Austin City Limits Music Festival

{{Short description|Annual music festival held in Austin, Texas}}

{{Infobox recurring event

| name = Austin City Limits Music Festival

| logo = Austin City Limits Music Festival logo.png

| logo_caption =

| image = File:Austin City Limits Music Festival 2012.jpg

| imagesize = 250px

| caption = ACL Music Festival’s Bud Light stage, 2012

| date =

| begins =

| ends =

| frequency = Annually

| location = Zilker Park, Austin, Texas, United States

| years_active = 2002–present

| last = October 4-6 / 11-13, 2024

| prev = October 6-8 / 13–15, 2023

| next = October 3-5 / 10–12, 2025

| participants =

| genre = Music festival

| budget =

| attendance = 450,000 (Two weekend total){{Cite web|url=https://traveltriangle.com/blog/austin-city-limits/#:~:text=Approximately%20450%2C000%20people%20attend%20Austin%20City%20Limits%20Festival%20each%20year.|title=Austin City Limits Music Festival 2022 Is Soon Approaching And Here's How To Attend It |last =Saxena |first =Kanika| website=www.traveltriangle.com|date=2 January 2022 |access-date =Jul 21, 2022}}

| capacity = 75,000{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/scenes-from-an-austin-city-limits-music-festival-like-no-other-11633442401|title=Scenes From an Austin City Limits Music Festival Like No Other|last = Latella |first = Leah |date = Oct 5, 2021 | website= www.wsj.com |access-date = Jul 21, 2022}}

| patron =

| website = {{url|aclfestival.com}}

| footnotes =

}}

Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, on two consecutive three-day weekends and is inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series Austin City Limits.{{Cite web |last=Association |first=Texas State Historical |title=Austin City Limits |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/austin-city-limits |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Texas State Historical Association |language=en}} The festival is produced by Austin-based company C3 Presents, which also produces Chicago’s Lollapalooza.{{cite web |url=http://www.c3presents.com/ |title=C3 Presents |publisher=C3 Presents |access-date=2013-04-15}}

The ACL Music Festival has eight stages where musical groups from genres including rock, indie, country, folk, electronic, and hip hop perform. The concert starts at 11am and ends 10pm on each day during the festival at various stages spread out in the park.{{Cite web |date=2024-12-10 |title=Where and what time do the gates open each day? |url=https://support.aclfestival.com/hc/en-us/articles/4405461449876-Where-and-what-time-do-the-gates-open-each-day#:~:text=There%20are%20three%20entrances%20to,Sunday:%2011am-10pm |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=ACL Music Festival FAQs |language=en-US}} Approximately 450,000 people attend the festival each year.{{cite web|title=Austin City Limits Music Festival|url=http://www.topochicousa.net/events/2016/10/7/austin-city-limits-music-festival-weekend-two|website=Topo Chico USA|access-date=3 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160724200700/http://www.topochicousa.net/events/2016/10/7/austin-city-limits-music-festival-weekend-two|archive-date=24 July 2016|url-status=dead}} In addition to the music performances, there are food and drinks, an art market, a kids area for families and other activities for attendees.{{Cite web |last=Lopez |first=Alissa |title=Austin City Limits brings together music, art, and food |url=https://thedispatchonline.net/2085/arts-and-entertainment/austin-city-limits-brings-together-music-art-and-food/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=The Dispatch}}{{Cite web |title=Austin City Limits Music Festival 2025 {{!}} ACL Festival |url=https://www.austintexas.org/events/acl-fest/#:~:text=The%20ACL%20festival%20is%20held,Back%20to%20Top%20of%20List |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=www.austintexas.org |language=en-us}}

History

Founded in 2002, the festival began as a one-weekend event and remained as such through until 2012. On August 16, 2012, Austin City Council members voted unanimously to allow the Austin City Limits Music Festival to expand to two consecutive weekends beginning in 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.austin360.com/news/entertainment/music/council-approves-two-weekends-of-acl-fest-starti-1/nRNXk/ |title=Council Approves Two Weekends of ACL Fest |publisher=Austin 360 |access-date=2014-08-14}} Artists who have played at the festival include Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Arctic Monkeys, Guns N' Roses, Tame Impala, Robyn, Arcade Fire, Muse, Vampire Weekend, The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, Austin native Gary Clark Jr., and more.{{Cite web |title=Lineup {{!}} Austin City Limits Music Festival |url=https://www.aclfestival.com/lineup |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=www.aclfestival.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Ford |first=Holley |date=2022-05-10 |title=Austin City Limits Music Festival 2022 Lineup Revealed |url=https://www.nbcdfw.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/acl-music-fest-2022-lineup-revealed/2964057/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth |language=en-US}}

In July 2020, the festival was called off due to the COVID-19 crisis.{{cite magazine |title=billboard.com |magazine=Billboard |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9323647/concerts-canceled-coronavirus-list |access-date=July 22, 2020}}

In May 2022, it was announced that Hulu will exclusively stream the festival, as well as Bonnaroo Music Festival and Lollapalooza.{{cite web|last=Haring|first=Bruce|title=Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Will Stream Exclusively Via Hulu Through 2023|url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/bonnaroo-lollapalooza-austin-city-limits-streaming-via-hulu-through-2023-1235021825/|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 12, 2022}}

Vendors

File:Austin Eats.jpg

The Festival's food court, called Austin Eats, is modeled after the Jazz Fest in New Orleans.{{cite web|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/food/2011-09-16/austin-eats/ |title=ACL Music Fest – Austin Eats: ACL's food court, 10 years later – Food – The Austin Chronicle |publisher=AustinChronicle.com |date=2011-09-16 |access-date=2014-07-21}} Austin Eats features vendors from local Austin restaurants.{{cite web|url=http://www.aclfestival.com/2013-vendors/food/ |title=2014 Austin Eats | ACL Music Festival | Oct. 3-5 & 10-12, 2014 | Zilker Park, Austin, Texas |publisher=Aclfestival.com |access-date=2014-06-25}}

The Festival’s art market features numerous art vendors located in the centre of Zilker Park and is open throughout the duration of the festival.{{cite web|url=http://www.aclfestival.com/2013-vendors/art/ |title=2014 ACL Art Market | ACL Music Festival | Oct. 3-5 & 10-12, 2014 | Zilker Park, Austin, Texas |publisher=Aclfestival.com |access-date=2014-06-25}}

International expansion

=Auckland City Limits=

In 2015, it was announced that the Auckland City Limits Music Festival would debut at Western Springs stadium in Auckland, New Zealand in early October 2016. The festival showcased over 40 artists from a broad spectrum of musical genres, and highlight local culinary, artisans, festival fashion, an area for children, and a new festival forum for speaking on and exchanging cultural and innovative ideas.{{Cite web |last= |date=2018-01-12 |title=Austin City Limits announces Auckland and Sydney City Limits |url=https://acltv.com/2018/01/12/austin-city-limits-announces-auckland-and-sydney-city-limits/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Austin City Limits |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Auckland City Limits 2018 |url=https://www.aucklandlive.co.nz/show/auckland-city-limits-2018 |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Auckland Live |language=en}}

=Sydney City Limits=

In the spring of 2018 Sydney City Limits made its debut at Brazilian Fields and Parade Grounds at Centennial Park in Sydney, Australia. This festival was one day and featured 28 bands on four stages. It had many of the same activities and features as Austin City Limits such as Sydney Eats, Sydney Market, and Sydney Kiddie Limits.{{Cite web |title=Sydney City Limits Music Festival - Feb. 24, 2018 {{!}} Centennial Park, Sydney, Australia |url=https://www.sydneycitylimits.com/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=www.sydneycitylimits.com}}

List of lineups by year

Releases

Several live albums of music from the festival were released. The 2004 festival as CD{{cite web | url = https://www.discogs.com/ru/release/7213894-Various-Austin-City-Limits-Music-Festival-Live-From-Austin-Texas-2004 |title=Austin City Limits Music Festival (Live From Austin, Texas 2004)|accessdate=24 April 2023 |website=discogs.com}} and double DVD{{cite web | url = https://www.discogs.com/ru/release/4425019-Various-Austin-City-Limits-Music-Festival-Live-From-Austin-Texas-2004 |title=Austin City Limits Music Festival (Live From Austin, Texas 2004)|accessdate=24 April 2023 |website=discogs.com}} albums Austin City Limits Music Festival: Live From Austin, Texas 2004 and 2005 festival as double CD album Austin City Limits 2005 Music Festival.{{cite web | url = https://www.discogs.com/ru/release/7983136-Various-Austin-City-Limits-2005-Music-Festival |title=Austin City Limits 2005 Music Festival|accessdate=24 April 2023 |website=discogs.com}}