Austin City Limits 2010

By Matt Klein

If you have been bummed about missing out on this year’s Austin City Limits, don’t worry. Those sold out 3-day wristbands that everybody is dying to have are still available. Even without a wristband, Austin has much to offer for audiences of all ages and tastes in music.

Austin City Limits, or ACL, is a three-day annual music festival that takes place in Zilker Park. ACL started as a two-day event in 2002, and it didn’t take long for this festival to blow up. The first big step for Austin City Limits was the size increase in 2004. By that time, there were eight stages available, drawing crowds that reached almost one hundred thousand attendees from all over the United States. A year later, ACL received Pollstar’s Festival of the Year Award, a recognized award. The festival was so crazy, 2005’s Austin City Limits was deemed as the “Dust Bowl” year where dust kicked up by the festival crowd made it difficult for audiences to breathe. As of now, ACL is recognized as one of the premier festivals in the United States, bringing in international audiences.

The main festival takes place in Austin’s Zilker Park, but it is currently celebrated all throughout the city. Venues will be playing all day, and hold “ACL Official after Shows”, where many can go and enjoy more music after the main festival has ended for the day. With three-day passes, one can exit and re-enter the festival as they please, but these wristbands aren’t the only choice you have. One, two, and three-day tickets are also available, but with these tickets come drawbacks, as you can’t re-enter. Separate tickets could be a great convenience, and can save you a lot of money. If you aren’t too excited about bands playing all three days, or you’re simply too tired or busy, tickets are definitely the best choice.

Head downtown to Austin and enjoy the music festival. There’s music to suit everyone’s taste. Without tickets and money, one can catch an artist walking the streets or score a free show. If you plan on attending ACL next year, be sure to pick up your tickets in the next couple months, as they go on sale right after the festival ends, and they’re sold out before the year ends.