6/12: Austin City Limits Annotated Guide All the Austin City Limits Intel You Need to Groove at the Fest This Year

Top-notch tips for how to make the most of your time at the festival and in Las Vegas from a local super-fan.

Guide by Jeff Miller Annotations by Michelle Fisher

Everything You Need to Know to Prepare for lovers & friends This Year

Finding your new favorite band or artist. Look, we all love the headliners, and the ACL organizers do a great job of booking big-time talent. The big names sell passes and get the masses funneling into any festival, but in Austin, the arts scene has always been about the outlaws, the underdogs, and the outsiders. After all, this is still the city that spawned Shotgun Willie and Dazed and Confused. So, maximize your experience: Get there when the gates open and walk around until you find a sound that you vibe with (I recommend starting with the BMI stage, which typically plays host to some local acts). When you’re there early, you can bypass the long lines and see local acts and smaller touring groups that don’t have top billing just yet. The headliners are worth sticking around for, but the more low-key atmosphere when the sun is out serves as a reminder that ACL was built on the back of the local scene; there’s so much great music to be found in the small print of the poster, and ACL has always had a nose for up-and-comers primed to make a splash. For example, in the past decade alone, you might have missed acts like Lizzo, Luke Combs, Lucy Dacus, and Khruangbin (one of this year’s headliners) if you didn’t show up until the sun was down.

No ACL experience is complete without…

Austin City Limits Music Festival, better known as ACL Fest or simply ACL, gathers nearly half a million people in the state capital for two back-to-back weekends every October. Along with SXSW, it’s one of two pillars of the Austin festival scene and is now one of the largest music festivals in the US. Much like Austin as a whole in the last decade, ACL has gone from under-the-radar indie darling to a formidable magnet for artists and techies alike, all converging on a Central Texas town that was something of an afterthought just 20 years ago. When you walk through the ACL gates, you can immediately feel this delicate balance. The smell of Texas barbecue and the twang of Texas country, the hallmarks that helped turn Austin into the “it” city of the last decade, are still there. But so is the money, the development and, of course, the California and New York expats. And yet, despite the growth and the undeniable changes to the city and the festival, ACL manages to stay true to what makes Austin Austin, with an inclusive, unpretentious atmosphere that’s flush with foodies and folks who really care about live music, proving that all is not necessarily lost when the developers come knocking. In 2024, ACL will take over Austin’s Zilker Park October 4–6 and October 11–13. Here's everything we know, and how you can get yourself prepared.

2. The thing I do like about Austin City Limits is that there's no genre. It's everything. I've seen Paul McCartney for crying out loud to wonderful acts like Rev. Al Green to brand new acts—The Flaming Lips, I think it was.

4. To see the whole bluegrass alt country thing start to really fill stadiums has been amazing to me and in a good way.

ACL is held in Zilker Park, a beautiful 350-acre grassy expanse on the southern bank of Lady Bird Lake, with the ever-expanding Austin skyline towering over the main stage at the east end of the park. Your best option is to stay within walking distance. Driving is theoretically in play, but there is zero parking available at Zilker and the neighborhoods nearby do not abide any festival-goers. Some retail parking lots typically fetch a hefty price for their premium spots on South Lamar, but in general, you'll want to leave the car at home. Otherwise, you can always ride share your way fairly close to the entrance, or take advantage of ACL-provided shuttles that leave from downtown Austin.

Where is ACL held and how do I get there?

You can get your passes on the ACL website. General Admission one-day tickets will set you back $165. Meanwhile, GA weekend passes start at $360, but if you’re looking for an upgraded experience, you can splurge for GA+ for $775, VIP for $1,760, or Platinum for $5,710. And, if you have nine friends who truly appreciate the finer things in life (and have the bank account to afford them), there are all-inclusive bungalows available for $30,000.

How do I buy ACL 2024 tickets?

For 2024, ACL continued its recent trend of spreading the wealth among genres, making for a festival that music fans of all types should enjoy. In the headliner section alone, you’ve got a bonafide pop star in Dua Lipa; country giants Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson; Tyler, the Creator for all you hip-hop heads; and everyone’s favorite ‘90s pop-punk legends, Blink-182. Just below the big bold print are some exciting additions, like Renee Rapp, Orville Peck, Vince Staples, Porter Robinson, and more. Further down the list, you can check out Austin legends like Asleep at the Wheel and Bob Schneider, plus smaller bands primed to explode like The Beaches.

What’s the ACL 2024 lineup?

For most of the year, Zilker Park is a proper greenspace, but for the two weeks of ACL, it turns into an arid, well-trodden dust bowl. This makes a mask or bandana and sunglasses handy gear to bring along. Fortunately, ACL is held in October, so you’ll escape the relentless summer heat, but this is still Texas, y’all. Wear sunscreen, stay hydrated, and take some time in the shade between sets. But, again, this is still Texas: If you don’t like the weather, wait 20 minutes. It might even rain (just don’t let some raindrops scare you off).

What should I bring to ACL?

In Austin, good music and good food are 1a and 1b on our list of priorities, so ACL never disappoints when it comes to serving up mouth-watering local favorites. The ACL Eats lineup harbors plenty of Texas-approved indulgences like barbecue, burgers, and more. We love the tacos from Discada and anything from La Veracruz. Juiceland always pulls through when you need a healthy pick-me-up, too.

What are the ACL 2024 food options?

Recreational cannabis is illegal in Texas, and the festival is an entirely smoke and vape free zone, so we have to recommend that you leave your weed at home. That said, it’s still a festival, so you might just need to get creative.

Can I bring weed to ACL?

There’s a massive bank of porta potties near the food court, and at least by festival standards, they’re typically kept pretty clean and don’t have unreasonably crazy lines. Of course, better bathrooms are one of the best reasons to upgrade to a premium pass if you can swing the cost.

What’s the bathroom situation at ACL?

Austin has no shortage of local venues happy to host musicians following their festival sets, and you’ll find plenty of ACL-sanctioned afterparties throughout the city. Musicians helming DJ sets, bands taking to smaller more intimate stages in the city—don’t hesitate if there’s someone you’re dying to see in a smaller setting than the festival. Tickets will go fast. Check ACL Fest Nights to see Foster the People’s DJ set or catch Barry Can’t Swim rock a rooftop night club.

Where’s the official ACL 2024 afterparty?

Austin, as a whole, has a laid back energy, but during ACL weekends, it’s a different animal entirely. While the festival itself isn’t overly rowdy, the sheer volume of attendees can turn the city into a bit of a collective bender, especially in high-traffic areas like Barton Springs and Dirty 6th. So, plan ahead for airline tickets, lodging and restaurant reservations, be ready to wait in some lines inside the gates and out, and don’t be afraid to lean into some good old-fashioned Austin Weird.

What should every ACL first-timer know?

5. Depending on the year, between 3,000 and 5,000 people show up to our set and they're energetic. It's the first notes they get to hear. It's the only ACL tradition I know of besides taking your picture with the opening little thing everybody does. And it's also very Texas, and we hope that people will take away a little bit of Texas with 'em when they come.

8. I also have to mention that the food has become incredible. The first year, that was not the case. They ran out of everything.

Austin City Limits Music Festival,

SXSW,

Ashley Osborn is a Los Angeles based professional photographer and creative director with a passion for music, documentary, and lifestyle photography. She grew up in Minneapolis and picked up her first camera when she was only six years old. She is fortunate enough to have spent a lot of time on the road during her career with bands such as Twenty One Pilots and Bring Me The Horizon and has documented some of the world’s most influential women in music including Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Billie Eilish, Jessie J, Avril Lavigne, Kesha, PVRIS.

Photo courtesy Taylor Regulski/ACL Festival

Photo courtesy Caley Hanse/ACL Festival

Ray Benson, the frontman and founding member of legendary Austin band Asleep at the Wheel, holds the distinction as the only person to play ACL every year since its inception (minus a rainout in 2021). In a career spanning more than 50 years, Benson has released over 20 albums, featuring over 20 charting singles. As a producer, Ray has worked with Merle Haggard, Brad Paisley, and Willie Nelson, who he’s also toured with multiple times.

Meet the Annotator

Be prepared with lots of different clothing options. I always have a poncho in my bag ready to go. Trying to buy one downtown can be expensive. Look into bringing a kit with sunscreen, poncho, sunglasses, and hat—essentials going into any festival.

Photo by Jonah Rosenberg for Thrillist

[I've been] playing at Jazz Fest probably since I was about four or five years old. Just being able to share the stage with The Neville Brothers on the closing set, since I was about 12 years old, has always been a big memory to me. Though it happened multiple times, I just could never get over how great that felt, being able to be with the people whose shoulders I stand on.

There's no right or wrong way when you're at Jazz Fest. All of it is like paradise.

ACL website.

7. When Tom Petty played, I remember he was interrupted by rain, and most of the people would go home and everything, and he said, “I'll be back. Don't go.” And he waited until the rain moved on and came back and played an incredible set.

6. Be prepared to have the weather be completely different from what you think it is, whether it's too hot or too cold or too wet or too dry. It's going to be something. This is Texas. Its weather extremes are our calling card.

The lineup this year is amazing! Janet! Alicia Keys! Usher! Nas! Backstreet Boys! And those are just the top headliners. Those of us who grew up in the '90s cannot ask for more! I've gone to the festival all three years, some of my favorites from the past were Jodeci, Miguel, and Missy Elliott.

I love the Mango Freeze and the Crawfish Monica!

My best advice is comfy shoes, sunscreen, and HYDRATE.

Editor’s Note: Thrillist’s Guide to Live Music in 2024 is your go-to resource for navigating the most travel-worthy music events of the year. For festival guides like this, we asked past attendees, musical artists, and mega fans to add their personal anecdotes, unexpected highlights, and insider tips through annotations. Read more guides and stories here.

Photo courtesy Charles Reagan/ACL Festival

All the Austin City Limits Intel You Need to Groove at the Fest This Year

The top acts, best food options, and everything else you need to know to have a great time—plus extra tips from Asleep at the Wheel's Ray Benson.

Guide by Chad Rafferty Annotations by Ray Benson

Chad Rafferty is an Austin-based writer who has also contributed Austin-focused stories for Tribeza Magazine, as well as music criticism for Post-Trash.

Allie Conti is a journalist who has been working in print and digital media for more than a decade. She's previously been a staff writer at VICE and the Miami New Times, and is a contributor to the New York Times and New York Magazine among other outlets. She was the creator and host of the popular investigative podcast VIGILANTE, and has been interviewed about her reporting on NPR, WNYC, WBUR, and NBC Nightly News. A graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, she lives in Brooklyn, but can sometimes admit to herself that Philly is probably a superior city.

Photo by Jonah Rosenberg for Thrillist

Photo courtesy Charles Reagan/ACL Festival

Photo courtesy Jackie Lee Young/ACL Festival

Photo courtesy Ashley Osborn/ACL Festival

Photo courtesy Alan Sabido/Lovers&Friends

Photo courtesy Greg Noire/Lovers&Friends

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1. Well, you got 20-somethings that weren't born when we started, so I keep looking at the audiences and they get younger and younger—well, by my view, younger and younger. So it's really watching the demographic change has been the biggest thing.

3. If you want to go see newer acts that are breaking out or trying to break out or might break out, I think the BMI stage is definitely the place.

Zilker Park,

9. Barbecue and Mexican food obviously are our go-tos, but there are iterations of those both that are incredible. In other words, there is the barbecue, which is a totally different barbecue, but it is great barbecue. I would encourage checking out the trailer scene. I think we have one of the most vibrant food trailer scenes around.

ACL-sanctioned afterparties

10. For country, the Broken Spoke and there’s Antone's, which for years has been home of the blues and other music. Antone's is so iconic, even though it's in its fourth iteration, it's still the soul of Austin's blues scene. The Saxon Pub, Continental Club—they've survived—C-Boys, which is down the street from the Con. Those are still iconic and great places to see music.

11. Take a swim in Barton Springs, if you can get in, or the Deep Eddy Pool. I think part of being in Austin is how to keep cool in hot weather. I think that is the one thing that everybody needs to know. It gets hot.

12. When [you’re at] the airport, go to my Asleep at the Wheel bar.

The weather in May is perfect so I’d suggest hitting up a pool party or one of the pools at the Mandalay Bay or MGM Grand, where there are lazy rivers.

The thing I do like about Austin City Limits is that there's no genre. It everything. I've seen Paul McCartney for crying out loud to wonderful acts like Rev. Al Green to brand new acts—The Flaming Lips, I think it was.

I also have to mention that the food has become incredible. The first year, that was not the case. They ran out of everything.

Barbecue and Mexican food obviously are our go-tos, but there are iterations of those both that are incredible. In other words, there is the barbecue, which is a totally different barbecue, but it is great barbecue. I would encourage checking out the trailer scene. I think we have one of the most vibrant food trailer scenes around.

For Country, the Broken Spoke and there’s Antone's, which for years has been home of the blues and other music. Antone's is so iconic, even though it's in its fourth iteration, it's still the soul of Austin's blues scene. The Saxon Pub, Continental Club—they've survived—C-Boys, which is down the street from the Con. Those are still iconic and great places to see music.

Take a swim in Barton Springs, if you can get in, or the Deep Eddy Pool. I think part of being in Austin is how to keep cool in hot weather. I think that is the one thing that everybody needs to know. It gets hot.

ACL Eats lineup