Texas Burlesque Festival 2026 — Shows & Workshops
- Texas Burlesque Festival returns to Austin on May 14-16, 2026, with opening night at Elysium and two competition nights at the Long Center. - Headliners include Eros Sea, Jessabelle Thunder, and burlesque legend Madame E, plus a $25 Jessebelle Thunder workshop on May 16. - The festival says it is one of the world's oldest, founded in 2007, and this year's run includes ASL interpretation.
Austin’s Texas Burlesque Festival is back this week — but the dates matter, because the event does not run May 11-14. The official festival runs Thursday, May 14 through Saturday, May 16, 2026, with opening night at Elysium and the main stage shows on Friday and Saturday at the Rollins Theatre inside the Long Center. It’s a performance festival first, but also a training and community weekend, with workshops, mixers, vendors, and the usual burlesque-festival mix of glamour, comedy, and craft. ### So when is it, exactly? The schedule is pretty clean. Thursday, May 14 is the “Opening Night Extravaganza” at Elysium Nightclub. Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 shift to the Rollins Theatre at the Long Center. Elysium doors open at 8 p.m. with a 9 p.m. show; the Long Center nights open at 7 p.m. with an 8 p.m. curtain. (texasburlesquefestival.com) ### What kind of event is this? Basically, it’s a multi-night showcase for modern burlesque, cabaret, and vaudeville-style performance. The festival pitches itself as a “hoedown and showdown” for performers from Texas, the U.S., and abroad, and says the weekend includes performances, workshops, parties, and brunch or roundtable-style community events. That matters because this isn’t just a ticketed night out — it’s also a networking and skills weekend for performers. (texasburlesquefestival.com) ### Who are the big names this year? The headline names are already posted. Eros Sea from New Orleans leads Thursday night. Jessabelle Thunder from Los Angeles headlines Friday. Madame E, billed as the festival’s Legend of Burlesque, is the featured icon on Saturday. Hosting duties are split between Gemmi Galactic on Thursday, Nikki DaVaughn on Friday, and **World Famous *BOB* on Saturday. ([texasburlesquefestival.com](https://texasburlesquefestival.com/about-the-festival/)) The Friday lineup also spotlights Austin troupe Bat City Bombshells. ### Are there workshops, or is it just shows? There is at least one clearly posted 2026 workshop so far — and it’s a real one, not just a placeholder. “Boa-dacious Moves with Jessebelle Thunder” runs Saturday, May 16 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. onstage at the Rollins Theatre. It’s open to beginners and experienced performers, asks people to bring a boa or long scarf, and costs $25, with fees going to the instructor. ([texasburlesquefestival.com](https://texasburlesquefestival.com/)) ### What’s the vibe of opening night? Thursday looks more like a mixer-performance hybrid than a formal theater competition night. The festival promises cocktails, mocktails, mingling, and a show packed with visiting performers, plus a chance to meet Madame E and other artists in town for the weekend. It’s also 18+ only, which is worth knowing before you make plans. ([texasburlesquefestival.com](https://texasburlesquefestival.com/workshops/)) ### Is this a big deal in burlesque terms? Turns out, yes. The organizers say the festival was founded in 2007 and is now one of the oldest festivals in the world. It’s produced by Texas Burlesque Productions, a Texas nonprofit focused on burlesque, cabaret, and vaudeville performance, with an emphasis on education and community-building alongside stage work. ([texasburlesquefestival.com](https://texasburlesquefestival.com/thursday-night/)) ### Anything practical to know before going? A few things. Tickets are live now, prices listed by Visit Austin run about $25 to $55, and the Long Center nights note ASL interpreters. There are also vendors across the festival weekend, which usually makes the lobby and pre-show hang feel more like a convention-meets-nightlife event than a straight theater booking. ([texasburlesquefestival.com](https://texasburlesquefestival.com/about-the-festival/)) ### Bottom line If you were planning around a May 11-14 listing, the key correction is simple — the actual festival dates are May 14-16, 2026**. From there, the shape of the weekend is clear: Thursday for the party-starting showcase, Friday and Saturday for the bigger theater nights, and at least one hands-on workshop for people who want to learn the craft, not just watch it. (texasburlesquefestival.com) (austintexas.org)
