Micheal Foulk

When you’re looking for the best things to do in Austin, a few things come to mind: Live music. BBQ. But comedy? While it wasn’t always a main attraction, the comedy scene in Austin has exploded over the past decade with incredible improv, sketch and stand-up shows happening across the city every day of the week. The bottom line? In Austin, you’re never far from a good laugh.

Following the release of his award-winning 2017 poetry collection Nature Poem, author and hilarious podcast Food 4 Thot co-host Tommy Pico toured the country reading his work. His third collection, Junk, launches in May and is concerned with the impermanence of relationships, people and things; what happens to the hotel room after you leave it, what happens to the chair you throw away, who are we after our use changes. Before the LGBTQ POC artist  joins his Food 4 Thot hosts at a live edition at Housing Works on January 22, he spoke with queer activist and organizer Micheal Foulk about growing up on a American Indian reservation, poetry, activism and his creative process. How would you describe Junk? Junk is a breakup poem in couplets that is primarily concerned with utility and use and what happens when you’re in between. It asks what happens when a marker of your identity, like a pillar of your identity gets taken away. If you’re defined by your relationship or your job or your apartment or city that you live in…how do you reclaim your identity when one of those things disappears? What are you if not what surrounds you? When I was a kid on the [Viejas] reservation, my mom worked in a thrift shop, and I was so enamored with all of this junk in the shop, but was sad that not all of it would find a home. These things had lost their use, their identity. I found junk shops to be an experience of profound ambivalence. Your books are very distinct from one other. How do you indi

Every town has a gay bar that’s been around longer than most of its patrons, and Oilcan Harry’s is Austin’s (the bar opened in 1990). Catch your favorite drag queens from RuPaul's Drag Race on Sunday nights during the Super Sunday Divas Show, or stop in on Fridays to sashay on the dance floor with DJ Tony Castro. Harry’s welcomes folks 18+ on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and features a side gay sports bar, called Score, for watching the game.

The home of the hirsute, Iron Bear is Austin’s bear bar with nightly events geared towards those looking to leave their shirts at home. Geeks Who Drink host trivia on Thursday nights, and every Musical Mondays bring your favorite broadway classics to life with DJ Mike Horton. Iron Bear also has some of the cheapest drinks around: $2 Lonestars and $3 well drinks on most nights. Keep an eye out for the night party “SERVICE;” this event sporadically pops up on Fridays with a massive lineup of local DJs and always packs the dance floor.

The first Monday of every month, ATX comedian Micheal Foulk invites you to Barrel O’ Fun to learn something while you drink. Three local guests share films and clips that influenced their queer identity. Have you ever noticed how Batman Forever is a queer narrative? Oy, they'll tell you all about it! No Cover.

Local drag heroes host regular shows at Elysium including the Hail Yasss party pitting drag queens against each other through the music of two classic divas. The party also includes Die Felicia screenings of throwback horror films with drag accompaniment. Every third Thursday and various other dates. $5 to $10 cover.

Every Tuesday night you’ll find Barbarella packed with folks looking to shake off that mid-week haze on the dance floor. The crowd is typically college aged and the music fits the hipster vibe Austin has become known for. No cover before 11pm.

Every Wednesday night, DJ Girlfriend spins dance, house and soul jams for this queer dance party. Keep it simple and groovy. 8 pm. No cover.

Night Tropics is a monthly dance night featuring rotating artists like DJ Mouthfeel spinning dark dance at an eastside dive bar. This spot is a bit off the beaten path—make it your own before everyone else finds out. Held every third Thursday. No cover.

Drag Queen Chique Fil-Atio recently relocated this monthly variety show to Carousel Lounge after it outgrew its original home at the Austin Toy Museum. Head up north to see comedians, queens and performance artists moving to the beats of DJ Isabella Von Black. Proceeds go to Hops For Heroes college funds. Third weekend of every month; $5 cover.

Primarily an improv conservatory, this warehouse theater is known for its whiteboard suggestion-based improv show Highly Suggestible. If you're looking for stand-up, check out the showcases Laugh Out Proud or Smile More. The Institution maintains a very welcoming vibe, often involving the audience in their performances. Tickets will run $5 to $10, often with proceeds going to local charities like the Austin Justice Coalition.

Velveeta Room (more commonly known as The Velv) has been a central star on the Austin comedy map. Inside you’ll find a long, narrow candlelit seating area for up to 70 people, capped by a small polished bar and a modest curtained wooden stage. Come through on Thursdays to catch local comics working through new material at the Speed Mic or watch headliners like Avery Moore and Jimmy Pardo on the weekends. Ticket prices vary.

Housed in a strip mall off 183, this North Austin hub has been an integral part of the comedy scene for 32 years. Once a second home for groundbreaking Texas comics Bill Hicks and Sam Kinison, Cap is now nationally known for the annual Funniest Person in Austin contest and hosting touring comics like Anthony Jeselnik every weekend. The main audience area fits up to 350 people, while the front lounge comfortably seats 120 and features a smaller stage for weekly shows like “Punch” on Tuesdays hosted by Austin favorite Matt Bearden. Featuring a full bar and kitchen, Cap City is the epitome of a classic comedy club—right down to the two item minimum and intensely popular shows (snag those tickets early!). Ticket prices vary.

Since opening in 1977, vaudeville has been alive and well at Ester’s on 6th street, where magic, dancing and sketch comedy are incorporated together in a rehearsed weekly show. Follies is the perfect spot to bring visiting family members for a night of SNL-style comedy and drinks. Notable former cast members include Master Of None’s Noel Wells and Austin counterculture figure Kerry Awn. Shows run Thursday through Saturday and this place gets packed with visitors, so buy those tickets at least a day before you plan to attend. General admission tickets are $25.