The video above captures a Friday night walk along East 6th Street, showcasing the east Austin nightlife scene from the sidewalk-level perspective of someone just out bar hopping after a gig. David Bridwell had just finished performing at Fierce Whiskers Distillery earlier that evening and decided to wander the strip, taking in the energy of the neighborhood on a packed weekend night. The footage gives you a real feel for what this area is like — people on scooters, Ubers pulling up, food trucks, murals on the walls, and bars spilling crowds onto the sidewalks.
What Is East 6th Street Like on a Weekend Night?
East 6th Street sits east of I-35, and it's a completely different world from Dirty 6th on the other side of the highway. The neighborhood has a more hipster, gentrified feel — cocktail bars mixed in with food truck parks, vintage shops, galleries, and modern condos sitting right next to older homes. On a Friday or Saturday night, the sidewalks fill up with people walking from bar to bar. A lot of the crowd is younger transplants or visitors passing through Austin. You can walk for several blocks and just take in the mood of it all, which is exactly what this video does.
Where Can You Find Live Music and Drinks on East 6th?
The video walks past a solid lineup of spots along this stretch. Here are the venues and bars featured or mentioned:
- White Horse — A honky tonk that gets packed on weekends with dancers and live country and Americana bands; the line can stretch to the sidewalk on Friday and Saturday nights
- Hotel Vegas — A popular live music venue known for hosting local and touring acts in a laid-back East Austin setting
- Volstead Lounge — Connected to Hotel Vegas, a cocktail bar that also hosts live music
- The Scoot Inn — A historic venue with deep roots in Austin's music scene; shows here draw big crowds
- Il Bruto — A corner spot that features background music and occasional live bands, often drawing a visitor-heavy crowd
- Whistle's — A well-known cocktail bar on East 6th, popular for its drinks and atmosphere
- Lowdown Lounge — A neighborhood bar with a casual, low-key feel
- Liberty Bar — A laid-back spot good for grabbing a drink along the strip
- Grizzle — A bar and restaurant along the East 6th corridor
- In Cahoots Inn — A spot that houses multiple places for drinks, including the Austin Garden and Studio Rooftop Bar
- Latchkey — A cocktail bar tucked into the East 6th mix
- Cisco's Restaurant — A longtime TexMex institution with deep roots in the East Austin neighborhood, going back decades
- Fierce Whiskers Distillery — An Austin-based distillery where David Bridwell played a set earlier in the evening; they distill, age, and bottle whiskey right here in Austin
Live Music Highlights from This Night
The real highlight of the night was catching music at the White Horse, which had a stacked lineup: The Mellows, followed by Croy and the Boys, and then Sentimental Family Band going on at midnight. The place was full of a mix of serious two-steppers and folks who found their dancing legs a few drinks in. If you're looking for a genuine honky tonk experience on the east side of Austin, that's the spot to hit on a weekend night.