Austin City Limits Festival: Because Everyone Loves a Good Traffic Jam

Get ready, you lucky ducks headed to Austin City Limits Music Festival this weekend! Buckle up for road closures galore, because nothing says "fun" like sitting in traffic for hours.

ACL Fest runs Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 11-13 in Zilker Park, 2100 Barton Springs Road. Gates open at the crack of noon on Fridays and 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, because who doesn't love waking up early to be crammed into a sweaty crowd? The music kicks off at 12:55 p.m. on Fridays and at noon each Saturday and Sunday—don’t worry, there's plenty of time to sip your overpriced craft beer while your favorite band finishes setting up.

Austin City Limits 2024 Road Closure Map

According to Austin Parks and Recreation, be prepared for global traffic chaos with the following roads closed during the festival:

• Stratford Drive
• Barton Springs Road
• Azie Morton Road
• Northbound Mopac Access Road
• And basically every other road within a 5-mile radius because why not.

But fear not, there’s a shuttle access along MoPac from 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. during festival days. Because who doesn’t love being herded into a vehicle resembling a cattle car?

Sign up now: Get spammed with updates and the "inside scoop" from ACL in your inbox with our email newsletter.

How do I enter the festival?

There are two entrances along Barton Springs Road: the west entrance near Andrew Zilker Road and the east entrance near Azie Morton Road. The Lady Bird entrance is located on Stratford Drive, close to Loop 1 (MoPac Boulevard). Heads up, the Azie Morton Road entrance is likely the most crowded, because who doesn’t want to wait in line for an extra hour just for the fun of it?

— Mars Salazar, Beck Andrew Salgado, and Deborah Sengupta Stith of American-Statesman contributed to this report.