Austin City Limits is a yearly music festival in Austin, Texas featuring many popular artists covering a wide genre of music. Every year, thousands of college students come from across Texas to attend this festival. With all the crazy hype about this two weekend festival, I had to experience it myself.
Coming from SMU, at least ten other people you know all go to ACL. I knew I was in good company going down to Austin with the other hundreds of SMU students. Thankfully, I did my research before and booked an Airbnb that was a five minute walk from Zilker Park. There were options to take a shuttle from downtown to the park, but I couldn't imagine the wait, especially after a long day at the festival.
I woke up early on Saturday morning and drove the three hours to Austin, parked the car and headed straight for the festival. My first stop was JR JR and Joey Purp, before digging into some lunch. ACL food is pricey, but it is completely worth it. Although Torchy's sounded tempting, I wanted to choose food I wouldn't be able to get in Dallas. My favorites were Burro Grilled Cheese Kitchen and P. Terry's Burger Stand. But what actually saved me during the festival was the free water filling station. Standing in the heat all day tires everyone out.
My favorite performances on Saturday were City and Colour, The Naked and Famous and the Chainsmokers. I was most excited about the Chainsmokers, so I waited for about 45 minutes at the stage before their performance. After waiting for 10 minutes, I was packed in a crowd so thick, it would be impossible to get out before the performance was over. But the wait and the crowd were completely worth it. After I managed to escape the sea of people, I was ready to go to bed.
On Sunday I felt like an ACL pro. Making sure I got a full breakfast, I headed to Zilker for round two. I saw NF, Oh Wonder, Miike Snow and Young the Giant. Sunday was much more relaxed with a lot less people. I mostly sat on the ground and listened rather than standing up for all the performances. My favorite artist on Sunday was Mumford & Sons. It was a huge crowd with all age ranges. From children and their parents to even some elderly people. They played an awesome set including new songs with some old favorites sprinkled in.
Overall, it was an amazing weekend. I had a great time and I will definitely attend next year. Now that I know all the tips and tricks to survive ACL, I will be a pro for ACL 2017.
