Antone’s Nightclub — often written Antone’s Night Club — is Austin, Texas’s most storied blues venue, opened on July 15, 1975, when Clifford Antone converted a former Sixth Street furniture store into a stage for touring blues legends and the young Austin players who idolized them. Fifty years later, Antone’s Austin still books blues, roots, and touring acts across genres, carrying the nickname it earned decades ago: Austin’s Home of the Blues.
This guide covers everything people search for about the club: its capacity and room layout, the full history of its five relocations, the artists who built its legend (including a then-unknown Stevie Ray Vaughan), and practical details for planning a visit to its current East Fifth Street home.
Quick Answer
Antone’s nightclub capacity is roughly 350 to 400 people in its main downstairs room, which is standing-room general admission for most shows. Antone’s Austin, Texas is located at 305 E 5th St in downtown Austin, and the club is open today, booking live blues, rock, and touring acts multiple nights a week.
Antone’s Nightclub Capacity, Explained
The room used for Antone’s regular ticketed shows — the main stage at 305 E 5th St — holds approximately 350 to 400 people, a figure corroborated by the Texas State Historical Association and multiple venue-booking listings. Most shows are general admission with standing room on the main floor and a small amount of first-come, first-served seating along the edges; there’s no assigned seating chart for typical blues and rock bookings.
You may see larger combined numbers — up to 650 or more — on private-event and meeting-space sites. Those figures add in Antone’s upstairs gallery, a separate space the club rents out for private parties, corporate events, and full-building buyouts. For a normal night out to see a band, plan around the 350-400 capacity of the main room.
The Blues Come to Austin
Clifford Antone spent his youth touring Gulf Coast juke joints before opening a sandwich shop in Austin that quickly filled with guitars and amplifiers. The blues took over, and Antone’s Night Club became a stage where touring legends like B.B. King, Ray Charles, James Brown, and Muddy Waters played alongside the local talent they mentored, including The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Doug Sahm, and a young Stevie Ray Vaughan. Gary Clark Jr. and Bonnie Raitt are among the later-generation artists tied to the club’s stage, and even U2’s Bono has cited Antone’s as a formative Austin stop.
In 1987, Antone founded Antone’s Records to capture the club’s live energy on tape, producing recordings by Eddie Taylor, Mel Brown, and Memphis Slim, including a James Cotton album that earned a Grammy nomination and an Indie Award in 1989. USA Today later named the club Nightclub of the Year, and Clifford Antone received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Blues Foundation before his death in 2006.
A Venue That Keeps Moving, and Keeps Playing
Antone’s has occupied six locations since 1975: the original Sixth Street furniture store, Anderson Lane around 1980, Guadalupe Street near the University of Texas campus in 1981, Fifth and Lavaca in the late 1990s, East Riverside starting in 2013, and its current home on East Fifth Street since 2015. Through every move, the club held onto the same mission — pairing legendary blues performers with the young Austin musicians they inspired.
After Clifford Antone’s death, his sister Susan Antone and a board of directors kept the club running before investors Arnold Wells, Spencer Wells, and Peter Grieser took over in 2013 and relocated the venue to East Riverside. In 2015, Antone’s returned to downtown Austin on East Fifth Street, restoring the historic brand within walking distance of its original Sixth Street roots. Austin officials, including former mayor Will Wynn, have credited Antone’s as a key reason the city earned its title as the ‘Live Music Capital of the World.’ Today the club continues booking blues acts alongside touring artists across genres, carrying forward the mission Clifford Antone started five decades ago.
Planning Your Visit to Antone’s Austin
Antone’s doesn’t keep fixed daily hours like a bar — it operates on a show-by-show schedule, with doors typically opening before each night’s performance and most shows carrying an age restriction (commonly 21+, though some events are all ages). Tickets are sold in advance online through the venue’s own site and partner platforms like Ticketmaster and Eventbrite; walk-up availability isn’t guaranteed for popular bookings. For the current calendar, exact door times, ticket prices, and age policies for a specific show, check the official Antone’s Nightclub site, the definitive source since pricing and schedules change frequently.
There’s no on-site parking lot at 305 E 5th St. The closest options are downtown parking garages within a block or two, metered street parking (check posted signs for enforcement hours), and valet service at The Westin hotel directly across the street. Rideshare is a simple option given the club’s downtown location near the Sixth Street entertainment district. Full directions and current parking guidance are posted on Antone’s official location and parking page.
Antone’s nightclub Austin FAQs
What is Antone’s nightclub capacity?
Antone’s main room at 305 E 5th St in Austin holds roughly 350 to 400 people, standing-room general admission for most shows. Larger combined figures cited on event-planning sites include the separate upstairs gallery, used for private events.
Is it Antone’s, Antone’s Nightclub, or Antone’s Night Club?
All three refer to the same venue. The club’s official name is Antone’s Nightclub, but it’s commonly written as Antone’s Night Club or simply Antone’s in casual use and older press.
Where is Antone’s located in Austin, Texas?
Antone’s is at 305 E 5th St, Austin, TX 78701, in downtown Austin within walking distance of the Sixth Street entertainment district and its original 1975 location.
Is Antone’s still open in Austin?
Yes. Antone’s operates today at 305 E 5th St in downtown Austin, a location it has occupied since a 2015 reopening after a stint on East Riverside.
Who founded Antone’s and when did it open?
Clifford Antone founded the club on July 15, 1975, converting a former Sixth Street furniture store into what became known as Austin’s Home of the Blues.
What artists got their start at Antone’s?
Antone’s helped launch Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and later Gary Clark Jr., pairing local Austin musicians on stage with touring blues legends like Muddy Waters and B.B. King.
Do I need tickets in advance, and is there parking at Antone’s?
Yes to both: tickets are sold in advance online (Antone’s own site, Ticketmaster, Eventbrite) rather than guaranteed at the door, and there’s no on-site parking lot, so plan on a nearby downtown garage, metered street parking, or rideshare.
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