What can you bring? How do you get there? Who’s playing? We answered those questions and more.
AUSTIN, Texas — The time is almost upon us. The 2023 Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) will be held Oct. 6-8 and Oct. 13-15 at Zilker Park.
After you activate your wristband but before you head out to the fest, there’s a lot of information you’ll want to brush up on. Below, we broke down the answers to some frequently asked questions about ACL Fest.
On both Fridays, the top-billed artists will be Kendrick Lamar, The Lumineers, Kali Uchis and Maggie Rogers.
Foo Fighters and Alanis Morrissette will be the top-billed artists for both Saturdays, while Shania Twain will only play Weekend 1’s Saturday and The 1975 will only play Weekend 2’s Saturday.
Here are a few other notable lineup differences between weekends:
Check out the full daily schedules to figure out your game plan.
There are many ways to get to the festival, but there is no parking at Zilker Park or in the surrounding neighborhoods. Pavemint has partnered with ACL Fest to help assist attendees with parking. Otherwise, consider one of the following options:
Take a shuttle
There are free shuttles that you can board at Republic Square Park at the corner of Fourth and San Antonio streets that will drop you off outside the Barton Springs West festival entrance. When you’re ready to leave, you can hop back on for a return trip in the same spot. Shuttles run from Republic Square starting at noon on Friday and starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday of each weekend.
Bike or take the bus
Bike parking is available on Stratford Drive after crossing the MoPac Pedestrian Bridge. Additional bike and scooter parking will be located on Toomey Road at Sterzing Street and on Azie Morton Road. MetroBike staff will also host a MetroBike valet at their Barton Springs Road and Sterzing Street station, guaranteeing users a place to dock their MetroBike.
Capital Metro offers serval bus routes that operate frequently near Zilker Park. Check out the MetroRapid Route 803 or other options.
Take a rideshare
You can also take a rideshare to the festival. When you’re getting ready to go to the fest, type “Austin City Limits Music Festival” or “Zilker Park” into the app as your destination. This will update your drop-off to the nearest drop-off point around the festival.
In order to request a ride to leave the festival, you must first exit the fest and walk away from Zilker Park to get outside of the restricted are. You will be able to request a ride as normal once you’ve crossed Lady Bird Lake, South Lamar Boulevard or the MoPac frontage road.
Entrances and bag policies
There are three entrances to the festival, with options to approach Zilker Park from the north, east and west. From the north, you can walk or bike across the pedestrian bridge under MoPac to approach the festival’s Lady Bird Entrance. From the east or west, you can approach on Barton Springs Road to reach a festival entrance.
The gates are open noon to 10 p.m. both Fridays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. both Saturdays and Sundays.
The festival has a clear bag policy, and bags allowed in are limited to small purses, totes and drawstring bags only. Clear bags must be no larger than 12 inches by 12 inches by 6 inches. You cannot bring backpacks with multiple pockets.
Small clutch purses and fanny packs that are 4.5 inches by 5.5 inches don’t have to be clear but can’t have more than one pocket.
All bags will be searched before entry. You may leave and re-enter the festival up to two times per day, but you will have to scan your wristband and go through security checks each time.
Outside food and drink is not allowed, with some medical exceptions. Hydration packs are allowed and don’t have to be clear but must be emptied of all liquid and have no more than two pockets in addition to the one holding the water reservoir.
You can bring baby strollers, binoculars, blankets, chairs, empty reusable water bottles, frisbees, point-and-shoot cameras without detachable lenses, personalized hand sanitizer, sheets, towels and sunscreen in non-aerosol containers that are 3.4 ounces or less.
You may also bring totems, but they must be less than 7 feet tall and less than 1 inch in diameter. They must also be made of light material such as swim noodles, foam type material, cardboard tubes, fabric, light plastic, balloons, aluminum and/or blow up items.
You cannot bring aerosol containers, coolers, any and all professional audio recording equipment, professional cameras, drones, hammocks, glass containers, illegal substances, outside food and beverage, umbrellas, pets, selfie sticks, skateboards, scooters, bikes, wagons, carts, tents, weapons, explosives, fireworks, large chains or spiked jewelry.
If you would like to store some of your personal items while you’re at the festival, you can rent a locker.
Wristband replacement is subject to verification of the order. If you need a replacement, you need to bring your wristband, order confirmation and a government-issued ID to the box office. There is a $25 wristband replacement fee.
What can you get to eat at the fest?
Typically, ACL Eats can be found between the Barton Springs Beer Hall and the Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage. During previous festivals, More Eats could be found behind the merch building and near the Barton Springs east entrance and the Bonus Tracks Stage.
As of Sept. 26, ACL has not published a map for this year’s festival, so the exact location of this year’s food booths isn’t clear yet. However, you can already check out the full list of food vendors.
How to find a lost item
Before the festival starts, you can register your information here and ACL will contact you if your item is turned into the lost and found during the festival.
Once the festival is underway, you can go to the main guest services booth during festival hours, or check here to search for missing items or post an alert so the festival can contact you when your lost item arrives.
The festival experience continues away from Zilker Park during ACL Fest Nights! From Oct. 9 through Oct. 14, music lovers can check out artists at different music venues around Austin.
See the full 2023 ACL Fest Nights lineup.
Tips for your best fest
Many of us here at KVUE have been attending ACL Fests for years. Here are some tips we swear by to make the most of your time at the festival:
- Be smart about shoes. The ground can be uneven and often muddy – and however much walking you think you’ll be doing, there will be more. Sneakers are the best choice and preferably ones you don’t mind getting dirty
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! And don’t forget your sunscreen. Even though it’s technically fall, you can definitely still get a sunburn
- Have a loose plan of where you want to be and when, but know that things happen! Sometimes what you’re not planning to do is the coolest thing you do
- Be aware that it takes longer to get to the stage you’re trying to get to than you probably think it does. If you want a closer spot for a set, head over at least 30 minutes beforehand
- Keep a screenshot of the lineup in your phone for easy access
- For most wristbands, the bathroom situation is port-o-potties. Hand sanitizer is encouraged
- Keep your phone in your front pocket or in a bag you plan to keep very close to you. Phone theft is no joke during ACL Fest
- If you want merch, make that one of the first things you do. Things will sell out, and they’ll sell out fast. The bigger the artist, the more this is true
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