It's springtime in Central Texas, and one of our favorite months of the year to get out and explore Austin.

Here are some of the events we're most looking forward to.

ABC Kite Fest (April 11)

A must-do spring tradition in Austin in its 98th year, with more than 10,000 kites in Zilker Park from 10am-5pm. Be sure to enter your kite in the free contest.

Moontower Comedy Festival (April 7–18)

More than 100 comics take over 11 venues across 11 days at Moontower. Find the full schedule online and purchase a badge (starting at $99) or daily wristbands ($50 plus fees).

• Headliners include Lucy Darling, Vir Das, Kathy Griffin, Roy Wood Jr., Brad Williams, Leslie Jones, Sarah Sherman and Meg Stalter.

Statesman Cap10K (April 12)

One of the nation's largest road races draws tens of thousands of runners downtown and ends with a finish line festival at Auditorium Shores.

• You can still register to run for $75.

Fusebox Festival (April 15–19)

A multidisciplinary arts festival bringing live performances, installations, theater, dance and music to unexpected places around Austin.

• Find the full schedule online. Ticket prices vary, and attendees have the option to pay what they can.

Austin Reggae Festival (April 17-19)

Musicians, artists and food vendors take over Auditorium Shores for this three-day festival.

• Single-day and full weekend passes are still available, starting at $53.

Austin Blues Festival (April 25-26)

Jimmie Vaughan & Friends, Eric Johnson, Adrian Quesada's Boleros Psicodélicos and George Clinton are among the performers at this year's festival at Moody Amphitheater.

• Tickets start at $89 for 1-day tickets.

Eeyore's Birthday Celebration (April 25)

You can't miss this daylong tradition in Pease Park. Expect live music, costumes, drum circles, food and vibes.

• Free for all ages.

Tuesday Twilights

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center continues its Tuesday Twilights tradition, allowing visitors to enjoy music, eat dinner and stay late on Tuesdays.

• Weekly through May 12, 5-8pm and included with admission, which starts at $15.

One more event

A major overhaul of one of Big Bend National Park's most popular visitor hubs has been scrapped weeks before construction was scheduled to start.

Why it matters: Big Bend is one of Texas' top natural attractions, and the project cancellation leaves the park's busiest hiking destination open for the foreseeable future.

The big picture: The National Park Service had planned a multimillion-dollar project to rebuild the Chisos Mountains Lodge and other Chisos Basin facilities.

• Construction was slated to begin on May 1 and would have closed the area for roughly two years.

What they're saying: "Since the project's approval and budget allocation in 2019, unforeseen challenges, including design complexities and implementation delays, have significantly extended the timeline," per an NPS announcement.

• "Additionally, construction costs have risen sharply since 2019, resulting in a substantial budget shortfall."

State of play: The NPS plans to request bids for rehabilitating the Chisos Basin water system, excluding the lodge rebuild and other upgrades.

• A timeline is still being finalized.

Context: Built in 1964, the lodge houses a restaurant, gift shop and administrative offices. The mid-century modern structure's large windows offer stunning views, but unstable clay soils have severely damaged the foundation and other key parts of the building.

• The rebuild would have been funded by the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund.

What's next: Big Bend National Park, including the Chisos Basin, remains fully open to visitors.

🏀 The University of Texas women's basketball team lost to eventual NCAA champion UCLA on Friday night, 51-44. (ESPN)

🕯️ Longtime meteorologist Dan Robertson, who worked in Texas for 20 years at KXAN, KEYE and Spectrum News, died last week. (MySA)

🎓 University of Texas officials said they will consolidate ethnic and gender studies departments this fall, earlier than some faculty members had been expecting. (KUT)

✏️ Texas' new Office of the Ombudsman — created to investigate alleged violations of state laws relating to universities— has been accepting complaints for months without clear written policies on how investigations are conducted. (Texas Tribune)

I needed a specific tile for my hand. Within minutes, it was discarded by my opponent and taken out of play. Time for a new plan.

• Pivoting happens a lot in mahjong. It's also kind of the point, writes our Austin-based colleague Sami Sparber.

Why it matters: Mahjong, the centuries-old Chinese game, isn't just trending. It's "one of the best things that you can do for your brain," says Gregg Swain, a historian of the game with a doctorate in clinical psychology.

The big picture: A 2024 review of 53 studies found mahjong is linked to better cognitive and psychological outcomes in older adults — though researchers say more work is needed to understand exactly why.

• The game fires up strategic thinking, pattern recognition and memory, which can support healthy aging.

Zoom in: As a remote worker, my favorite part of mahjong is the togetherness.

• My friends and I have gathered every Tuesday to play mahjong, rotating between our apartments near Seaholm and coffee shops like Mañana.
• We've marked birthdays, holidays and even an engagement along the way.

More benefits

Speaking of Big Bend, the Trump administration appears to have scrapped its plans for a border barrier through West Texas and Big Bend.

Driving the news: Following pushback from residents and officials from both parties, the administration has removed the plans from the U.S. Customers and Border Protection (CBP) website.

• Now, the agency's website shows plans to install detection technology along the border in the Big Bend area.

Reality check: Residents say they remain concerned and it's unclear if the plans are final.