AUSTIN, Texas — ACL Fest 2021 is upon us, and so is the headache that is traffic surrounding Austin's Zilker Park for two weekends.
We put together a guide for those who are trying to get to the music festival and those who are trying to avoid the crowds on Oct. 1-3 and Oct. 8-10. For full information on ACL parking and road closures, go to the City of Austin's website.
Also be sure to check out our guide on what you need to know before you go, including what you can and can't bring and what the COVID-19 protocols are.
Road closures around ACL Fest
Here's a list of roads that are fully closed on weekend one:
- San Antonio Street from West Third Street to Fourth Street: From Oct. 1 at 7 a.m. to Oct. 3 at 11:59 p.m.
- West Fourth Street from Guadalupe to Nueces: From Oct. 1 at 7 a.m. to Oct. 3 at 11:59 p.m.
- Stratford Drive from Barton Springs Road to Nature Center Trail from Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. to Oct. 4 at 6 a.m.
- Barton Springs Road from Azie Morton to Rollingwood Drive from Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. to Oct. 4 at 6 a.m.
- Barton Springs Road from Sterzing Street to Azie Morton from 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 1-3
- MoPac service road from FM 2244 to Barton Springs Road from 11 a.m. Oct. 1 to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 3
- Azie Morton from Barton Springs Road to Barton Hills Road from 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 1-3
- Stratford Drive from Barton Springs Road to Nature Center Trail from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 7
Here's a list of roads that are partially closed on weekend one:
- Sterzing Street from Barton Springs Road to Toomey Road from 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 1-3
- Toomey Road from Sterzing Street to Jessie Street from 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 1-3
- FM 2244 from MoPac service road to the westbound service road from Oct. 1 at 11 a.m. to Oct. 3 at 11:59 p.m.
Here's a list of roads that are fully closed on weekend two:
- San Antonio from West Third Street to Fourth Street from 7 a.m. Oct. 9 through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 11
- West Fourth Street from Guadalupe to Nueces from 7 a.m. Oct. 9 through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 11
- Stratford Drive from Barton Springs Road to Nature Center Trail from 6 p.m. Oct. 7 through 6 a.m. Oct. 11
- Barton Springs Road from Azie Morton to Rollingwood Drive from 8 p.m. Oct. 7 to 6 a.m. Oct. 11
- Barton Springs Road from Sterzing Street to Azie Morton from 11 a.m. Oct. 8 to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 10
- MoPac service road from FM 2244 to Barton Springs Road from 11 a.m. Oct. 8 to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 10
- Azie Morton from Barton Springs Road to Barton Hills Road from 11 a.m. Oct. 8 to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 10
- Stratford Drive from Barton Springs Road to Lou Neff Road from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 11-14
Here's a list of roads that are partially closed on weekend two:
- Sterzing Street from Barton Springs Road to Toomey Road from 11 a.m. Oct. 8 to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 10
- Toomey Road from Sterzing Street to Jessi Street from 11 a.m. Oct. 8 to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 10
- FM 2244 from MoPac service road to the westbound service road from 11 a.m. Oct. 8 to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 10
- Stratford Drive from Barton Springs Road to Lou Neff Road will have a flagger from 8 a.m. through 6 p.m. Oct. 15
- Eastbound lane of Barton Springs Road from Azie Morton to Stratford Drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 11-12
- Westbound lane of Barton Springs Road from Azie Morton to Stratford Drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 11
On festival days, no cars will be allowed westbound from Lamar Boulevard on Barton Springs Road, Butler Road and Toomey Road from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Residents may enter from Toomey Road to travel along Toomey Road and Sterzing Street.
Here's a look at a street closures map from the City of Austin:
Where can I drive around Zilker Park during ACL Fest?
For those heading north and south surrounding Zilker Park, Lamar Boulevard and Mopac Expressway are open.
For those heading east and west surrounding Zilker Park, Cesar Chavez Street is open.
How do I get to ACL Fest if I'm driving?
There are some businesses surrounding Zilker Park that have limited paid parking. There will be no parking at Zilker Park and the surrounding neighborhoods. Your best bet is parking in Downtown Austin and taking the free shuttle from Republic Square Park on Fourth Street to Guadalupe Street.
Here's a downtown parking map for available parking garages and surface lots in Downtown Austin.
Biking to ACL Fest
The City of Austin has a detailed map showing bike routes to and from Zilker Park and bike parking. Bike parking is on the north side of Toomey, on Azie Morton near Barton Springs Road and on Stratford Drive to the east of MoPac.
Taking the bus to ACL
Capital Metro has a network of bus routes, a MetroRapid route and a MetroRail service. Download the CapMetro app to buy passes and plan out your trip.
During the month of October, all CapMetro services, except for MetroBike, are free.
According to CapMetro's system map, the 803 MetroRapid bus starts at the Domain at Esperanza Crossing and travels south down Guadalupe Street in downtown and down South Lamar Boulevard past Barton Springs Road. Several MetroBus routes also travel east to west toward Zilker Park.
Note that on Friday night, ACL said it was experiencing long wait times from Zilker Park.
Drop off and pick up zones around Zilker Park during ACL
If you're getting dropped off by friends or planning to take a rideshare to ACL, here's a list of drop off and pick up zones surrounding the festival:
- Wallingwood Drive between Spyglass Drive and Bee Caves Road
- Veteran's Drive east of MoPac near Austin High School
- Lee Barton Drive between Barton Springs Road and Riverside Drive
Cars may only be in this area for a maximum of five minutes.
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