Mud, rain delay doors for ACL Saturday, lineup adjusted
Volunteers help clean up Zilker Park amid ACL
While thousands turned out to catch sets from headliners like Lorde and Bleachers at Austin City Limits, many were also participating in a long-standing green initiative designed to protect the park from ecological damage.
AUSTIN, Texas - Doors were delayed Saturday for the Austin City Limits Music Festival because of muddy conditions inside the park.
Organizers said on social media that parts of Zilker Park remain muddy and pushed Saturday's opening back to 2 p.m.
"Come prepared. Wear waterproof shoes you don’t mind getting wet and muddy and be patient as you make your way around the grounds," they said.
Organizers said they would share an updated performance schedule later on Saturday.
Dig deeper:
For dedicated fans and volunteers, the mess on the ground hasn't slowed down efforts to keep the park clean.
While thousands turned out to catch sets from headliners like Lorde and Bleachers, many were also participating in a long-standing green initiative designed to protect the park from ecological damage.
For over 15 years, the Austin Parks Foundation (APF) has partnered with ACL Music Festival to execute the Rock and Recycle program.
Clean grounds and free merch:
The sustainability initiative encourages festival goers to pitch in and pick up trash and recyclables scattered across the grounds.
"There's a lot of trash generated, a lot of things that can create ecological damage, and so, we want to make sure we minimize that as best we can," said Jacob Summers, Austin Parks Foundation program manager.
For fans, the incentive goes beyond environmental stewardship. Attendees who fill up a green bag with recyclables and return it to the APF booth are rewarded with a specially designed, limited-edition festival T-shirt created by a local Austin artist.
Local perspective:
Local resident Nikki Meraz says the reward and the cause make participating a no-brainer.
"I live in Austin. I want to keep it clean. And even yesterday, people were commenting like this is the cleanest festival I've ever been to," Meraz said. "I got a bag yesterday. I got the armadillo shirt. They have somebody playing a guitar today. I'm gonna be back tomorrow to see what new shirt they bring."
Beyond the free gear, attendees view the program as a win-win for both festival goers and the city.
"It's a good way to get some merch without having to pay and also keep the park that we all enjoy really nice," said Nikki Meraz, an ACL attendee.
Weather impacts collections:
In a typical year, the Austin Parks Foundation collects approximately 6,000 bags of trash and recyclables across the festival's two weekends.
However, organizers noted that totals may look a bit different this year due to weather disruptions. Heavy mud restricted access to certain areas of the park, and a delayed gate opening on day two slowed down the start of collection efforts. On day one, roughly 300 recycling bags were handed out to fans.
How to get free access in 2027:
While picking up trash earns fans a free shirt, volunteering with the program comes with an even bigger perk: free admission to the festival.
Volunteers who complete a single 4.5-hour shift each day of the festival are granted free entry to enjoy the rest of the music for the remainder of the day.
What you can do:
All volunteer slots for this year’s festival are fully booked, but applications for next year's will open ahead of the event on the Austin Parks Foundation website.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Austin City Limits Music Festival on Facebook.