner for best supporting actor of the film, scoring in almost every scene he’s in.

The Moment may not be as effective a mockumentary as something like This is Spinal Tap, but it still has enough memorable moments to make it worth seeing for both fans and non-fans alike. If that’s not enough Charli XCX for you, she’s also created the soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, which will be in theaters on February 13.

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The Moment opens wide in theaters on February 6.

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