Austin City Limits Music Festival

The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-based company C3 Presents, which also produces Lollapalooza.[1]

Austin City Limits Music Festival
ACL Festival
Austin City Limits Bud Light stage, 2012
GenreMusic festival
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s)Zilker Park
Austin, Texas, United States
Years active2002–19, 2021–
Most recent04–06 & 11–13 October 2019
Previous event05–07 & 12–14 October 2018
Next event01–03 & 08–10 October 2021
WebsiteOfficial site

The ACL Music Festival has eight stages where musical groups from genres including rock, indie, country, folk, electronic and hip hop perform for fans. The concerts continue from 10 AM to 10 PM on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the festival with various stages spread out in the park. Approximately 450,000 people attend the festival each year.[2] In addition to the music performances, there are food and drinks, an art market, a kids area for families, and other activities for attendees.

History

Founded in 2002, the festival began as a one-weekend event and remained as such through the 2012 date. 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.[3] 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, The Rolling Stones, Muse, Vampire Weekend, The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, and many more. In July 2020 the festival was called off due to the COVID-19 crisis.[4]

Relationship to television series

The reputation of the ACL television show helped contribute to the success of the first music festival. The historic Austin City Limits television series focused for many years on Texas singer/songwriters, country and folk performers, and instrument specialists. That has changed as the award-winning television series now resembles the Festival lineup and spotlights artists of every musical genre from rhythm and blues to rock, jazz, and alternative. Now that the festival is an established destination, it brings major bands to the television show that might not otherwise have made the trip. In past years, Pearl Jam, My Morning Jacket, Wilco and The National have all performed for both the festival and the show.[5]

Vendors
The Austin Eats food court in 2004.

The Festival's food court, called Austin Eats, was modeled after the Jazz Fest in New Orleans.[6] Austin Eats features vendors from local Austin restaurants an offers gluten-free and vegetarian options.[7]

The ACL Art Market features numerous art vendors and is located in the center of Zilker Park; all booths are open throughout the duration of the festival.[8]

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 will showcase 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.

Sydney City Limits

In 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.

List of lineups by year
Main article: List of Austin City Limits lineups by year

See also

References
  1. "C3 Presents". C3 Presents. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
  2. "Austin City Limits Music Festival". Topo Chico USA. Archived from the original on 24 July 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  3. "Council Approves Two Weekends of ACL Fest". Austin 360. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  4. "billboard.com". Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  5. "Artists | Austin City Limits". Acltv.com. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  6. "ACL Music Fest – Austin Eats: ACL's food court, 10 years later – Food – The Austin Chronicle". AustinChronicle.com. 2011-09-16. Retrieved 2014-07-21.
  7. "2014 Austin Eats | ACL Music Festival | Oct. 3-5 & 10-12, 2014 | Zilker Park, Austin, Texas". Aclfestival.com. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  8. "2014 ACL Art Market | ACL Music Festival | Oct. 3-5 & 10-12, 2014 | Zilker Park, Austin, Texas". Aclfestival.com. Retrieved 2014-06-25.

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