ACL Music Fest Guide: Ticket Info, Streets Closures, Alternative Transportation And More

AUSTIN, TX -- It's that time of year again for the Austin City Limits music festival, a massive festival this year with the likes of Willie Nelson, Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, Gina Chavez and others sharing their artistry with the attending throngs.

To get tickets and see the full lineup for both weekends of the festival scheduled Sept. 30-Oct. 2 and Oct. 7-9, click here. The concerts are scheduled at Zilker Park at 2100 Barton Springs Rd. in South Austin.

ACL Fest kicked off last Friday, with gates opening at 11 a.m. Organizers suggest concertgoers be prepared to have their bags searched and should plan for extra time to get through security. Also they urge avoidance of peak hours for a speedier entry into Zilker Park, offering this hint on their website:

For music lovers, the two weekends are musical nirvana. For motorists not attending the festival, it translates to gridlock along streets near the Zilker Park venue of its staging. But with good advance planning, motorists can plot out alternative routes to avoid the frustration of reaching streets that have been closed for the event.

And for those attending, planning ahead of time also can yield rewards. There are less stressful ways of getting to the event by ditching the car in favor of public transportation. Remember: There is no parking at the festival site or on surrounding streets, so if you take your car it'll have to be parked a good distance away.

Those still insisting on driving can take heed of tips issued by the Austin Police Department to avoid having their parked cars broken into to by thieves taking advantage of the abundance of parked vehicles containing valuables.

Know your street closures

First, street closures. Several arteries around Zilker Park -- key among them Barton Springs Road, Sterzing Street, Stratford Drive and Toomey Road -- will be either partially or completely closed during the two-weekend event:

• Barton Springs Road: Barton Springs Road will close from Rollingwood Drive to Sterzing Street between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3 and between Oct. 7 and Oct. 10 from 12:02 a.m. to 6 a.m. Residential traffic will be allowed to exit the neighborhood at Sterzing Street and travel eastbound to Lamar Boulevard. Inbound traffic into the neighborhood is closed.
• Sterzing Street: Traffic limited to one-way northbound.
• Stratford Drive: Stratford Drive will close from Nature Center Drive to Barton Springs Road between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3 and between Oct. 7 and Oct. 10 from 12:01 a.m. to 3 a.m. The roadway again will close on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Toomey Road: Traffic is limited to one-way eastbound.

There are other surrounding streets affected by the music festival. For a full map, produced by Downtown Alliance, click here. Downtown Alliance lists alternate routes to traffic include Lamar Boulevard and MoPac (Loop 1) for north/south traffic and Cesar Chavez Street for east/west traffic.

Getting there

Downtown Alliance officials also suggest taking advantage of the free festival shuttle to and from the corner of 4th and Guadalupe streets at Republic Square Park and at the festival entrance on Barton Springs Road. For more information, visit ACLFestival.com.

"Park your car downtown and take advantage of public transportation with the complimentary Official Festival Shuttles provided by ACL Fest!" ACL organizers write on their website. "Board at Republic Square at the corner of 4th & Guadalupe streets and you’ll be dropped off at the Festival entrance on Barton Springs Road. When you’re finished rocking, hop back on for a return trip. The shuttles begin at Republic Square at 10:30AM and make their final return from the park at 11 p.m. each day of the Festival."

Here are some alternative, environmentally conscious modes of transportation in reaching the festival.

Cap Metro: The city's public transit system has altered its route schedule to accommodate concert-goers from throughout the city. One key change is the adoption of a Saturday schedule for Sundays during both weekends. To learn more about routes that can be taken to the festival, click here.

Bicycles: Festival organizers have installed bike racks at each of the festival entrance gates -- but you'll need your own lock: "If you plan on leaving your bicycle at the bike racks at each of the festival entrance gates, don’t forget to bring your own lock!" officials note. Also, organizers alert bicyclists who leave their bikes locked in the designated racks after 1o p.m. on Sunday run the risk of having them impounded. Those who don't own their own bicycles can secure one at one of 50 Austin B-Cycle stations situated in downtown Austin and ride to the B-Cycle Station located just south of the Barton Springs entrance!

"They’ll have a Zilker B-station valet up and running to make sure you always have a place to dock the bike," organizers wrote. There's also support staff catering to bicyclists: "Our friends at Mellow Johnny’s will be stationed just outside the Barton Springs Entrance by the Box Office to help with any small issues you may have encountered on your way to the fest. Stop by for minor repairs and supplies you may have forgotten!," ACL Music Festival officials say ont their website.

Ride sharing: Sure, Uber and Lyft no longer operate in Austin after their spat with the city over drivers' background checks, but there are still several ride-sharing firms ready, able and willing to pick up customers. "New this year, ACL is working with our partner Honda and RideAustin to provide FREE Hail-A-Hondarides to the fest each day," organizers wrote. "Look for the Honda option in the RideAustin App. Visit HondaAtACL.com for complete rules, terms and info."

Also, the city has designated a pickup area just outside ACL Fest for those using ride share. Exit through the Lady Bird Lake Portal and follow the signs across the MoPac foot bridge to the dedicated ride-share pick-up lot, organizers suggest.

Getting there, part II

The list of ride-sharing/car-sharing firms -- notwithstanding the Uber/Lyft exodus -- is long, warranting its own section for information.

City officials remind of the Car2Go and Zipcar as two choices to consider:

Car2Go: "With car2go, a low one-time membership fee gives you access to any of its distinctive blue-and-white Smart Cars. You can either reserve a car or make a spontaneous getaway from dozens of downtown locations. You’ll be billed only for the minutes you use the car and, when you’re done, just park the car anywhere in the car2go operating area. Learn more and sign up here."

Officials have launched a ACL Fest-timed promotion to urge participation, enabling new customers to become car2go members for free and receive a $6.00 credit with the promo code FEST16 upon registration. New members are also able to register at ACL Drop Zone (1540 Toomey Rd.) to get registered, picking up some car2go swag in the process. Visit this link for quick registration access: http://c2g.cc/FEST16. Officials told Patch they've also upgraded their membership process, eliminating the 3- to 5-day waiting period for would-be customers to just 24 hours.

Zipcar: "Zipcar members can choose from a variety of vehicles in the company’s fleet. Just find and reserve your ride from Zipcar’s website or mobile apps, pick it up at its designated parking spot and return it to the spot at the end of your trip. Rentals are per hour or per day. Learn more and sign up here."

The list of ride-sharing firms is sizable, even in a world without Uber and Lyft.

"If you're using rideshares to get to ACL Fest, direct your driver to the City of Austin's designated pick-up/drive-off zone near Austin High School," event organizers remind attendees.

Among the ride-sharing companies licensed to operate officially with "transportation network company" designation filed with the city are:

• Fasten Inc., known for bargain-basement fares offered as a way to distinguish themselves from the competition.
• Get Me LLC is one of the older ride-sharing companies, having launched in 2015.
• InstaRyde launched at the end of June, and has about 200 drivers with ambitious expansion plans in the offing.
• RideAustin a nonprofit alternative among the ride-sharing landscape launched in mid-June. The company's service area is somewhat limited for the moment, accepting rides originating in five downtown ZIP codes and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
• Ride Fare LLC was among the first ride-share companies to enter the market after the departure of Uber and Lyft, emerging just days following their exodus from Austin. In a Facebook post over the summer, CEO Michael Leto said they had 5,000 drivers in Austin who've already given some 60,000 rides.
• ScoopMe LLC( is a homegrown firm based in Georgetown, also launched in mid-June.
• Tride Technologies LLC is another option, having launched service in late June. This company is based in Tulsa, Okla.
• Wingz Inc., a San Francisco-based company, launched local service in early May. It distinguishes itself with its flat-rate fares.

Going old school, hailing a taxi or pedicab

"Taxis abound downtown during the evening hours," city officials assure. "During the day, hotel taxi stands are the fastest places to catch a cab. And at all hours of the day, you can request a pickup by calling companies directly." The offer a list of cab companies:

Yellow Cab 512-452-9999
Roy's Taxi 512-482-0000
Super Shuttle 512-258-3826

Then there are pedicabs -- kind of like rickshaws but with pedals. From personal experience, you might want to ask about pricing beforehand as prices not only vary but can sometimes be more costly than you might expect for a short distance.

"You’ll see pedicabs throughout downtown, especially in the entertainment districts of E. 6th Street, the Warehouse District and W. 6th Street," city officials wrote. "Drivers are fully licensed by the City of Austin. Rates vary – be sure to ask your driver about the price per rider or per trip before hopping in. "

Here's a list:

Capital Pedicabs 512-448-2227
DirtNail Pedicab 512-844-4444
Metrocycle Pedicabs 512-825-1276
Red Devil Rides 866-366-9666
Roadkill Pedicab 512-300-3784

Guarding your belongings

The Austin Police Department has weighed in with its own advice, theirs geared toward imparting tips on safeguarding belongings of those attending the ACL music fest.

"The Austin Police Department Auto Theft Interdiction Project would like to remind citizens that thousands of individuals will be in Austin attending the Austin City Limits (ACL) music festival," police wrote in an advisory. "During the music fest, car thieves will be scouting parked vehicles looking for items to steal while individuals are enjoying the music events. They also break into keypad entry and key-less entry vehicles because owners are more likely to leave their ignition or valet key locked inside."

It only takes three minutes for a car to be burglarized or stolen, police said. If a key is located inside, it only takes one minute, they added. "Vehicle crime is a crime of opportunity," police said. "But by taking away this opportunity, we can minimize the chances of becoming a victim."

To avoid becoming a victim, Austin police offered the following tips:

• Lock your car and take your keys – especially if you have a keypad or keyless entry. These are big attracters for car thieves. They know the odds are in their favor if there is a key locked inside. Don’t make it easy for a thief to drive away in your vehicle.
• Park in well lit areas or attended lots – auto thieves do not like witnesses and will avoid these areas
• Don’t leave valuables in plain view (purses/wallets, cell phones, keys, laptops, electronics, money, jewelry garage door opener, etc.) Don’t make it profitable and worthwhile for thieves. Never leave your ID or personal documents inside unattended.
• If you must lock valuables inside, move them to the trunk, glovebox, or out of sight BEFORE you arrive and park. Thieves wait for and watch those who park, and they blend into the scene.
• Austin is a hands-free cell phone zone. Don’t talk or text while driving, unless it’s hands-free. Don’t drive distracted – It can wait. There are a lot of pedestrians, barricades, and narrowed lanes around the event.Watch for pedestrians and other vehicles.
• Once you’re walking, don’t walk distracted! Keep your eyes on the cars and others who may want to grab your purse or phone while you’re looking down at your phone and unaware of surroundings.
• Use crosswalks, obey traffic signals, and don’t cross over barricades. They exist entirely for your safety. Watch out for the cars on the road who may not be watching for you.

APD's Auto Theft Interdiction Project programs are funded through the Texas Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority to reduce auto and burglary theft in the State of Texas, police noted.

So there you have it. By taking a few moments before the kickoff to the festival on Friday, one can avoid many headaches and frustration in all areas of the experience -- buying tickets, negotiating streets, taking public transportation and safeguarding vehicles.

Of course, you might also decide it's too much of a hassle and stay home instead. If this is you, but secretly long to at least have a taste of the ACL Music Festival experience, there will be a live feed on Red Bull TV. Tune in for free online at redbull.tv/aclfest from any device, using the Red Bull TV app or on the ACL Festival homepage, organizers said.

>>> Photo via City of Austin; graphics via ACL Music Festival; map via Google Maps