Austin Traditions: Austin City Limits
Each fall, typically a weekend when the University of Texas Longhorn football team is not in Austin, a huge number of performers descend on the city to perform in Zilker Metropolitan Park. This invasion is known as the Austin City Limits Music Festival which is usually shortened to Austin City Limits or ACL.The festival enjoys a prime location in the center of Austin. While there is not parking available at Zilker Park, there is a free shuttle available from downtown. Food is not allowed inside but all of Austin’s top restaurants participate with a booth. In that respect, the Austin City Limits Music Festival does its part to "Keep Austin Weird."
The festival itself takes up three days in September. It typically brings more than 130 bands to the city all of which manage to perform on eight stages. The majority of genres, including rock, country, folk, indie, Americana, hip-hop, reggae, and bluegrass, are represented by performers who take the stage each year.
Because of the eight stages and so many bands, experienced festival-goers will get an early copy of the schedule and start figuring out exactly who they want to see. Because of the 130 bands that perform, it is impossible for a single person to catch every act in its entirety.
On a daily basis, the Festival will attract a crowd of roughly 65,000 visitors. This means that in a single weekend, 195,000 people or so will pass through Zilker Park. When one considers the musicians, the organizers, and the staff, it is probably closer to 200,000 people.
While it is not a very old festival, during its short life the Austin City Limits Music Festival has managed to join the ranks of Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Coachella in the ranks of the premier rock festivals in the United States.
