Fusebox Festival: April 15-19, 2026

The Fusebox 2026 biennial marked a major evolution for the organization. Spanning 35 locations across the city, the festival featured 114 events that transformed theaters, galleries, parks, and public spaces into sites for artistic discovery and shared experience. The expanded footprint welcomed new audiences while deepening relationships with longtime supporters, reaffirming the festival’s role as a city-wide platform for artists, connection, and possibility.

The biennial brings together artists working across performance, visual art, film, dance, music, writing, design, and more. They span generations, disciplines, and perspectives, but share a belief in the power of live experiences to spark curiosity, connection, and conversation. Some of our artists are MacArthur Fellows, Grammy winners, and creators of acclaimed films, and performance works. Others are artists you may not know yet, but who we believe are every bit as extraordinary.

Photo: Annie-B Parson & Alla Kovgan, The Oath, video still, 2025. Courtesy the artist. ©Big Dance Theater

What is a typical Fusebox show like?

Every show is pretty different. We present artists working across film, theater, dance, visual art, literature, and music. Some projects are joyful and family-friendly. Some are provocative and challenging. Most live somewhere in between.

What connects them:
They crack open the ordinary.
They stretch what feels possible.

At the heart of Fusebox is a deep love of the live experience. We believe in gathering. We believe in sitting next to strangers, in shared attention, in using our imaginations together.

Investing in the creation process

The festival also plays a direct role in the commissioning and creation of new work from select artists each year. We believe Austin should be a place where art is created (and supported), not just consumed.

As an organization founded by artists, we value paying artists. It’s our single biggest festival expense.