The first-ever KUT Festival has officially started. The community event celebrating Austin and public media began Friday at the LBJ Presidential Library with an evening of conversations on journalism and the national political landscape.
Saturday’s festivities in East Austin include musical performances, author talks, podcast tapings and panels with local leaders on the biggest issues facing the region.
It’s not too late to attend! The second day’s events take place at Central Machine Works and East End Ballroom from morning until early evening — and they’re all free. Check the festival website for the full lineup, transportation options and other logistics.
KUT News will share highlights and photos from the festival below.
Day 1 features U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, NPR CEO Katherine Maher and other media leaders
The need to bridge political divides and the power of independent media were big themes of Friday’s events.
The first day of the festival opened with a panel on the future of public radio journalism with industry leaders Maria Hinojosa, Leila Fadel and Domenico Montanaro, followed by an interview with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.
Lorianne Willett
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KUT News
Maria Hinojosa, anchor of Latino USA, discusses the state of journalism in 2026 during the festival’s keynote program.
The journalists described the challenges that public media faces today, from a lack of representation to the prevalence of political violence to coverage of the Trump administration.
“The relationship between this administration and journalists is not normal,” said Hinojosa, founder of Futuro Media Group and anchor of Latino USA. “I don’t think that we can be living in a Pollyanna world where we think that the rules of the game haven’t changed.”
Lorianne Willett
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KUT News
Montanaro speaks during the “Future of Public Radio Journalism” panel at the LBJ Presidential Library.
The discussions came at a pertinent time for KUT Public Media, which is in a public dispute with the University of Texas at Austin that resulted in major changes to the KUT Festival.
Speaking on next steps for the industry, the panelists stressed the need to involve the audience in conversations about coverage and keep up with all the platforms on which people find news.
Lorianne Willett
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KUT News
Booker takes a photo with Sara Sarrat following his appearance at the event.
On stage with NPR’s Montanaro, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., called for a variety of political changes — including setting term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices and amending the Senate filibuster.
Many of his calls to action were in response to questions about current events, including the recent Supreme Court decision limiting the Voting Rights Act, the midterm elections and what he described as “heartbreaking times” of political turmoil.
The path forward, he argued, is unity and dialogue.
“I will never be one of these people that feeds into the sense that we are each other’s enemy, when in this moment in America, more than ever, we are each other’s hope,” he said.
The evening concluded with a private dinner and discussion between NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher and KUT General Manager Debbie Hiott, which focused on the loss of federal funding and collaboration between NPR and local stations.
Lorianne Willett
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KUT News
The first day of the festival ends with a private dinner and a conversation with NPR CEO Katherine Maher and KUT General Manager Debbie Hiott.