The disco ball over Fruth Street spins for a second act. The 29th Street Ballroom at 2906 Fruth Street, in Austin's campus district, is the storied room once known as the United States Art Authority and later Spider House Ballroom - now revived under its old name by a supergroup of Austin hospitality operators: the teams behind Hotel Vegas, Chess Club, Resound Presents, Yellow Jacket Social Club, Little Darlin' and the neighbouring bar Tweedy's, which occupies the former Spider House Cafe next door at 2908. The takeover carries history in both directions. Brian Tweedy and Jason McNeely learned their booking trade in this very ballroom before leaving in 2012 to build Hotel Vegas and the much-missed Barracuda; the partners describe the return as their second chance at a mid-sized room, the tier Austin lost during the pandemic closures. Graham Williams and Ian Orth - the bookers formerly behind Margin Walker - handle the calendar through Resound Presents, which keeps national touring acts flowing between the local bills. The venue self-describes as your second living room: solid hangs, loud music, cold drinks, warm food, a place for everyone - and the programming backs the breadth, adding comedy and theatre to the indie, punk and electronic staples, with the courtyard opening the operation up in the warm months. Parking on Fruth fills fast on show nights; the small lot and street spots go early, and the campus location keeps the crowd walkable anyway. The Fruth Street lot's deeper history gives the revival its charge: as Spider House Cafe and Ballroom the corner defined campus-area bohemia from 1995 onward, and the art-filled patio next door - now Tweedy's - remains one of Austin's most loved outdoor rooms. The new partnership pointedly rebuilt the operation as a community space rather than a pure music venue, and the early calendars, mixing touring indie bills with local showcases and comedy, have kept that promise.

Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: 2906 Fruth Street, Austin, TX, United States, 78705

Website: https://www.29thstreetballroom.com

Serves Food

Outdoor Area