Austin City Limits is right around the corner, and with that comes all of the preparation beforehand. I can tell you from personal experience that going in general is overwhelming enough as it is, but alone? Especially if it’s your first time? That comes with a whole new set of challenges. As someone who has been there and was completely stressed, I am going to be telling you my tips that got me through it.
Preparation
The very first thing you need to do is prepare. Check what the weather is going to be that weekend, typically from noon to 10pm (probably pretty hot), and then determine how well you can handle that heat, because that’s gonna impact what you wear and bring. If you get overheated easily, I recommend some kind of short sleeve top and shorts; don’t worry, you can still make it cute. If you might get chilly at night, perhaps bring a jacket or wear longer pants/skirt. Keep in mind that the ground is gonna be very dirty and dust will be up in the air, especially the second weekend, so be careful with white. I highly recommend bringing a bandana or a mask for your face, because you will be breathing in all that dust in the air. My first time I went I didn’t realize this and was sneezing dirt for a week. If you’re trying to be more fashionable for pictures, then bandanas are pretty common for festivals. As for your shoes, I know boots are very tempting, but your feet will hurt – ACL comes with a lot of walking, I average around 15k-20k each day. Wear comfortable shoes, or if you really insist on cute but uncomfortable ones, bring back ups! You’re allowed to bring clear bags with you, last year I brought a pretty large one and just kept my backup shoes in there for when I got tired of wearing my boots.
In that clear bag, you should also bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a refillable water bottle (bring it empty, or dump it out before security), a portable fan if you overheat (mine was $10 on Amazon), your wallet and necessities, a portable phone charger, and if you can fit it, a towel or picnic blanket you can lay on later.
Do your research as well: do you have food allergies or medicine you need to bring in? Because ACL has certain rules set up regarding those. Download the Festiverse app, the official app ACL is using this year, and plan who you want to see. I recommend getting familiar with the map layout as well and routing where you plan to be on each day. Screenshot the map and artist schedule and keep it easily accessible on your phone, because service can get spotty with that many people.
Figure out how you are getting there as well, and then let your loved ones know so they can check your location for safety. When it comes to getting there, there are 3 main ways I would recommend. First you can drive yourself to a parking spot, and walk straight to the gates or walk to where ACL has their shuttles – to find a parking spot I recommend looking on the app SpotHero, which has been my lifesaver in Austin. Next, you can get dropped off, either somewhere near the entrance (which will probably be difficult with road closures) or you can get dropped off at the ACL shuttles. Third is the Austin Metro, if you take it to the very last station “Downtown”, that is just a few blocks from some of the ACL shuttles. Which brings me to my next point of where these shuttles actually are. The 2 main shuttle locations are Sand Beach Park and Republic Square. Republic square is the one near the shuttle and the one I typically use. When I went by myself, I had my parents drop me off there and I just took the shuttle straight to the entrance. These shuttles are free, although I will warn you there is generally a pretty long line, but it moves fast enough – people there typically pass out water or other free branded things. If you’re not using a shuttle, find the ACL entrances on the map and try to park or get dropped off closest to one of those, and then just follow the hoard of dressed up people walking. I’ve heard that the north entrance is the fastest, where you walk under the Mopac bridge.
Safety
This is probably the most concerning part of going to a large festival alone, as I know it was for me. For the most part, the festival itself is generally pretty safe because of the security everybody is required to go through and the security walking/driving around throughout. There is also safety in numbers, and trust me the numbers are high there. Make sure your loved ones have your location, keep your phone charged, always be aware of who is around you and where the exits are. Keep in tune with how you are feeling and make sure to take care of yourself. Stick by groups of people that seem kind or helpful. When getting to or from the parks, try to stick near people and lights. I waited inside a Dominoes for my dad to pick me up after so I wasn’t alone outside in the dark. I didn’t have a single safety issue when I went alone – just follow basic safety procedures.
The day of
Make sure to get plenty of sleep and eat before you go, especially the first day because it is gonna be a long weekend. Get dressed in your outfits, grab your bag and all your necessary items, and get to the festival how you pre planned. Once you are there and through security, head straight to the water stations and fill up your water bottle. If you have an artist you wanna see then head to them, but if you have time I recommend getting your pictures early before you are all sweaty. As someone with social anxiety, I typically ask younger girls or moms to take my photos, or people who already taking photos! If you don’t want to do that, then 0.5’s are always a good option. Best places to take pictures are in front of the famous flags or the ACL festival sign, but there will also be a lot of branded photo ops throughout.
When trying to get a good view of the artist, the further to the left or right you are, the closer you can get to the stage, as people typically crowd in the middle. I have had the best experience navigating through the left of the stage. For smaller artists, maybe get there 30 minutes before, but for bigger artists, I would recommend an hour or two, depending on how much you wanna be close to them. Typically, those are the headliners; this year, I imagine Sabrina Carpenter, Hozier, and The Killers will have the biggest crowds. If you want a calmer experience, stick to the back and sit on your picnic blanket if you brought one.
When you need a break or get overheated/overwhelmed, my favorite thing to do is to find some shade and lie on my picnic blanket under it. The giant ACL festival sign typically has good shade underneath it, and you will find a lot of people resting there. It’s also right across the food area, so it’s a good place to bring a meal back and eat at, especially since the food area gets very busy.
Really, just make sure to have fun, take care of yourself, and trust your gut! Austin City Limits is so much fun, I go back every year.