Austin City Limits Festival 2018: Ticket, Transportation and Lodging Information

The Austin City Limits Festival (ACL) is an annual music festival in Austin located at Zilker Park from October 5th through the 7th and October 12th through the 14th. We have already published tips and what you need to know to have a great ACL but we have more updates for all our ACL goers in regards to ticket, transportation and lodging. Below are the recent updates:

ACL Ticket Info:

Tickets for ACL 2018 are already on sale and if you want to attend I suggest purchasing them NOW because they do go up in price as the festival gets closer. Below are the current prices for General Admission, VIP and Platinum along with what is included with the ticket.

General Admission:

Per my previous ACL post below is what is included with a general admission ticket.

  • One commemorative RFID-enabled wristband
  • Over 125 performances on 8 stages from 11am to 10pm
  • Food from over 35 award-winning chefs & restaurants including vegan, vegetarian & gluten-free options
  • Shop official band merch, festival merch, and specialty items from dozens of art vendors
  • Sponsor areas with giveaways throughout the park
  • Autograph signings with official ACL artists
  • Bars & concessions throughout the park with ACL Cashless availability
  • Free filtered water stations throughout the festival
  • Access to secure lockers on-site with charging capabilities
  • Access to complimentary Official Festival Shuttles provided by ACL Fest
  • Children 10 & under allowed in free with access to Austin Kiddie Limit

For more information about General Admission or to purchase tickets please visit: https://www.aclfestival.com/tickets/.

VIP Tickets:

The ACL VIP ticket includes:

  • NEW! Shaded viewing deck with exceptional sightlines of the American Express main stage. Viewing deck capacity is limited.
  • NEW! VIP Bar offering beer and wine located at Rock Island within the main Festival grounds
  • Unlimited access to the VIP Grove featuring relaxed seating, shade and premium restrooms
  • All day beer, wine and specialty cocktails in the VIP Grove
  • Catered lunch and dinner
  • Express Spa treatments
  • Concierge services
  • Preferred pricing for locker rentals with mobile charging
  • Dedicated Festival entrance lane at main entrances
  • Unlimited in-and-out privileges
  • One commemorative RFID-enabled wristband
  • Access to all areas available to General Admission

For more information or to purchase VIP tickets please visit: https://www.aclfestival.com/tickets/#vip

Platinum TicketsThe Platinum Ticket includes:

  • NEW! Closer viewing of the American Express main stage from the shaded viewing deck within the Platinum Lounge
  • NEW! Two private entries into the Festival grounds with shuttle transportation to the Platinum Lounge
  • NEW! Platinum Bar offering beer and wine located at Rock Island within the main Festival grounds
  • Up-close, prime viewing areas in front of five stages
  • Access to on-stage viewing at the two main stages*
  • Golf cart transportation between the Platinum Festival entrances, Lounge, and front-of-stage viewing areas
  • All-day dining and beverages in the Platinum Lounge
  • Express Spa treatments
  • Complimentary locker with mobile charging
  • Concierge services
  • Official ACL Festival merchandise gift
  • Complimentary Wi-Fi in the Platinum Lounge
  • Unlimited in-and-out privileges
  • One commemorative RFID-enabled wristband per day
  • Pre-sale access to Official ACL Festival After-shows
  • Platinum Shuttle transportation from the JW Marriot to private Platinum Entrance
  • Access to all areas available to VIP and General Admission

For more information or to purchase Platinum tickets please visit: https://www.aclfestival.com/tickets/#platinum. If you own an American Express Card you can also purchase VIP and Platinum tickets using your card here: https://www.aclfestival.com/news/american-express/.

Transportation to the Festival:

There are several options to get to the festival. One of the newest ways to commute around Austin is dockless electric scooters. The three main electric scooter companies currently in Austin are listed below.

All three of these companies require downloading the App to ride one of these electric scooters.

Here are the transportation options officially provided by ACL:

  • Free Downtown Shuttle: Board at Republic Square Park at the corner of 4th & Guadalupe streets and you’ll be dropped off on Barton Springs Road outside the Barton Springs West Entrance. The shuttles begin at Republic Square at 10:30AM and make their final return from the park at 11PM each day of the Festival.
  • Ride Sharing: Uber is the Official Ride Share Partner of ACL Music Festival.
  • CapMetro Buses: CapMetro is ramping up their service to meet increased demands during ACL Fest, including running Saturday-level service on Sundays for both weekends. Click here to learn more about what routes to take to the festival.
  • Bicycles: Bike racks are available at the Lady Bird Lake Entrance and south of the Barton Springs East and Barton Springs West Entrances. Please be aware that all bikes left locked in the designated bike racks after 11PM on Sunday risk being impounded. Below is the map for the best route to use when you ride your bike to ACL Fest.
  • Austin B-cycle: Grab a B-cycle from one of the 50+ stations in central Austin and ride to the B-cycle station at Uncle Billy’s (Barton Springs Rd. at Kinney Ave) where there will be a B-cycle valet during the festival. Mellow Johnny’s will be stationed at Bike Parking south of the Barton Springs East and Barton Springs West Entrances to help with any small issues you may have encountered on your way to the fest.
  • Taxis: The Taxi pick up and drop off location is off William Barton Drive in front of Barton Springs Pool.
  • Motorcycles & Scooters: Scooter & Motorcycle parking is available at the corner of Sterzing Drive and Toomey Road. This is accessible via westbound Barton Springs, turning right onto Sterzing.
  • Passenger Drop Off/Pick-Up: TBD
  • Walking to Zilker: Take the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail for a quick walk downtown and easy access to the festival grounds. Extra lighting is provided for your safety, and there are also user amenities along different spots of the Trail including water fountains, restrooms, and parking lots. View the interactive Trail map here.

There is no parking at ACL Festival. Parking in the surrounding neighborhoods is strictly prohibited, and vehicles will be ticketed and towed. Parking passes to purchase are coming soon but not available currently. For street closures and more info, visit http://austintexas.gov/event/austin-city-limits-music-festival-weekend-1 or http://austintexas.gov/event/austin-city-limits-music-festival-weekend-2.

Lodging in ATX:

You have various hotel options and some of the hotels offer a 3 day ACL ticket plus a hotel room package. You can find information on ACL specific hotel packages at a discount here: https://www.aclfestival.com/tickets/#hotel-packages. HomeAway is the Official Accommodation Partner of ACL Festival and also have great deals for ACL attendees! To check out their latest HomeAway rental options please click here. For more information on lodging during ACL please visit: https://www.aclfestival.com/hotels/.

I will be attending this year since some of the headliners are Paul McCartney, Metallica and Childish Bambino plus I live in walking distance from Zilker Park. I will try to live stream and take as many pictures to post live on our twitter accounts; @hitechchic and @nrpena.

For more information about ACL please visit: https://www.aclfestival.com/. To view my previous article on ACL 2018 on tips and things you need to know to make ACL a successful experience please click here.

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Source: ACL