Austin City Limits Festival Road Closures Guide: Weekend 2

AUSTIN, TX — Zilker Park is doubling as makeshift stage for the Austin City Limits Festival for its second weekend of music from Oct. 11-13, which means there will be street closures. And, if you go, there are many things you should know.

First: Festival goers should also be advised there is no parking at the site. Thankfully, there are abundant ways to get there, along with alternate routes for drivers seeking to negotiate around the big event. The ACL Music Festival takes place on a 46-acre portion of the metropolitan park.

City of Austin officials have outlined a number of routing options for motorists coming across road closures. For north/south traffic, motorists should take Lamar Boulevard, Mopac (Loop 1) and those traveling east/west are urged to take Cesar Chavez Street. Moreover, westbound Barton Springs, Toomey and Butler roads will be closed off to vehicular traffic from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. every night of the festival's run.

Finding alternative transportation modes

If you go, you might want to ditch the car entirely. Among the various parking and transportation options are walking, biking and shuttles from Republic Square Park at 4th and Guadalupe streets. For bus information and schedules, visit www.capmetro.org. For additional parking information, visit austintexas.gov/page/parking-spots-downtown.

SEE ALSO: Austin City Limits Oct. 4-6 Weekend 1: Your Complete Guide

The official ACL shuttle will operate from Republic Square on both weekends, offering free rides to Zilker Park and the festival. Shuttle service starts at noon on both Fridays and at 11 a.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays. The final shuttle returns from the park at 11 p.m. each day of the festival.

Event Website
See The Full Street Closure Document

Concert goers also can use Capital Metro as a mode of transportation. For a direct route from north or south, the 803 MetroRapid to Barton Springs Station is recommended before traveling west on Barton Springs Road to Zilker Park.

Routes 801 MetroRapid, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 17, 19 and 20 are another option, dropping off riders off within a block of the shuttle site at Republic Square downtown. The routes will operate throughout the festival's run. Be advised that MetroRail is temporarily not running on the weekends. For more information, visit Cap Metro here.

ACL STREET CLOSURES MAP

Pedicabs can be hailed downtown, with the pickup/drop-off area is on the northeast corner of Barton Springs Road and Azie Morton Road in close proximity to the festival entrance. Bikes and scooters abound as well, accessible via various apps. Concert goers also can rent a B-cycle and drop it off at the B-cycle station and valet service at Barton Springs Road and Sterzing Street.
Bicycle parking racks are accessible along Toomey Road. Limited secondary parking areas will be along Azie Morton Road and along Stratford Drive. Take note the Stratford Drive area is strictly for personal bicycle parking.

The designated drop-off area for scooters is along Toomey Road, with a limited secondary drop-off area along Azie Morton Road and in Veterans Park between Veterans Drive and MoPac Expressway. Take note, however, that the Veterans Park area is exclusively for dockless bicycle and scooter drop-off.

Also be advised that scooters are not allowed on the trail and banned at the festival entrance.
Ride Share options offer pick-up/drop-off service at three zones along Wallingwood Drive, Lee Barton Drive or Veterans Drive. A taxicab stand will be situated southeast of William Barton Drive.
To see the impact area map, click here. For more information, visit the ACL website. More detailed information can be found here for Weekend One and here for Weekend Two.

ACL Music Festival Vehicle Safety Tips

Ahead of the festival, police urged concertgoers to safeguard their personal belongings when leaving their vehicles unattended. For thieves, the ACL Music Festival poses a mother load in practicing their nefarious craft, police suggested.

"Thousands of individuals will be in Austin from October 4-13, 2019, attending the Austin City Limits (ACL) music festival," police wrote in an advisory. "The Austin Police Department (APD) Auto Theft Interdiction Project would like to remind citizens that 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. Vehicular crime is a crime of opportunity and by taking away this opportunity, you can minimize the chances of becoming a victim."

Zilker Great Lawn ACL Closure Schedule

For professional thieves, it only takes three minutes to burglarize or steal a vehicle, police said. It takes less than a minute to steal the car if a key is locked inside, police added. "Every year, thousands of people lose important identification documents, money, electronics, transportation, and expose themselves to ongoing identity theft and other types of crime that begin with vehicle burglary or auto theft," law enforcement officials said.

To avoid being victimized, police issued a number of safety tips:

• Lock your car and take your keys — especially if you have a keypad or key-less entry. These are big draws for car thieves because 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. Take a picture of where you parked to avoid confusion when you're ready to go home.
• 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, glove-box, 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 others who may want to grab your purse or phone while you're 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.

"The APD 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 said in closing.

Planning ahead for post-festival cleanup, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) released the 2019 Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival closure schedule. Closed to accommodate the upcoming festival, the park grounds invariably require cleanup and repair after the throngs depart.

To those ends, the northern portion of Zilker Metropolitan Park — known to Austinites as the Great Lawn — will remain closed through Oct. 30. This includes 11 days of festival set up, two event weekends, a week to remove staging, and dependent upon weather conditions, at least one week for PARD's annual, post-event maintenance.

Zilker Park Access

• Zilker Metropolitan Park will be accessible between event weekends.
• See a map of open/closed areas by clicking on the ACL Period Zilker Park Access Map link at http://www.austintexas.gov/department/zilker-metropolitan-park.

Additional Closures in the Area

• The Austin Nature & Science Center will be closed to the public, except for Nature's Way Preschool, through Oct. 14, 2019.
• Barton Springs Beverly Sheffield Education Center and Splash Exhibit will be closed from Oct. 4 - 14, 2019.
• PARD will use that time to complete maintenance and repairs on both facilities.

Alternative Park Use Areas

• During the festival period, Vic Mathias and Auditorium Shores east lawn, middle lawn, and off leash area will be open for public use.
• Butler Park will remain open for public use.
• View a directory of Austin parks for additional options at http://www.austintexas.gov/department/parks-and-recreation.