Austin City Limits Review + Festival Guide: All You Need to Know (2024)

This Austin City Limits review will tell you all you need to know about ACL Festival, from the venue, security, lineup, tickets, location, prices, and my best Austin City Limits Tips. From my experience to your ACL guide, this is what Austin City Limits is actually like! Keep reading for all my best tips. 

Austin, Texas: as somebody at the festival described to me, it’s a blueberry amongst a sea of tomato soup. I’m still not entirely positive that this was the best analogy to use, but I’ll go with it – it’s a burst of sweet among a sea of mediocre, a pop of blue in a sea of red, a cool and collected ball of flavor amongst a whole lot of warm sweaty redness. Okay maybe the last one was a little weird, but moving along… this city sure does know how to put on a festival. Hell, they know how to put on a party in general!

They know how to put on a show, a bona-fide live show, anywhere from behind a rickety food truck to rigging up the most massive stage and sound system in the country. I am not kidding you when I say I got off my plane in Austin and there was a live band playing IN THE AIRPORT. It’s called the ‘Live Music Capital of the World” for a reason, and I felt privileged to attend their benchmark festival just outside the city, appropriately named “Austin City Limits” music festival.

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ACL Festival Venue/Location

ACL is held in Zilker park, you guessed it, right on the limits of the city. Zilker is pretty much a massive grass area with a small road going through one side and about 8 stages lining the entire thing. You can enter from either side, but most people enter from the direction of Downtown.

There are a few hilly bits and shaded tree/market areas, but the ACL venue is essentially all exposed to the (often very hot) sun. It’s impossible to get lost in the Austin City Limits festival location as it’s essentially one massive expansive field, which is also extremely close to the city!

Austin City Limits Crowd

The crowd here is pretty varied. You can tell that a lot of people come a long way for the festival. There are a lot of Texans but a lot of Americans from other states as well, and even some internationals. I would say that the majority are American, though.

This festival brings in a crowd of all different ages. In that the genres are always so broad, ACL brings in a crowd of all ages. People here range from older attendees who come in with blankets and chairs to sit and watch their favorite stage all day, to younger adults and teenagers dressed up and ready to party. Many groups coexist peacefully here: children, partiers, and grandparents alike.

One thing I will say is that this festival is VERY crowded. At times, it’s hard to walk anywhere due to having to weave in and out of hordes of humans trying to do the same thing. It definitely seemed more crowded this year than the last time I went – prepare for people EVERYWHERE, and try to go to bars, food, and bathrooms away from the stages that are playing.

Vibe

The extremely broad range of music genres and ages brings in a pretty inclusive vibe, but ACL is definitely not the most overly social festival I have been to. People are kind, but not with the community spirit that smaller festivals have (which is understandable given its large size).

Each person at ACL is doing their own thing – watching a football game in the beer hall, sitting and picnicking at country music shows all day, moshing at all the rap shows, swaying gently at calmer bands, or jumping up and down at upbeat electronic shows. I would say most people do a nice even combination of all of these things.

Atmosphere/Decorations

ACL isn’t as immersive in its decor; it is more minimalistic, and it works this way. There are logos, flags, and colors all around the fields. There are some areas with fun streamers and colorful seating. There’s uniform signage all over the stalls, and that’s all it is here.

ACL Festival is more music-focused than immersive. It’s a mainstream/massive festival with huge production value, lineups, and standard stages, but it uses its beautiful Zilker Park location and the Austin skyline to provide the atmosphere.

Austin City Limits Festival Lineup/Music/Artists

ACL always pulls in a stacked lineup among the hip hop, country, rock, electronic, and indie/alternative genres, truly covering all ends of the spectrum. As the ‘live music capital of the world,’ it wouldn’t quite be Austin if each show wasn’t put on completely and creatively live. Certain stages tend towards certain genres, and all are organized in a neat fashion.

Headliners in the past years included Shania Twain, Jay Z, the XX, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Odesza, Zhu, Radiohead, Major Lazer, Mumford & Sons, Kendrick Lamar, The Gorillas, The Killers, Alt-J, Florence + the Machine, The Weeknd, Tame Impala, and Disclosure. There’s truly a bit of something for everyone.

ACL Camping/Accommodation

There’s no camping at this fest! There are Airbnb’s and lots of cool hotels and hostels in Austin to find somewhere to stay. There are dozens of amazing boutique, high-rise, central, and interesting hotels in Austin.

I would say that most people stay with a friend for ACL, get a hotel downtown, or find a larger vacation rental for groups nearer the venue in Zilker, the Market District, or around Bouldin Creek.

I would recommend Hotel Ella for something elegant and central, or The Carpenter Hotel for a super unique boutique hotel closer to the venue.

ACL Festival Amenities – Other Stuff to Do

ACL is not the kind of festival to have other activities besides music. ACL is ALL about the music, which makes it what it is – an incredible gathering celebrating all kinds of amazing live shows. That being said, don’t expect to go to a yoga class or art seminar. The world’s best musicians come here, so it would seem unfitting to take away from the experience of seeing them.

You’ll see everything from families in foldable chairs parked up at the country music stage all day to teenagers bounding from rap show to house music show. The only extra thing you can really do is head into the beer tent to catch the current football came – I mean, it is Texas, after all! But it’s truly all about the music at Austin City Limits festival.

Other Things to Do in Austin

While you are in Austin for the festival, you should definitely check out some sights as well! It’s an amazing city with lots to do – from seeing downtown, eating amazing food, swimming in beautiful springs, kayaking on the river, or even doing a citywide smartphone scavenger hunt to discover the city in a fun way.

Check out Barton Creek Springs if it’s hot, or go hiking in the Barton Creek Greenbelt to catch some morning exercise before the fest. If you have time, rent a kayak to paddle along the river.

Make sure to check out the amazing dome at the Texas Capitol building, enjoy street art throughout the city, wander down S Congress Ave and its markets, and immerse yourself into Austin nightlife after the festival on 6th Street or Rainey Street. The opportunities are endless!

Transportation/Hotels/Parking at Austin City Limits Festival

My first recommendation would be to walk to the festival if you’re within a 20-30-minute walk of the entrance. If not, another great option is to take an electric scooter like Lime. Austin has a few different electric scooter companies around the city, and there’s a specific scooter parking area for ACL.

If you re staying downtown, they have free school bus shuttles from Republic Square that seem very efficient and simple. If you wnt to drive yourself, there are parking areas in other parts of Zilker that you can drive into and pay a fee to park for the day.

Uber/Lyft is definitely the easiest mode of transportation to take from anywhere in the city, and they can drop you off right at the entrance. We took ubers to the festival each day on my first year going, which was definitely the optimal way to get around from farther distances. Just prepare for possible surge pricing! As I mentioned, Austin is a huge city with plenty of hotel options (and airbnb’s too!) so it should be pretty easy to find something in your price range.

Food/Drink at ACL

If there’s one thing Austin is best known for besides its live music, it is FOOD. ACL festival may as well be called a food festival as well as a music festival because the food options are absolutely incredible. Well-known food trucks, vendors, and famous restaurants from around Austin and even Texas have their own booths at ACL that draw crowds as large as some artists.

Think – a stand for Austin’s well-known chocolate banana truck (Bananarchy – pictured below), a stand for the city’s most famous Mexican food, a fully vegetarian stand, a stand for Austin’s best fried chicken, and many more that are well known by locals and intriguing to visitors. There was everything from small-town America country fair food to gourmet mac-n-cheese, and it was incredible.

Austin City Limits Ticket Prices

For a three-day festival with a lineup this good, ACL is very fairly priced for three-day tickets. But the cost of a one-day ticket is over half the price of a 3-day ticket, which is clearly one way they make great money!

At the time of updating this Austin City Limits Festival Guide, 3-day GA tickets started from $375, with 1-day tickets starting from $170 (plus fees, which add at least another $30 or more).

ACL VIP tickets include two special VIP viewing areas for certain stages with air conditioning, free beer and wine in VIP lounges, complimentary dining at VIP lounges, concert nd sports streaming, a festive concierge, lockers, espresso entry, and more. These tickets start from about $700 for a day and $1750 for 3 days.

ACL also offers GA+ tickets, which include GA+ lounges with preferred food and drink options (shorter lines) and free non-alcoholic drinks. These are $325 for one day and $725 for 3 days at the time of writing.

Lastly, a super-special, $5700 platinum ticket includes ultra-luxe lounges, patios, front-of-stage viewing, terraces, complimentary drinks and dining, golf cart transport, nd all kinds of other cool stuff for TWO people. Honestly, this would be an incredible way to see some of the world’s best music for you and your best mate.

You can also book a couple other packages with hotels or special viewing. Check current options on the ACL ticket page.

ACL Security

There are multiple entry points for ACL, and the security slightly differs at each. Something ACL does a bit differently now is having a line for those with bags, and separate lines for those without bags. As I came to understand it, if you have a clear bag or small purse, you can go in the non-bag lines (which are FAR shorter).

I believe it’s the rule now that bigger bags must be clear, or you can have small/flat fanny packs or small purses.

The security check is basically what you would expect from a festival security line – a brief pat-down and bag check on a table, metal detector, scan wristbands, then in. They didn;t check anything too intensely. As I always say, pick the line that is moving longest if you want to feel less violated during your security check.

Make SURE to bring your ID as you will have to show it for every drink purchase.

Weather at ACL

Although it’s in October, it’s still generally very hot in Austin during ACL. Hydration is key! There isn’t too much shade apart from a few areas, but try to wear a hat and take some breaks in the shade of some trees or flags. The whole park is tree-lined so you can generally find some shade around the outskirts.

During the night, it returns to a very comfortable temperature, but the daytime heat has to happen to reach such a lovely temp at night! Each yer is a bit different, but you can expect warm sunny days and cool evenings.

Austin City Limits Fashion

People at ACL ranged from families in their chairs in sweats to festival fashion extraordinaires complete with glitter, florals, and carefully crafted outfits and hair. That’s part of the beauty in ACL, I think – anything goes!

It’s always fun to dress up for a festival if you ask me, but you don’t have to feel pressure to do anything in particular here. For boys, party shirts (fun patterns and Hawaiian prints) run rampant, and anything to keep cool. For the ladies, any cute outfit will work, but I went with cowgirl vibes since we are in Texas after all.

ACL Festival Timings

ACL runs from just before noon until 10pm each night. So yes, a lot of the day is spent in the heat. But luckily, a lot of tents are shaded, and there are also other places to find shade when you need it. Anf, the sunsets are simply stunning at this festival.

This also works wonderfully if you would like to go out and experience some of Austin’s great nightlife after the festival ends each night – 6th street is the place to be!

Money

You can load money on your wristband at ACL, or you can just pay normally with a credit card. I just paid for everything with my credit card to save the hassle of loading money onto my wristband.

Final Austin City Limits Tips

• It will most likely be HOT during the day! Wear hats, get regular shade, and stay hydrated.
• Check out the town! Austin is an AMAZING city, so be sure to explore a bit before/after the festival. You can check out the city, swim in some amazing springs, and kayak on the river!
• The nightlife is amazing in Austin, so if you aren’t done partying after ACL festival you should head out to the town. ACL ends quite early, so it’ the perfect time to head out on the town and most people do this. The best places to party in Austin are 6th Street and Rainey Street, or any after-parties with ACL artists.
• MAKE SURE to try some different types of food… they have incredible options.
• The most economical drink option to buy is often an entire bottle of wine (usually rose) in a plastic carafe.
• Enjoy!

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