Part of the Gay Austin Guide — bars, events & things to do.
Austin, Texas
Queer Red River dive with live music and vegan cocktails.
Cheer Up Charlie's is a queer-owned, woman-run bar and live-music venue in Austin's Red River Cultural District, and one of the most beloved fixtures of the city's independent music scene. It's an indoor-outdoor space: a stage and bar inside, plus a large outdoor area with its own bar, a hillside, and room for the food trucks and crowds that turn up for shows. The identity is part music club, part queer community hub, with programming that runs to live bands, drag, dance nights, art events, and storytelling. The bar is known for plant-based, vegan-friendly cocktails made with fresh juice and kombucha alongside a deep local beer list. The crowd is genuinely all-comers and the patio is dog-friendly. During SXSW and ACL it's one of the city's marquee independent stages; the rest of the year it's the kind of place locals fold into their week. Come for a show, stay for the patio.
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