HOT SUMMER NIGHTS
Red River Cultural District x The Front Market
Our annual Hot Summer Nights Market is back, y’all.
Come through on July 18 at Austin's iconic Liberty Lunch for a special pop-up edition of The Front Market. All in celebration of Austin’s live music community, the Red River Cultural District and the city’s annual Hot Summer Nights festival.
Scroll for more details.
WHAT TO EXPECT
During the pop-up, walk up and down the block to enjoy the one-and-only, 100% free Hot Summer Nights festival, featuring more than 50 shows and live sets by Austin musicians in some of the city's iconic Red River venues.
ALL NIGHT — VINTAGE & HANDMADE POP-UP MARKET:
Enjoy a mini version of The Front Market, featuring 20 booths of curated vintage, handcrafted goods and incredible thrifted finds.
★ Feels So Good
★ Slowpoke Tattoo
★ FINA threads
★ ciggie clippies
★ Future Vagabond
★ Not Bad Hot Stuff
★ Girls Gotta Eat Drag Portraits
★ Honeyy Tooth Gems
★ Mixd Fashion
★ Barrio Pop Studio
★ Jana's Bait Shop
★ From My Pantry Press
★ Love and Rage Studios
★ Bernie’s PFTX Marketplace
★ thelonesomecowgirl
★ Cowboys & Tigers
★ Cointrelle Vintage
★ Corinne Loperfido
★ By FLOR Leathers
6 to 8 PM — DISTRICT DIALOGUES: HOT SUMMER NIGHTS EDITIONS
Lineup coming soon.
8 to 9:30 PM — DJ SET BY ORYA
Orya is a DJ and nighlife curator from Austin Texas. She prides herself on prioritizing women and LGBTQIA+ folk with what she plays and where she plays it. She frequently DJs at Cheer Up Charlies and Coconut Club around town and travels widely for performances across Central Texas. @oryalau
9:30 TO 11 PM — DJ BAD APPLE
Appolonia Chukwu, professionally known as DJ BAD APPLE, is a dynamic Black Nigerian-American DJ, music producer, music supervisor, and writer based in Austin, Texas. DJ BAD APPLE has performed at the world-renowned Concourse project for Seismic Dance Event as well as DJ Mag, Formula 1 and Circuit of the Americas, SXSW, and opened for acts like Thundercat, TSHA, DJ Holographic, Trixie Mattel, Shea Couleé, and more. She is a vocal advocate for Black Women in music. She is a pioneer in amplifying minority voices in the industry, notably as Resident Advisor's first City Manager of Austin, and through her award-winning thesis on Black Women’s cultural production in the music space. Her blend of art and activism forges connections and community, embodying the essence of a modern artist and change-maker. @dj_bad_apple
HOW TO ATTEND
Hot Summer Nights Market is free and open to the public. For updates on the lineup and other event information, please RSVP. When you register, you have the option to donate to our work.
PREPARE YOUR VISIT TO HOT SUMMER NIGHTS:
HOT SUMMER NIGHTS MARKET is free and open to the public on July 18, 2026 as a one-night pop-up for Austin's Hot Summer Nights festival. As a collaboration between Future Front, The Front Market and Red River Cultural District, the market will be located indoors within Stubb’s Liberty Lunch on 801 Red River St.
WHAT IS HOT SUMMER NIGHTS? Hot Summer Nights is an FREE annual three-day district-wide music and arts festival held in the Red River Cultural District located in the heart of downtown Austin. Founded in 2017, Hot Summer Nights was originally created in an effort to provide additional revenue to district members, as well as paid opportunities for musicians and artists in the traditionally slower summer months.
WHEN IS THE FEST? Hot Summer Nights returns on Thursday, July 16 to Saturday, July 18. Music starts in venues around 7pm-8pm nightly. However, we strongly encourage folks to arrive early, explore the District, and experience all of our awesome bars, restaurants, and food trucks.
WHERE IS THE FEST? Hot Summer Nights is in the Red River Cultural District located in Downtown Austin, Texas and spans from 4th Street all the way to 15th Street.
WHO TO SEE AT HOT SUMMER NIGHTS? There are over 100 local musicians performing this summer at the festival!
WHO ORGANIZES HOT SUMMER NIGHTS? Hot Summer Nights is presented by the Red River Cultural District, an Austin nonprofit organization as well as a worldwide cultural tourism destination for authentic live music experiences that is found in the heart of downtown Austin.
The Red River Cultural District is a creative community providing authentic Austin experiences through diverse local music, art and food for every fan and guest. In an ever-changing Austin, the Red River Cultural District seeks to preserve and grow Red River’s creative, business, and music communities.
HOW DOES HOT SUMMER NIGHTS WORK? All Hot Summer Nights concerts are paid performance opportunities! The Red River Cultural District works alongside the network of venues and businesses found within the District to raise funds through corporate sponsors and individual donors.
PARTICIPATING VENUES: Venues participating in the festival are located from 6th Street starting at Flamingo Cantina, continuing all the way down Red River Street, and ending on 10th street at Mohawk.
BEHIND RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT
The Red River Cultural District is a creative community providing authentic Austin experiences through diverse local music, art and food for every fan and guest.
In an ever-changing Austin, the Red River Cultural District seeks to preserve and grow Red River’s creative, business, and music communities.
BEHIND FUTURE FRONT
Homegrown in Austin, Future Front is an award-winning cultural space and public exhibition series—with women and LGBTQ+ creatives at the front.
As a 501c3 arts and culture nonprofit, we produce two annual community-led exhibitions, The Front Market and The Front Festival, platforming independent artists and creatives across disciplines in Texas. Beyond our flagship exhibitions, we host seasonal shows and workshops at our creative space in East Austin, welcoming 25,000+ visitors per year.
Through these programs and a diverse network of partnerships, we invite the public (including you) to dream of a future where local art and creativity thrive in Texas—where we see ourselves and our cultures reflected in our communities.
FUTURE FRONT IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY an Elevate Grant from the Austin Arts, Music, Culture and Entertainment, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Texas Commission on the Arts, The LINE Hotel Austin, Pease Park Conservancy, Preservation Austin, Movability,ART FOR ALL, Partiful, Moontower Rentals, Distribution Hall, Miscellaneous Rentals, Thirstday Tequila, the Red River Cultural District, Topo Chico, as well as Future Front’s donors and members.