How To Get To and From ACL Music Festival

With glitter, wristbands, and fanny packs left and right, ACL season is upon us. To get you to the music as quickly as possible, we compiled a guide to help you get to and from the festival.

ACL Shuttles

Every year, ACL Fest provides a fleet of shuttles that run between Republic Square Park at the corner of Fourth & San Antonio street to the Barton Springs West Festival Entrance. The shuttles run both weekends starting at noon on Friday, 11 am on Saturday and Sunday, and keep running until all attendees are cleared from the park.

How Do I Enter?

You can enter Zilker from the gates on the north, east, or west side of the park to get to the festival. From the north, walk or bike across the pedestrian bridge under MoPac to approach the festival’s Lady Bird Entrance. From the east or west, approach Zilker Park on Barton Springs Road to reach either the east or west festival entrance. Click here to view the ACL map for more details.

See the following schedule for gate hours on both weekends:

Friday: noon-10pm
Saturday: 11am-10pm
Sunday: 11am-10pm

For the most recent updates, check out the official ACL website and Instagram page and the City of Austin’s ACL guide.

CapMetro Buses

Austin’s CapMetro public transit system can be used from all parts of the city to get to Zilker Park. Download the CapMetro app ahead of time to plan your trip and find the most accurate bus routes, schedules, and alerts. You can use public transportation to take yourself all the way to the festival gates, or ride to Republic Square Park and hop on one of the ACL shuttles. Buses from the UT campus area tend to fill up fast, so plan to leave early if there is a specific artist you don’t want to miss.

Biking and Scooters

If it’s too far to walk, and driving in the city gives you nightmares, opt to bike to ACL. You can ride your own bike, rent a MetroBike, or use one of the ubiquitous scooters scattered around town. For personal bike parking, head to Stratford Drive right past the MoPac pedestrian bridge. For MetroBike valet, you can head to the Barton Springs Road and Sterzing Street station. For both scooter and personal bike parking spots, you can head to Toomey Road right across from Reeder field. Utilize the City of Austin’s biking and scooter maps for more information. The ACL Festival website recommends taking the Hike-and-Bike Trail to get to and from the venue.

Walking

For a cheap and environmentally friendly alternative, you can walk to ACL, but getting to the musical stomping grounds can be a nasty journey. For the best experience, be sure to wear comfortable shoes that you do not mind getting dirty during your expedition to Zilker. The Texas sun, booze, and Austin spirit will carry you through.

Car

Still insist on bringing your own car? While there is no parking at Zilker for ACL, you can park in nearby lots or streets and walk/bike/ride the rest of the way. You can try parking at the Long Center in the Palmer Events Center Garage or the One Texas Parking Garage for a fee. Some private parking lots will open up their spaces around Downtown and Zilker, but usually charge exorbitant rates to account for high demand. Use the SpotHero app to find more garage and parking lot options. To check up on routes, use the City of Austin’s street closure map. Due to the large number of unattended vehicles, make sure to remove or hide any valuable belongings from your car.

Rideshare

To get from your house to the famous flags, rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft are always an option. The apps will take you to the closest dropoff point by one of the three entrances. Once the night is over, the immediate area around the festival will become a car restricted zone and you’ll have to walk away from Zilker in order to get a ride. Simply walk and cross the river, South Lamar, or the MoPac frontage road to exit the restricted zone and connect to nearby drivers. Again, expect high demand and surge pricing. Alternative ridesharing apps such as Get Me, Wingz, and Earth can also be used and are more likely to have lower rates than their competitors.