Alamo Drafthouse’s “Jaws on the Water” has returned for the third year in a row and you’ll want to add it to your Austin summer plans! “Jaws on the Water” is held on the sandy shores of Volente Beach on Austin’s Lake Travis for a month long run of weekend “dive-in” shows ending July 23. This year for the first time there will be screenings of “Jaws 2,” “Jaws 3D” screened in 3D, and “Jaws: The Revenge” hosted by Master Pancake.
This a must add to your Austin bucket list event. We attended the event and I’ll be breaking it down for you if you’re thinking about attending. After reading this article you’ll need to buy your tickets ASAP as they will be selling out quick!
Here are some tips and information on what to expect from the event.
Best time to get to the event and parking info
All “Jaws on the Water” events start at 6 p.m. til about 11:30 p.m. We got to the park around 7 p.m. but if you’re wanting to take full advantage of the Volente Beach waterpark I would suggest getting there right on time! Parking is plentiful and is located near the water park. Parking passes can be purchased with your ticket or on site for $7. If you’re not keen on walking, there are also shuttles to take you directly to the entrance which is a pretty sweet service because minutes could mean missing out on all the fun!
Registration Tips
I printed my “Jaws on the Water” tickets, but it’s not necessary. They will pull up your registration by name. Make sure to bring your ID to get your wrist band allowing you to drink adult beverages. Overall getting into the event was smooth and easy which is a great thing considering all you want to do is jump into the waters of Lake Travis to cool off.
Tubes are taken care of
One of the perks of this event is you get a keepsake shark-ified inner tube so no hassle blowing up your own. Simply walk over to the pile high stack of tubes and your on your way. What a great souvenir! They are also a great way to hold your spot on the beach and leave your stuff in the middle! There are lockers on site, we didn’t use them and used this method instead.
Food and drinks breakdown
Don’t worry about food and drinks! There are plenty of both. There are two options to choose from food-wise, either Taco Baby or brisket sandwich. We chose the brisket sandwich and it was perfect after floating in the water the first hour. There are also plenty of snack and booze booths to keep you hydrated and happy!
Selfie time
We floated on the lake, enjoyed some rides and took some photos at the shark inspired photo booth before settling in for the film. We also some very realistic shark bites on bystanders walking around the beach, so that’s another cool thing to do!
The movie
Once the sun goes down prepare to take your seat on our shark tube and float to a spot in the screen. The main floating area was getting packed with people so we decided to move to the outer area, but looking back I would recommend staying in the main area or else you’ll be fighting to keep your spot by flapping your arms to float back. Some folks went to the very back and held on to the rope throughout the movie (not a bad idea). Be prepared as you watch the movie because you never know what is lurking underneath the waters! We didn’t get attacked by a “shark” but we heard some screams, so beware.
Don’t forget the cool merch
We took home MONDO-designed JAWS pint glass, featuring original artwork by acclaimed artist Kevin Tong! They are also vailable exclusively at the Alamo Drafthouse’s Movie Party screenings. Glass is not allowed on the beach so you can conveniently pick up the merchandise after the screening!
We highly recommend adding “Jaws on the Water” to your summer plans. Keep Austin weird!
If you head to “Jaws on the Water” let us know how it went! Share your snaps with us at @ShuffleOnline or tweet us here.
Catherine grew up watching action flicks at a very young age which led to her love of film. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors in Radio-TV-Film in 2012. Always the adventurer, Catherine traveled and lived in Sydney, Australia for a year where she took a selfie with Brad Pitt. She runs Shuffle with passion, lots of caffeine and tacos. When she’s not editing or writing you can find her crafting and planning her next adventure.