Blues and boat race: Check out these 9 events in Austin this April

The two-day festival will feature more than 100 independent exhibitors showcasing comics, zines, artwork and tabletop games. The festival launched in Austin in 2005. This year’s lineup includes Eisner and Ignatz Award-winning cartoonist Tara Booth and Katie Cook, creator of the Nothing Special webcomic and a writer and illustrator known for work with Star Wars, Marvel, and My Little Pony.

• April 11-12
• $15+ (tickets)
• St. Edward’s University, 3001 S. Congress Ave., Austin
• www.staple-austin.org

The Statesman Cap10K is the largest in Texas and the sixth largest in the country. Runners will gather to race over 6.2 miles in downtown Austin.

• April 12, 8 a.m.
• $70-$75 (participate)
• Congress Avenue bridge (start)
• www.cap10k.com

The festival is a fundraiser for the Capital Area Food Bank and features three days of reggae, world and dub music. Attendees can also browse more than 50 vendors.

• April 17-19
• $50-$650 (tickets)
• Auditorium Shores, 900 W. Riverside Drive, Austin
• www.reggaeriseup.com/texas

The 13th annual Pop-Up Picnic at Waterloo Park is a fundraising event to support the maintenance and programming of the park. This family-friendly event will feature live music and picnic baskets from Austin restaurants.

• April 18, 6-10 p.m.
• $25 (admission, children five and under free); $100-$350 (picnic baskets)
• 1401 Trinity St., Austin
• www.waterloogreenway.com/picnic

The 26th annual Austin Dragon Boat Festival, hosted by Lunar Foundation, is a race on Lady Bird Lake. Spectators can enjoy an outdoor art gallery featuring Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander artists and a variety of food vendors, including a showcase of zongzi, a Chinese dish traditionally eaten during Dragon Boat Festivals.

• April 25, 10 a.m.
• Free (admission), $800+ (to compete)
• Festival Beach, 1621 Nash Hernandez Senior Road, Austin
• www.atxdragonboat.com

The Austin Blues Festival will return to Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park this spring, presented by Antone's Nightclub and Waterloo Greenway Conservancy. The two-day festival celebrates music and culture and started in 1999. This year is the festival’s fourth edition and will celebrate Antone’s 50-year lease extension.

• April 25-26
• $79+ (varies on ticket type)
• Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park, 1401 Trinity St., Austin
• www.austinbluesfestival.com

Austin Opera’s 40th season will conclude this spring with Puccini’s “La bohème” at the Long Center for four performances. The opera, directed by Austinite Eboni Adams, follows four young artists struggling to make ends meet while chasing their dreams.

• April 30-May 3, 2 p.m.
• $50+ (tickets)
• 701 W. Riverside Drive, Austin
• www.austinopera.org