Reunion

You’re invited to Future Front’s first-annual Reunion, a retreat-style weekend for current and former staff members, board members and advisors. Hosted ahead of Future Front’s org-wide, hands-on strategic planning meetings in January, this Reunion is a low-pressure moment for us to gather, reflect and get creative.

ALL WEEKEND

WALK TO DOWNTOWN CREATIVE SPACES FOR ART, CULTURE & LOCAL EATS.

REUNION 2025 SCHEDULE

DAY 1: OCTOBER 18

9 AM TO 1 PM • FUTURE FRONT • 1900 EAST 12TH STREET

To kick off this year’s Reunion, we’re starting our weekend at Future Front’s recently renovated studio on 1900 East 12th. Please arrive no later than 9:20 AM, if you’re registered for this portion of the weekend.

1 TO 2:30 PM • COMMUNITY GARDEN • 1401 CEDAR AVENUE

Head to local haunt community garden for

DAY 2: SEPTEMBER 20

12 TO 5 PM • PIECING TOGETHER: MOSAIC WORKSHOP • 522 E 6TH STREET

On Day Two, the party begins with a collaborative mural by The Mosaic Workshop. Drop by their interactive workshop to contribute your creativity to a community-designed mural of DJ Diggy Dutch, reflecting the live music culture of Austin. (While the mural is built outside, you can also catch DJ Diggy Dutch spinning inside from 1 to 4 PM.)

Co-founded by artists J Muzacz and Carmen Rangel, The Mosaic Workshop is a creative hub in Austin, Texas that teaches the art of mosaic-making through hands-on classes, collaborative team-building activities and monumental public art installations.

12 TO 5 PM • ATX MENDING LAB WITH SLOW FASHION FESTIVAL • 508 E 6TH STREET

Slow Fashion Festival takes over 508 E 6th Street for Day Two with all-day mending labs, a large community clothing swap and live quilting demonstrations. Ready to dive in, alongside talented makers and slow fashion designers? Here’s what you can expect (and bring):

  • Clothing Swap — Bring pieces to trade and give your garments a new life.

  • Garment Stories — Share the story of a piece you love or are ready to pass on.

  • DIY Upcycle + Community Quilt — Add patches, paint or stitching to your clothes, or contribute a square to a collective quilt.

  • Repair Lounge — Learn simple fixes with volunteer menders & see stitch demos in action.

  • Austin Repair Wishes — Write down what you wish could be repaired in our city and add it to the community clothesline.

Slow Fashion Festival is a community-driven celebration of creativity, craftsmanship and conscious consumption. Homegrown in Austin, they champion a thoughtful approach to style that honors the stories behind our garments and minimizes environmental impact.

6:00 PM • SHAKE IT AFRICA • 508 E 6TH STREET

Afrobeats meets Austin, Texas. Closing out VIBE's inaugural weekend, end your day with dynamic performances, dance workshops and DJ sets from Shake It Africa.

Collaboratively founded by musician Jon Muq, music leader Kevin Wommack and manager Alva Sim, Shake It Africa brings people together through sound, rhythm and community. This isn't just a party. It's a cultural vibe.

ABOUT THE PILOT LOCATION

Old 6th Street

As the heart of Austin for over a hundred years, Old 6th Street contains much more than just history. In its two-mile stretch of pavement, an open-minded traveler will find all the buzz, lights, music and memory-making fuel that has made Texas’ capital its undeniable cultural capital as well. The Street of Dreams, as it was once called, was always much more than just a line on a map.

It was a place. A place in the memory of everyone who ever traveled that cobblestone lane, whether by horseback in 1899 or on Craig’s back that one night in 1999. It was a place that defied segregation and welcomed all to its shops. It was a place that gave artists like Stevie Ray Vaughn and The Grateful Dead their first taste of the limelight. And it was a place where new restaurants, theaters, hotels, and ideas all had a fair shot to earn their spot deep in the heart of Texans.

Now, Stream Realty is managing the redevelopment of Old 6th with special care—to preserve 31 of its unique historic parcels (totaling 200,000 sq. ft.) and a core part of Austin’s history.

A main street in a small town with cars parked along both sides, trees lining the street, and storefronts with signs, with an overlay of orange hue and the words 'VIBE DOWNTOWN' in black in the lower right corner.

About VIBE Downtown

VIBE Downtown was designed to fund $30,000 in commissions for local artists and creatives, emerging from a year-long public engagement process facilitated by 501c3 arts and culture organization, Future Front Texas. Reflecting feedback from cultural stakeholders, VIBE offers more than a weekend to remember. The experience builds a bridge toward gaps in economic prosperity and addresses urgent needs to cultivate art, culture and community downtown.

APPLY TO FUTURE OPEN CALLS →
READ THE REPORT →

BE A FOUNDING PARTNER IN 2026.

Made possible by the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation, VIBE is on a mission to nurture the vibe, vitality and vibrancy of Downtown Austin. Future iterations of VIBE will include a citywide day to celebrate spaces downtown.

To inquire about founding partner and sponsorship options, please email foundation@downtownaustin.com.

PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES →

VIBE is an official Future Front Public Space Partnership.

Alongside partners, Future Front pioneers unique, community-based models for cultural programming and place-making initiatives in all kinds of spaces—from museums to city streets to public parks—around three core pillars: Creative Community-Building, Creative Wellness and Creative Belonging.

Over the last decade, we have collaborated directly with like-minded companies and organizations to bring expanded versions of our programs and community design frameworks to the public. We regularly co-found, design, curate and manage a range of public place-making programs with partner organizations, like Pride Picnic.

Learn more.