The Ultimate Guide to ACL 2026

Jared Stautzenberger

Assistant Music Director

Starting this Friday up until October 11th, Austin City Limits music festival will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. In 2002, the iconic music festival broke out with mostly Indie/Americana artists and local musicians. Nickel Creek, Ryan Adams, and Bob Schneider were the big names at its debut, and H-E-B had its own sponsored stage. Over 24 years later, Austin City Limits operates in the same caliber as Lollapalooza in Chicago and The Governors Ball in New York City. 

Another thing that makes this year special is the breakout artists in electronic music performing throughout both weekends. Charli xcx, Underscores, Snow Strippers, Fcukers, fakemink, etc… are all making their debut at the biggest music festival in the south. Here’s a list of people you should keep an eye out for in the coming weeks, as well as a guide for any first-timers for Austin City Limits. Like any major music festival, a fair amount of preparation is needed in order to have a good time. As someone who went for the first time in 2023 with zero planning, I had to learn a lot of these tips the hard way.

Friday

First off, Turnstile will be at Austin City Limits. For anyone who is dabbling in that realm of music, Turnstile is a must. If you enjoy them, you might also want to watch out for Amyl and the Sniffers. The Australian punk band will be making their debut at this festival this year. To my weekend one goers – Skrillex and Charli xcx are practically playing at the same time. This might be a hard decision for some, but go with whatever direction of electronic music your heart desires. If you missed out on Charli, make sure to at least see Rebecca Black. 

Labrinth is returning to the festival after 3 years, and as someone who saw him at ACL in 2023, his stage presence is phenomenal. For the weekend two goers – Natasha Bedingfield will be making an appearance. Although we might not actually be feeling the rain on our skin during that weekend, we can at least sing about it. Finally, Austin’s very own Almost Heaven is opening the day on weekend two. Show some love and support by showing up early for the smaller, more local acts. It’s a win for everyone as you can skip the big rushes at the entrances that usually happen around 2pm. 

Saturday 

If you’re feeling that 2010’s indie vibe, Lykke Li will be there on both weekends for you. As well as Lorde closing out the night. Ryan Beatty, Suki Waterhouse and Finn Wolfhard will give you all the feels. If you’re in the mood for some dance pop and have a weekend one pass, Rochelle Jordan might be the perfect situation for you. As someone who is attending weekend two, I’m most jealous of weekend one for securing her. I’m sure Snow Strippers’ set will get the party started, if it hasn’t started up already. Last but definitely not least, the breakout UK rapper fakemink will be making his debut at the festival. After having his own concert in Austin earlier this year, the underground rapper will be making a return for ACL on both weekends.

Sunday

Although many people with weekend passes are worn out by this point, Sunday will be worth the final stretch. Geese on the T-Mobile stage and Twenty One Pilots closing out the night are worth it alone. If you’re in a “Sue Me” mood, Audrey Hobert will be stopping by at ACL during her festival tour across the country. If Snow Strippers and Charli didn’t get you hyped enough for some reason, Fcukers definitely will. Weekend one, lucky you, get to see Underscores make her debut at the festival, and her second show in Austin this year after touring over the summer. One last major act that I’m personally most excited for on Sunday is Blood Orange. The iconic indie band is set to perform on the Beatbox stage, and I can’t wait to see what songs they’ll pull out for Austin. 

Quick Guideline for ACL First-Timers

If this is your first year attending Austin City Limits, or any music festival in general, one major piece of advice is to prepare!! Prepare for everything!! There will be water stations on the festival grounds and I would like to say they also give out free reusable bottles. However, a hydration pack is the best thing you could bring to this event. When I attended in 2023, carrying a hydration pack on my back with pockets that carried all of my essentials was a life saver. You don’t need to worry about any kind of bag if you buy a good size hydration pack.

Also, be as cautious as possible while enjoying yourself. Try your best to stick with whoever you’re going with, and if you end up alone, just be aware of your surroundings. Keep that phone on your person as much as you can. For some reason, people love stealing phones during ACL, and hundreds will show up at the lost and found booths by the end of each weekend. 

To my weekend one goers, I’m so sorry, but you’re gonna have a Glastonbury-like experience. As Texas will be facing rain to the levels we saw during summertime (with potential flooding), wear rain boots with your ACL fit and maybe a poncho too. I know it’s a bummer to cover up your fire fits you’ve been working on, but rather safe than sorry. 

As far as transportation, rideshare and carpool as much as possible if you’re in a group! If you’re already staying in Austin for the weekend, you are blessed and set. If you are coming from surrounding cities like I am, come as early as you can. Avoid showing up between 2-5pm as those are the peak entry times for festival goers. The amount of sets I missed in 2023 and cried about because I was waiting in an hour-long security line. Never again.

For parking, make sure to do some research not only on the ACL website, but on Reddit pages and social media. The parking situation for ACL is ever changing with each year, and finding niche forums of legal recommendations for parking is always a nice trick if you have to take yourself to the festival grounds. One thing I found just yesterday on Instagram is H-E-B’s delivery app, Favor is doing free pedicab rides if you find their bikes near the festival grounds. All you have to do is show them the Favor app on your phone and you’re all set. 

I hope you’re able to find this guide informative and useful if you’re a first-timer this year at ACL. I wish I could’ve looked into a quick guide like this during my first year going. As someone who attended a full weekend with zero knowledge of the festival beforehand, don’t be like me! Stay up to date, especially with weather changes, and be safe!