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Hill Country festival throws eclipse party with camping and Texas bands

Music lovers will flock to Utopia to watch concerts and the eclipse in nature.

Plans are being laid across Texas to watch the eclipse occurring on Monday April 8, when the sky will darken and the sun will disappear except for a glowing backlight.

Utopia, Texas, 340 miles southwest of Dallas, lies right in the center of the eclipse path and will provide a ringside seat via UtopiaFest, the long-running 14-year-old music festival which in 2024 will capitalize on the eclipse with a specially-timed rendition taking place April 5-9. (Previous renditions took place in the fall.)

The five-day festival will be located at the Four Sisters Ranch, a 1000-acre countryside stay with hiking and camping facilities in the Hill Country between Garner State Park and Lost Maples State Natural Area.

The festival offers a variety of passes, ranging from a short three-day pass to the full five days. Every person attending needs one of the following passes:

Sunday-Tuesday, $350
Saturday-Tuesday, $400
Friday-Tuesday, $430
Sterling Pass, $600, spanning the full Friday-Tuesday stay with expedited entry, entrance for any vehicle, premium camp site, and access to Sterling lounge

All passes include free parking and tent camping, with available park-and-unload by campgrounds.

There are also passes if you want to drive in and "car camp" or if you want to bring an RV, with limited power hookups available, and separate passes for kids and teens ($20 to $40). Dogs are an additional $150.

The festival recently released its lineup of nearly 50 acts spread across two stages, dominated by Texas artists including Dallas band The Texas Gentlemen, who will perform on "eclipse day," Monday April 8, along with acts such as Ghostland Observatory, Phoebe Hunt, and The Mighty Orq.

In the U.S., eclipse "totality" will begin in Texas at 1:27 pm (and will end in Maine at 3:35 pm Eastern time, or 2:35 Texas time). Austin funk/soul ensemble Sir Woman gets the honor of performing during the magic moment, says Utopiafest co-founder Travis Sutherland.

This was meant to be the festival's last year, but the announcement hints that the camping festival may return. "We can't wait for one last Four Sisters Ranch party (for now)!" it says.

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Brianna Caleri contributed to this story.

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Long-awaited blooms

Museum at UT Austin unveils French café from acclaimed restaurant team

Photo by Barbara FG

Artsy photos show a strong point of view at Café Fleurs de Nuit.

Visitors to Austin's Blanton Museum of Art will soon have an excuse to linger even longer over breakfast, a cocktail, or other French classics. Café Fleurs de Nuit, a new concept by the team behind Austin's leading French restaurant, Justine’s Brasserie, will open Friday, November 20.

The concept was originally announced in 2024, went quiet for a couple years, and updated Texans and travelers in March of 2026. Since then the team's been drumming up a little more pre-opening intrigue. In the past few weeks some artsy new photos that would be right at home in a fashion magazine appeared on social media.

$Caf\u00e9 Fleurs de Nuit at Blanton Museum$ There will probably be lots of fashionable visitors to the new café.Photo by Barbara FG

$Caf\u00e9 Fleurs de Nuit at Blanton Museum$

Photo by Barbara FG

Artsy photos show a strong point of view at Café Fleurs de Nuit.

"Fleurs de Nuit" means "night-blooming flowers" in French. Unlike the flowers, the concept brings the museum to bloom all day, though it does stay open a bit later each day. The museum itself closes at 5 pm most days and 8 pm on Saturdays, and the café will be open until 6 or 10 pm. It also opens earlier than the museum Tuesdays through Fridays, so guests don't have to worry about cutting into their art-viewing time if they want a really full day. Grab-and-go items will be available for even quicker stops.

The current food menu is compact, featuring eight dishes. Of course, there's a classic omelette with Boursin cheese and two quiches: one with bacon lardons and gruyère cheese, and the other with spinach, mushrooms, leeks, and more gruyère. Three tartines (toasts) prop up avocado, salmon, and cheese with honey, respectively. Two more breakfasts round it out: a croissant sandwich with breakfast sausage and the Justine's Breakfast with a soft boiled egg, cured salmon, crème fraîche, and sourdough toast.

$Caf\u00e9 Fleurs de Nuit at Blanton Museum$ France is present in everything at Café Fleurs de Nuit.Photo by Barbara FG

Guests at the 2026 Austin Food and Wine Festival on Sunday, November 8, also got to try a dish in advance of the opening: chicken sausage with sauce ravigote, crispy alliums, and toasted brioche. However, that dish doesn't appear on the current online menu.

The Blanton Museum is located at the University of Texas at Austin. The café overlooks its grounds, plus the famous cathedral-inspired structure Austin by Ellsworth Kelly, and the Texas State Capitol. The interior was designed by Joel Mozersky, best known for his work for Uchi, and was inspired by Parisian cafés.

$Caf\u00e9 Fleurs de Nuit at Blanton Museum$ The café is close to the city, but peacefully removed.Photo by Barbara FG

Café Fleurs de Nuit will be open from 8 am-6 pm Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 am-10 pm Saturdays, and 10 am-6 pm Sundays.

museums visual art openings french cuisine breakfast cocktails bars ut university of texas travel austin