The 15th Anniversary of the Austin City Limits Music Festival is almost here! Whether you’ve got tickets to Weekend One, September 30 – October 2, or Weekend Two, October 7 – 9, we bet you’re as excited as we are. The festival includes eight stages of music and over 110 bands in Zilker Park, along with food and shopping. So there’s a lot to plan for. With so much to see and do, we want to help provide the important logistics and key tips to help you make the most of your festing.
–> Giveaway! We’re giving away a pair of 3-day wristbands for Weekend Two. Click here to enter to win!
Tips for a Smooth ACL Festival Experience:
Getting Your Wristbands: While General Admission 3-Day tickets for both weekends are sold out, there are still a limited number of Sunday 1-Day tickets for Weekend Two, as well as VIP 1-Day or 3-Day tickets & Platinum 3-Day tickets for both weekends available at www.aclfestival.com, or at the Festival Box Office located on Barton Springs Road. Click here for dates and hours of the Festival Box Office.
Taking the Kids: For parents planning to take the kids, keep in mind that ages 10 and under are FREE to attend with a ticketed adult. Read about what’s new and exciting in the Austin Kiddie Limits section of the park — an area designed specifically for families. With hours from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. each day, kids can enjoy activities like hip-hop workshops, dance parties, ping-pong, punk hairdos, temporary airbrush tattoos, souvenir photos and more. You’ll also want to check out our roundup of Tips for Taking the Kids to ACL.
Getting to Zilker Park: There is no parking at ACL Festival. Parking in the surrounding neighborhoods is strictly prohibited, and vehicles will be ticketed and towed. However, the festival is providing complimentary Official Festival Shuttles from Republic Square Park in downtown Austin running from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day. Alternatively, you are encouraged to take eco-friendly transportation, including ride sharing, walking and biking. Click here for more info about transportation.
What to Bring: Before you arrive, check out the list of prohibited items on the Information Page of the ACL website, and avoid bringing any prohibited materials to the park. (Staying hydrated is key during the sunny warm weekends. You are allowed to bring in two factory-sealed water bottles (up to 1 liter each) into the Festival each day. You can also bring an empty refillable containers.) For fastest entry into the park, leave your bag at home and use the No Bag line if possible.
Going Cashless: You can use your wristbands to make on-site purchases including food, art, lockers, beverages and festival merchandise. Activate your wristbands at www.aclfestival.com/wristband to securely connect a credit or debit card to make safe, cashless transactions throughout the park.
Eating and Drinking at the Fest: ACL Eats features fantastic local restaurants such as the Mighty Cone, Torchy’s Tacos, The Peached Tortilla, Micklethwait Barbecue, Wholly Cow, Bananarchy and more. Click here for a list of all food vendors. In addition to ACL Eats, you can also get stop by the Barton Springs Beer Hall for 17 special draughts in 30,000 square feet of space to cool off in. Or wine lovers can check out the Wine Down, ACL‘s new wine bar on the south side of Zilker Park featuring wines from Treana, Austin Hope Wine Collection and Troublemaker. Also new this year is The Bodega. This is your one-stop shop to buy fresh fruit, snacks, and basic festival necessities such as sunscreen or ponchos. You can visit the Bodega next to ACL Eats and Austin Kiddie Limits.
Shopping: The brand-new mega ACL Festival Store invites you to walk into air-conditioned space to peruse capsule collections by Howler Bros, Aviator Nation and TOMS Eyewear, plus a fun array of items guaranteed to improve your weekend, like blankets, Yeti Colsters, CamelBak water bottles and more. If you don’t want to carry your new loot around the park, Favor will deliver it for you. Also, the Art Market is a great place to discover Austin’s artists and artisans.
Festival Schedule & Map: Before you go, get your game plan together by studying the daily festival schedule and take a peek at the festival map to get a glimpse of the layout of Zilker Park.
For everything else you may wish to know before you go, please visit www.aclfestival.com.
We hope you have a great time! See you there!
