Get ready to pun on May 11 for the 47th Annual O. Henry Museum Pun Off World Championships

The recent renovation of Brush Square Park includes a new permanent stage constructed specifically for the annual O. Henry Museum Pun-Off World Championships, and this year’s contestants will be the first to compete on this “New Stage of Word Domination.” For 47 years, punsters have gathered in Austin for a battle of wit and wordplay in honor of famous wordsmith and short story writer William Sydney Porter, better known as O. Henry. The internationally renowned spoken word competition focuses on the art of the pun – and is considered one of Austin’s oldest “weird” events. This year’s event is set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 11 at Brush Square Park, 409 E. Fifth St., behind the O. Henry Museum. It’s free to the public, and no ticket is required for admission. Additional details about the event can be found on the official Facebook event page.