Austin

Austin is the original home of the “Keep ___ Weird” campaign. While Austinites are quick to say Keep Austin Weird, outsiders are left to wonder what really makes the city one. Well, there are many peculiar and unique attractions and sites that can only be found in Austin.

One of the weirdest things they have is the presence of the Museum of the Weird. As the name implies, the museum is filled with weird and disturbing things. It houses live giant lizards, shrunken heads, mummies and a huge collection of freak animals such as the Fiji mermaid, the two-headed chicken, the frog with teeth and many more. This place is located on Austin’s famous Sixth Street.

The bats making a home under the Congress Avenue Bridge are also one of the things that are peculiar to Austin. The flight of hundreds of thousands to a million of Mexican free-tailed bats on the sunsets of summer is something that can only be observed in the Austin’s city skyline.

Another thing that is symbolic of weirdness in Austin is the game Chicken Shit Bingo. This game involves letting loose a chicken in a checkerboard where it is allowed to poop. This attraction started in 2002 and can be seen in Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon.

Austin also has one of the wackiest festivals as a parody of spam known as Spamarama. It is an annual competitive cook-off held in the month of March.

Finally, this city has one of the most unique movie theaters. The Alamo Drafthouse has this weird event Alamo’s Weird Wednesday which features cult classics at midnight.

When you go around Austin, you will likely stumble upon T-shirts, mugs, stickers and billboards bearing the words “Keep Austin Weird”. Keep Austin Weird is the unofficial slogan that identifies the city of Austin. Although not sanctioned by the government, this slogan has gained so much popularity in similar fashion as the other famous Austin moniker – “The Live Music Capital of the World”. But where did this slogan came from?

The phrase was believed to be coined by Red Wassenich in 2000. He said he blurted the words out after a fundraising event to an Austin radio station. Later on, the phrase became popular it was printed on bumper stickers. Wassenich went on to operate a website keepaustinweird.com and launched a book entitled Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of the Town. The slogan, however, was trademarked by Outhouse Designs and the company capitalized on it by marketing T-shirts, mugs and hats.

The term was also adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance as its body’s official slogan. The phrase became even more popular when it was used as a campaign slogan by local businesses to fight off bigger and outsider businesses. The local bookstore, BookPeople and the local music store, Waterloo Records protested in 2002 against the arrival and development of bookstore giant, Borders just across their street. Their use of the Keep Austin Weird slogan made their efforts a total success.

This odd city slogan was also adopted by other places like Louisville, KY and Portland, OR. So, don’t be surprised if you encounter “Keep Louisville Weird” or “Keep Portland Weird” slogans. The original, of course, came from Austin.