We have all been there, drenched in the scorching heat. Bodies pushing past one another. One of the people from your group of friends is drinking from your CamelBak. You did not wait forty minutes in line at the Hydration Station for this. You still have thirty minutes until your favorite artist comes on. Why are people standing? Please, move.
If you’ve been to any music festival, you know the struggle. If you’ve been to Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL), more specifically, this article is for you. Yes, you.
As a four-year veteran, I am going to share my go-to rules, procedures, and plans for attending the annual ACL Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
Download the app
Always, always, always follow the ACL official social media accounts. Download the official app. You’ll want to stay updated with news that directly comes from a reliable source, so who better? Here, you can begin your ultimate festival preparation. Screenshot the map, the set times, and other vital information that you’ll need (it’ll be hard to get on at the actual festival).
Don’t forget the vitals
Keys. Phone. Wallet. Repeat. Keys. Phone. Wallet. And cardboard cutout of that really embarrassing picture of your friend on a flagpole to carry around the festival grounds. Repeat. Do not, I repeat, do not forget any of these items. You won’t be able to do what you want or need to do at the festival. How are you going to buy yourself delicious Tiff’s Treats at ACL Eats? Ya can’t. Move along. How are you going to buy yourself a nice ACL 2017 t-shirt? Ya can’t. Always check your pockets before you leave the pre-game.
Keep track of your time
Speaking of pre-game, do not get so lost in the sauce that you can’t make it to the festival. Do not spend hours at a bar, a restaurant, or Jake’s fraternity’s house getting schwasted. You paid $250 to experience bands from 11 A.M. until 10 P.M. for three days straight. Make use of it (…but not entirely because who really gets there at 11 A.M.? I’m not judging though). Try to figure out what time you need to leave to make it to the first act you want to see.
Know your transportation options
Know the bus routes. Know the shuttle routes. Know where the parking garages are. ACL and Austin offer free public transportation to and from Zilker Park from downtown near Republic Square. You can choose to park there and take the shuttle, or you can walk from a closer venue. Uber, Lyft, and Ride Austin are options too, but keep in mind that the price might spike during prime pick-up and drop-off times.
Know the schedule
You don’t have the schedule permanently tatted onto your calf by now? Fake fan. No, but seriously. Commit that thing to memory.
Know your group, love your group
The people that you choose to go to ACL with are people that you should be comfortable with. They should be and probably are some of your closest friends. Ask them who they want to see, and let them know who you want to see. Always be sure to make group stops for water and food. Be considerate. Arrive as a pack, move as a pack, and leave as a pack (this is easier with that cardboard face of your friend, I’m just saying).
Prioritize yourself, sometimes
Even though you should go along with the group for safety reasons, don’t let their interests cloud yours. Don’t miss out on an artist that you really want to see because some of the group hates them. Find a friend that will go with you, and decide on a meeting spot for after the show with the rest of the group. You all should be experiencing the festival to its fullest extent.
Have fun
It’s great to have all of these things planned out. It takes stress away, but it can also add some on. Remember that you don’t need to be early for every show, that you can spend more time eating than you planned, that sometimes you all want to just sit down on the grass and enjoy one another’s company instead of trekking across the park again. ACL is made for memories, so make sure you’re making them.