Austin City Limits Music Festival is one of the best concert weekends in the US! Hundreds of the most popular artists come to the city for two weekends to jam out. However, music festivals can be overwhelming and require more foresight than you think! If you’ve been planning to go, you’re going to want to read about all my best Austin City Limits Tips & Tricks!
Austin City Limits used to be a 3 day music festival in the iconic Zilker Park, but it’s gotten so popular that there are now two full weekends so that more people can go. I usually find myself exhausted by the third day of a music festival, but the music and atmosphere were so good that I found myself energized the entire weekend. We had an amazing time in Austin and I’d love to go back again!
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7 Austin City Limits Tips & Tricks
1. Buy Tickets Early
ACL offers early bird and layaway plans for their tickets. As soon as tickets go on sale, people and robots start to buy them. They usually run out of the cheaper ticket options pretty early on, so you want to make sure that you are online when they go on sale.
The one day tickets are sold later than the three day packages, but they also have various price points that get more expensive as tickets get sold. Even if you end up deciding to not go later on, you can sell your tickets online and make your money back.
2. Stay Hydrated!
The Austin heat can be oppressive and overwhelming. We went to the first weekend of ACL and temperatures were still in the mid-80s all weekend long. You will most likely be on your feet for the majority of the day, so your body will get tired easily. My friend even fainted when we were there. Dehydration is not a joke!
Water is a vital resource and you will want to make sure that you always have some on you. If you plan on drinking any alcohol, then you will definitely need to up your water intake as well. ACL has free water filling stations, so bring an empty water bottle or camelback and stay hydrated all day long.
3. Bring a Totem
If you plan on traveling to ACL with a group, then having a totem will make your life a lot easier. Totems are large poles that have some sort of flag, sculpture, or image on the top of them to mark your spot.
We had a huge group of friends and we would often have a hard time finding one another when we separated. We would text our friends various landmarks, but it would have been a lot easier if we had made our own that we could recognize from far away. It’s also easy to lose phone service, so it’s just better to bring a totem!
4. Figure out Transportation
There are specific areas where Ubers can drop festival goers off and most of them are pretty far from the festival itself, so you will end up doing a lot of walking. You will have more luck getting closer to the music on a scooter or golf cart. We got very lucky on our first day, when we stopped into a house to use their restroom and the family offered to drive us to the park on their golf cart.
Leaving the festival is the most difficult part, because you have to walk for a long time to get to a pick up spot and Ubers are in high demand. If you have someone who can pick you up, then you should definitely make a plan to meet up at the end of the night. Otherwise be prepared to wait for a long time!
5. Have a Buddy
You should never walk around music festivals alone, if you went with a group. The likelihood that you are able to find any members of your group again are slim, because cell service is very spotty and crowds move quickly.
Always bring a friend with you when you want to go to a different performer or to the bathroom. That way even if you lose other group members, you have someone else to hang out with for the rest of the day!
6. Make a Plan
Most large music festivals have their own apps, where you can access things like the map, lineup, and food options. When you go to the festivals with others they may have different things they want to do at different times.
Our group would always go through the daily lineup and talk about who wanted to see which performer. Then once we got to the festival we would make a meet up spot, so that all of us could reconvene before going to the next spot. Things may run off track, but having a general idea will make the days go a lot smoother.
7. Find Shade
That Texas sun can get super hot and the UV index stays high for many hours of the day. When you get to the festival note areas where you could get shade between sets or while waiting for others. These will be crucial for those times when you are feeling tired and need a break from the craziness. Staying out of the sun will also help ensure that you don’t get dehydrated quicker or faint from the heat!
Final Thoughts
ACL is one of my favorite festivals I have ever attended. The lineup is always elite and the atmosphere is wonderful. You will definitely have a great time if you enjoy live music, dancing, and you don’t mind crowds.
Were these Austin City Limits Tips & Tricks helpful? Let me know in the comments!
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