The video above takes you through the honky tonk dancing scene in Austin, Texas, covering eight different venues and at least 15 artists across the city. If you're curious what a night out — or a full weekend — of country music and two-stepping actually looks like in Austin, this is a solid overview. David Bridwell filmed across multiple neighborhoods, from South Congress to East Austin, capturing the energy and variety of honky tonk dancing spots that keep people coming back.
Where Are the Best Honky Tonk Dancing Bars in Austin?
If you're looking for places to go dancing to live country music in Austin, here are the venues featured in the video, most of them clustered along or near South Congress and East Austin:
- Joe's Coffee — A South Congress coffee shop that hosts live music on Sunday afternoons, including a sinners brunch with house band performances. A laid-back daytime hangout with surprisingly talented artists.
- ABGB (Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co.) — A brewery with good food and solid space for live music on Sundays, though it fills up fast for popular acts.
- Sagebrush — A popular dance spot south of South Congress with a steady rotation of country and honky tonk bands drawing big crowds.
- Sea Boys — Self-described as the swankiest club in South Congress, with regular live acts and a late-night crowd that often rolls in after Sagebrush lets out.
- White Horse — An East 6th Street staple that gets packed on weekends. Friday and Saturday nights are especially wild, and the Halloween footage in the video shows just how much energy that place holds.
- Continental Club — A well-known South Congress venue with a mix of regular and rotating artists, including frequent Monday night sets.
- Highball — A venue with a big dance floor and a popular Motown Monday night featuring dressed-up performers playing R&B and blues hits.
- Sam's Town Point — A more intimate South Austin spot known for attracting interesting touring and local artists.
Artists Featured in the Video
The video spotlights a wide range of performers you might catch on any given week in Austin. Theo Lawrence gets a special introduction — a French artist who made a quick visit to Austin, won people over, and eventually came back more permanently, now playing venues like Sagebrush, Sea Boys, and the White Horse. Other featured artists include Jenny Miori and Georgia Parker with Joe's House Band, Devon Jake at ABGB, Libby and the Loveless, Weldon Henson, and Bob Apple at Sagebrush, Mike and the Burnalls at Sea Boys, Jimmy Vaughan (guitarist and brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan), Dale Watson and The Mellows at the Continental Club, and Gus Clark and the Least of His Problems.
What Makes Austin's Honky Tonk Scene Different?
What stands out is how many of these venues operate on the same nights, often within a short drive of each other. On a single Sunday, you can catch live music at Joe's Coffee in the afternoon, head to ABGB, move to Sagebrush in the evening, and end up at Sea Boys or White Horse late at night. That kind of density means you're not hunting for something to do — you're choosing between several good options. The crowds move together too, with regulars following bands from one spot to the next. It's not just about any single bar; it's the whole circuit that makes it work.