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November 22, 2024

Introducing 24 Hours in Austin

By: Elizabeth McQueen

ATXplained wants to share a new podcast with you. 24 Hours in Austin tries to answer the question: What does a day in the life of Austin, Texas sound like?

A team of audio producers from KUT spent the last several months documenting a handful of days in the life of Austin. They spent 24 hours straight in one location, talking to anyone who’d talk to them. They found that as big as Austin has gotten, standing still, it gets a little smaller.

Subscribe to 24 Hours in Austin

The first episode is 24 hours on 6th Street during SXSW: Part 1. Sixth Street in downtown Austin is wild enough on a regular night. But for two weeks every March, it gets even crazier when South by Southwest brings thousands of people to town. We spent 24 hours straight on 6th Street, between Congress and I-35 on March 14-15, 2024. Hear the first half of the day in this episode.


Episodes

August 27, 2026

Austin has 14 sister cities. What’s a sister city, anyway?

At Austin City Hall, a sign points to each of Austin’s international sister cities. The sister cities program dates back almost 60 years. Our question asker knows a lot about this, but she wants more people to know.

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August 13, 2026

What’s the story behind the huge Adirondack chair in front of this Austin church?

Landmarks are everywhere for those with eyes to see.

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July 30, 2026

BONUS: A live riff on our Master Pancake story at ATXplained Live in October 2025

John Erler from Master Pancake Theater joins us to riff on the story about him as it’s performed live. There’s also video of this story. It helps — especially during the snake part.

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July 30, 2026

How did Austin’s ‘Master Pancake’ get started?

A fan of the movie-riffing show at the Alamo Drafthouse wanted to know more about how they got their start. Don’t miss the bonus episode after this one — a recording of the ATXplained Live where this story gets riffed on live!

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July 16, 2026

What happened to all the fireflies in Austin?

The summer air is supposed to filled with magical, twinkling insects. But you might have noticed — depending on where you live in Austin — that there don’t seem to be as many of them lately. KUT’s Chelsey Zhu went on a bug hunt.

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July 2, 2026

Is this Fourth of July tradition in Northwest Austin the work of some kind of cult?

Austin’s weirdest Independence Day parade has been going for decades. Now the husband of one participant wants answers: how did it begin and why do dozens of women (and a few men) do march like this every year? Watch this story at our May 21, 2026 ATXplained Live at Bass Concert Hall — including a […]

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June 4, 2026

What happens to all the dead animals the city collects from roads in Austin?

Thousands of animals are picked up from the road around Austin every year. But where do these animals go when they die?

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May 7, 2026

Was Austin’s Barton Springs sacred to Indigenous people before Europeans showed up?

The springs that feed Barton Springs were formed millions of years ago. So what have human relationships with Austin’s “Crown Jewel” been like in that time?

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