It’s that time of year again where people from around the world come to Austin, TX for the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival. Featuring a star-studded lineup across multiple genres, from rock and indie to hip-hop, electronic, and country. Held over two weekends in the scenic Zilker Park, ACL is more than just a music festival—it's a celebration of culture, food, and the vibrant spirit of Austin.

I moved to Austin after attending in 2015, I fell in love with the city and the festival does a wonderful job encapsulating everything Austin has to offer. This will be our 7th ACL together, and we want to make sure you don’t make some of the same mistakes we’ve made in the past.

Whether you're a first-time attendee or a festival veteran, preparing properly is key to making the most out of your ACL adventure. From the sweltering Texas heat to navigating the expansive festival grounds, having a solid plan will ensure that you can enjoy the music, the food, and the experience to the fullest. In this guide, we'll cover all the essentials to get you ready and avoid festival rookie mistake, so you can avoid the common pitfalls and focus on having an incredible time.

Tickets & Registration

When it comes to attending the ACL Music Festival 2024, securing the right ticket is your first step to ensuring an unforgettable experience. ACL offers several ticket options to fit different needs and budgets, so it’s important to choose the one that aligns best with your festival goals. You can purchase whats still available here.

Ticket Options:

General Admission (GA) $380 (3-Day):
This is the most basic and popular ticket option, offering access to all stages, food vendors, and general festival activities. GA tickets are perfect for those who want to enjoy the full experience without the extra frills.
GA+ $775 (3-Day):
For those looking for a bit more comfort, GA+ tickets come with perks like a private lounge area, air-conditioned restrooms, and free water refill stations. It’s a great middle ground if you want a few more conveniences without going all-in on a VIP experience.
VIP $1,760 (3-Day):
VIP tickets offer exclusive access to VIP lounges, premium seating, complimentary food and drinks, and expedited entry. If you’re looking to avoid long lines and crowds, VIP is a good option for an elevated festival experience.
Platinum $5,710 (3-Day):
The ultimate festival experience, Platinum tickets provide everything VIP offers, plus backstage access, on-stage viewing areas, and luxury amenities. For festival-goers who want an exclusive, luxurious experience, this is the way to go.
Bungalows, Cabanas, Y’all Access:
New this year, let’s be honest if you can afford this you aren’t reading this crappy blog.

Wristband Registration:

After purchasing your ticket, you'll need to register your wristband—this is your key to entry for the festival. Registering them online ensures they’re activated and linked to your account. It's crucial for both entry and security reasons. In case your wristband is lost or stolen, registration allows you to deactivate it and potentially get a replacement.

Pro Tips:

Activate your wristband a few days before the event, the server tends to get bogged down the day of and it can be a real hassle registration. If you have to wait until the day of for some reason make sure you DO NOT wait until you get down to the festival, the cell towers get bogged down and you might spend 30 minutes waiting for your phone to load.
Make sure to register for Cashless, you can easily tap your wristband to pay with a linked credit/debit card so you don’t need to keep taking your credit card out over the course of the day which is bound to get a little sloppy.
If you register with an American Express you get a $5 credit

If you’re feeling really adventurous you can be like a local and purchase a wristband from a scalper down by zilker park. This is a risky venture but I’ve heard stories of people getting VIP tickets for like $500. It’s important to exercise extreme caution because the way the tickets work is people can claim their tickets were “stolen” and deactivate your wristbands after the sell to you. Make sure they aren’t registered and don’t be careless with who you buy them from. There are plenty of scams of people trying to sell them online too and usually if it seems too good to be true it is, don’t send money to people before you have tickets in hand. *This is not an endorsement to buy from anywhere but the official website*

Buying Tickets Early:

Tickets to ACL sell out fast, especially for popular weekends, so it’s wise to plan ahead and purchase as soon as they become available. Keep an eye on early bird sales for the best prices (Usually December the year before). You can usually buy tickets a few weeks out but your best bet is when they first come out especially so you can arrange accommodations.

Navigating ACL Transportation

Your best bet getting to the festival is rideshare or scooter. There are designated drop offs for ridesharing and scooters. The traffic in the area is insane so make sure to factor that into your departure time and be prepared to walk for a while to the entrance of Zilker. If you plane to arrive another way, be sure to follow the guide from the festival here.

Pro Tips:

The best time to arrive is before 3pm, lines are much more manageable and the amount crowds are much smaller
You can usually wait a little less time in line if you head to the Barton Springs West Entrance as opposed to the East Entrance, I’d imagine there’s even fewer at the Lady Bird Entrance but I’ve never been that far
You can avoid the cluster exiting the festival if you take the trek up to Lamar Union off Kinney and Treadwell
If you don’t feel like walking down Barton Springs with the hoards of people take a pedicab. It’ll cost a pretty penny but a unique and very Austin experience
Try to leave a little early to ensure you can beat the masses. If there’s someone you really want to see take your time leaving because it will be a complete cluster trying to navigate let alone get a rideshare.

Any other transportation can be found on the official website here.

Festival Etiquette and Safety Tips

Before heading to the festival its very important to download the phone app here. You’ll have access to the schedule, maps, and various things. You can set a schedule of artists what you want to see and create a custom festival schedule. Make sure to turn on notifications because they will alert you when artists you want to see are up or any other special events that might be happening.

It’s also important to familiarize yourself with the festival map. It’s easy to get turned around with the hoards of people migrating between the various stages. I’d also take a screenshot of the map so you can easily access it and save phone battery while trying to find a signal. Shade is a premium so take advantage of it when you can.

The most stressful part of the festival is the crowds and how you navigate them. Don’t be fooled by the ease of getting around on Friday as for the most part this tends to be the “locals” day. If you really want to get a good spot for an artist make sure to get there early. While navigating it’s important to pay attention and look where you’re going there’s a ton of oblivious people as well as people on the ground as you move towards the stage. There’s usually easier paths on the outer edges of the stage because people want a central view.

It’s important that your party stays hydrated and seek shade as much as possible. If heat exhaustion or any other medical situations occur there are 3 medical tents located throughout the festival by the Honda Stage, T-Mobile Stage, and West Entrance. Every year you’ll see EMTs trying to navigate the crowds and help people because they aren’t careful or hydrated. Just make sure to be aware of your surroundings and keep drinking water.

Pro tips:

Some years they have an American Express line for the West Entrance where only registered card holders can enter
Plan to get to the festival an hour or two before the first act you want to see, especially if its after 3pm. Getting from ride share to the festival gates with lines can easily take an hour. Try the West Entrance for smaller and usually quicker lines.
AMEX Platinum and higher holders can get access to the right side stage area of the AMEX stage by going to the AMEX activation
With most of the good acts overlapping sets it’s important to get your schedule sorted each day so you know where and when you want to head to certain stages
There’s always ample shade by the wine garden with plenty of tree coverage, this is your best bet to relax and cool off.
Designate a meeting spot in the event you get separated from your group
STAY HYDRATED

What to Wear to ACL

Dressing for ACL is always a fine balance between fashion and function. You'll likely be walking and standing for hours, so pick outfits that allow you to move freely. No matter how you arrive to the festival you’ll be walking a lot throughout the day so you’ll want to make sure you have suitable attire for the weather.

The weather is super unpredictable this time of the year. I’ve been years when its 92 and hot as hell, rainy and tough to navigate, and brisk enough to need a jacket. Let me give some tips on things to bring depending on weather.

Hot days:
Opt for light, airy outfits like shorts, sundresses, or flowy skirts to keep cool. Tank tops or lightweight t-shirts are always good options.
Rainy days:
A waterproof poncho is a festival essential—easy to carry in a bag and a lifesaver during sudden showers. Boots or crappy shoes are best because you’ll essentially be in a giant mud puddle the whole day
Colder days:
Make sure to layer and bring a light jacket, very easy to wrap a sweater/sweatshirt around your waist.

Footwear is also very important, getting around the festival requires a lot of walking and standing. You’ll see people wearing all sorts of crazy outfits and footwear in the name of fashion who will be ruined by day 2 because they didn’t wear appropriate shoes. Nothing worse than having blisters all over your feet as you try to navigate swarms of people in the hot Texas heat.

Another staple is a bandana or gaiter for the dust. With all the foot traffic over the course of the weekend plenty of dust gets kicked up, if you don’t have something to cover your nose and mouth you’ll come home blowing black snot from all the dirt in your mouth and nose. The bandana can act as a slight barrier to help with some of this.

Most of the time dressing for the festival is about standing out and not blending in. Wear your crazy outfit that’s suitable for the given weather. It’s always fun to wear something you wouldn’t normally wear.

Make sure to check the weather a few days before you head to Austin/the festival so you can pack accordingly.

Packing the Ultimate ACL Survival Kit

Packing for an all-day affair is incredibly important, especially with heavy restrictions on what is allowed in the festival. There are a few essentials to get you prepared for this journey:

Essentials:
sunscreen (non-aerosol), portable phone charger, refillable water bottle/hydration pack, Gold Bond/Baby powder
Health/hygiene:
hand sanitizer, wet wipes, tissues, body spray, Hydration sticks (ie LiquidIV)
Comfort Items:
light jacket, blanket, collapsable chair (designated area), portable fan
Bags:
Make sure to have an appropriate sized bag to hold any accessories and essentials you might have, be sure to be within the bag parameters. Always good to have a fanny pack at the bare minimum.

Make sure you check the festival bag policy and prohibited items before you go. You will be wanded, patted down and bags will be searched so if you’re going to hide something keep it close to you…

Here is a list of the things we usually bring.

Food, Drinks, and Hydration

While the main draw to the festival is the music, one of the best parts of the festival are the food and drinks. There are few different food spots to get food, the biggest of which is the ACL Eats section located between the American Express and Miller Lite Stages. One of my favorite areas because you can get a wide variety of Austin staples all within the a small area. This area can get hectic and backed up during normal eating times. Your best bet to get what you want is to either get there on off times or a little later when some of the big crowd draws are performing. Given that you’re probably going to be drinking all day in the hot sun it’s important to get a good solid food base. Here are a few must haves:

Mighty Cone – An ACL staple
Austin’s Pizza – The pizza rolls here are a must have
Burro Cheese – A great artisanal grilled cheese perfect for soaking up alcohol
Chi’lantro – They have incredible kimchi fries that we get every year
Amy’s Ice Cream – Great for something sweet and to cool you off. Get Oreo if they have it
Wholly Cow Burger – This used to be one of my favorite burgers in Austin, definitely best options for burger at the festival

There are plenty of other options as well that rotate every year here’s a list of other vendors

The other festival staple is drinking, there’s a wealth of places to get beverages all throughout the festival. Pretty much everywhere you can find Miller Lite and seltzers, but they also have cool areas like a craft beer garden, wine garden, and new this year a tiki lounge. Last year was the first year that liquor was allowed, prior to this your only real option was beer, seltzers and wine. These drinks will be expensive so that might dictate the amount you consume (probably for the best).

Pro tip:

If you want a cheaper option we usually buy a bottle of wine to split and cut it with a soda like Sprite.

Like most festivals, you’re probably not inclined to be the most sober and with the amount of people you might want a drink and whatever else to quell the anxiety. Hydration is VERY important. Every drink stand sells water by the bottle, but to save money your best bet is to bring a reusable water bottle or hydration pack and take advantage of all the free water filling stations. Make sure to pace yourself throughout the day and keep hydrating, the Texas sun can creep up on you.

Make sure you throw out all trash in the various bins across the grounds.

Act Like a Local

Every year we go, we make sure to do these things:

Get the Famous Purple Margarita from Baby A’s on Barton Springs Road before you enter the festival
Take a photo of the Festival entrance they do a good job of changing the sign as you walk in every year.
Watch some football in the Beer Garden, Weekend 2 is usually the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma, fun energy for sure.Take a food photo with the ACL Eats sign in the background. Pick something photogenic
Take a photo by the ACL frame. Towards the top of the hill in the middle of the ground the have a frame painted by local artists each year that has the perfect backdrop of the city. The line will be LONG so get there at an off time and wait if it happens to be short.
SILENT DISCO!!! At least one night you have to do the Silent Disco at the Tito’s Stage. This usually happens during the main headliners so pick a night you’re maybe a little less interested in the lineup.
Get a photo in the flags. This is an iconic spot for a photo, I have way too many of these in my camera roll.
Get your ACL POAP from the AMEX Installation. Started a few years ago they have a local artist design an NFT to serves as a digital ticket stub
Buy Festival Merch. Noting better than flexing your festival swag, the options are endless, everyone can find something they like.
If you are lucky enough to get an invite to the Tito’s lounge, it is one of the best backstage experiences, slinging Tito’s drinks all day with massages, hair braiding, a true oasis of the festival.

Conclusion

Attending ACL requires proper planning and preparation to maximize your experience, whether it's securing the right ticket, packing the perfect festival kit, or navigating the grounds efficiently. Each year brings new experiences and logistical challenges, but with the right tips and tricks, like those shared in this guide, you can avoid common pitfalls and truly immerse yourself in the festival's magic.

From comfortable clothing to weather preparedness, festival survival essentials, and transportation tips, being prepared ensures you enjoy every moment without unnecessary stress. With world-class music, food, and unique festival activities, ACL is an event to remember, and with proper preparation, you'll be set for an unforgettable weekend in Austin. So, pack smart, stay hydrated, and most importantly, soak in every moment of this iconic festival.

Most importantly have FUN and make sure to share your experiences and tips with us here and over on Instagram!

Top Things You Need to Prepare for ACL Music Festival: A Complete Survival Guide