The unforgettable musical experience that is Austin City Limits Music Festival gears up for another two consecutive weekends of music. In anticipation of ACL, we delve into a quick history and evolution of this iconic music festival.
In 1974, Austin PBS and KLRU-TV came together to create a program that would air every week on PBS called “Austin City Limits”. From Country to Blues, to Folk and Psychedelia, they started showcasing artists from Austin and wanted to show the diversity of music they had in their city. Austin City Limits still airs every week on PBS, and they’ve come a long way since the pilot episode. Their first program starred Willie Nelson before he became the huge success and icon that he is today, from that point they quickly became popular in the city of Austin and on PBS.
In 2002, the producers came together and decided they wanted to expand Austin City Limits, so they created an annual music festival, which started out as a one-weekend event in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. After the festival was a huge success, they decided to expand the event from a one-weekend festival to a two-weekend festival. In subsequent years, they also expanded the genres of music they featured, bringing a diverse selection of music for music-goers to enjoy. This year’s headliners consist of Foo Fighters, returning headliner (2016) Kendrick Lamar, Labrinth, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and also returning headliner Mumford & Sons.
While both of these weekends will be packed with amazing performances, a lot will also be happening outside of Zilker Park. The festival has partnered with Austin’s venues for their “ACL Fest Nights”, which include after-party performances to keep the celebration going all night long. These concert nights will run every night from October 5th-14th at various venues including the Moody Amphitheater, Stubb’s, Emo’s, and Superstition.
if you’re not sure what to do in between seeing your all-time favorite artists, it would be a great opportunity to check out some of the vendors around Zilker Park or try to find your next and newest favorite artists. Many of the vendors at ACL are those who have partnered with the festival or are from right here in Austin, Texas. The same goes for some of the artists who will be performing as well. Many of them are from the city limits and a little beyond. So it’s a great opportunity to check out what Austin itself will have to offer when the festival is over.
Any information on the lineup, as well as the schedule for both weekends and ticket sales for the festival and the festival nights, will be available on the Austin City Limits Music Festival website. Select tickets are running low but you can still grab yours on the Austin City Limits Music Festival website.Tickets for these concerts are on sale on the Austin City Limits Festival’s website if you want to experience all that they have to offer.
I am from Dallas, Texas. I am currently attending The University of North Texas as a studio photography major and my hobbies include plants/gardening and hanging out with my friends. I currently work as a photographer at a studio just outside of Dallas and I am expected to graduate in December.
