Photo Credit: Greg Noire
Summer officially came to an end a few weeks ago, but thankfully festival season isn’t quite over yet. Weekend 1 of the annual Austin City Limits Festival went down in Texas last weekend, and Weekend 2 will soon kick off with performances from Travis Scott, Lil Wayne, Janelle Monáe, Vince Staples, Brockhampton, and a whole lot more.
We made our way out to Austin last weekend to come back with some crucial survival tips so none of you play yourselves during the long festival weekend. If you missed the livestream last weekend on Red Bull TV, no worries—head over to the site to see some performance and interview highlights.
Check out the full lineup and some key tips below.
Show Up Early for New Acts
If you’re cashing out on a festival bracelet, it’s likely because of one or two major acts. There’s a good chance your favorites won’t be on stage until well after 3:00 p.m., but does that mean you should show up fashionably late? No!
The true beauty of these huge music festivals is to bring varying audiences together in one space. ACL’s lineup this year is filled with legacy acts, current showstoppers, and performers who may become your favorite in years to come.
Weekend 2 is stacked with emerging acts that should already be on your radar. If you're looking for sweet melodies, Ravyn Lenae and Amber Mark need to be on your list. If complex lyricism is your thing, Smino and Noname have a show for you. Meanwhile, Japanese Breakfast and Elle King are sure to get your day going with their electrifying sets.
You’ve already paid for the full day, if not the whole weekend, so why not get the most out of it? Come early, roam around, and follow your ears to the stages with the most intriguing music. If you end your weekend with at least one new artist to go home and obsess over, you’re doing it right.
Bring a Reusable Water Bottle
To be honest, this has never been something on my list of necessities. If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to be available at a music festival, it’s water, and carrying a reusable bottle just seems like extra weight you’d regret later.
But you know what hurts more? Standing in the drink line for a half hour just to pay $4 for one bottle of water. And one is never enough for 10 hours of 90 degree weather. Save your money for some real drinks, and stay hydrated with some $Free.99 water throughout the day instead. Don’t worry about having a fancy reusable water bottle. Grab a cheap bottle from the store before heading to the festival. As long as it’s empty upon entry, you’re all set to refill your bottle at the designated hydration stations located throughout the festival grounds.
Comfort > Fashion
No one’s telling you to come out looking a mess, but if you know that attention-grabbing outfit isn't comfortable, is that really what you want to choose for a 10-hour day?
There are a lot of factors about festivals that are bound to annoy you throughout the day: long lines for food, longer lines for drinks, inescapable heat, thousands of people in tight spaces adding their own body heat to the already high temperatures. Now imagine dealing with all of this in sneakers you haven’t broken in yet, or tight shorts that won’t stop riding up? Don’t do it to yourself.
Be Smart With Your Phone’s Battery
You already know you’re going to want to take photos and boomerangs of your festival ‘fits and with your friends, not to mention videos of every single song your favorite artist performs. Maybe work smarter and not harder this time around, though.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. Definitely bring a portable charger; put it on low power mode; take it a step further by placing it on do not disturb.
More in-depth tips: Verbally establish a meet up spot with your friends before you separate, even for the smallest things. If you’re going to walk away for a bathroom break or to grab drinks, be sure to agree on a common spot in case you lose sight of each other in the sea of similar faces. If you’ve ever been to a festival, you know it might take a whole 30 minutes to send a single text and by the time it sends, your battery life has drained another 10 percent.
As soon as you step foot on the festival grounds, you'll see people handing out maps. Not enough people ever seem to take these because they’ve downloaded the ACL app, which itself includes a map. However, festival grounds are confusing and you’re going to end up looking at the map on the app countless times. If you grab a physical copy, you can save some extra battery for when it matters later in the day.
Pace Yourself
We’ve all seen that one person slumped on the festival grounds before sundown and we've all made the same face. Don’t be this person. Seriously, not only will you feel terrible but you will absolutely end up the joke of a hundred different Instagram stories. You don’t need or want that.
If you’re trying to get weird and do some things I’m not at liberty to endorse, refer back to tip No. 2: DRINK MORE WATER! Imagine how pissed you’ll be Monday morning when you realize you paid $300+ to see Travis Scott and Lil Wayne, but were too gone to even remember if you were really there or not? Three-day festivals can be exhausting. After Day 1, your body is going to need a minute to adjust and prepare for two more long, sweaty days. The excitement of the festival may tempt you to wild out early and often. But remember, there are three days full of great music, food, drinks, and other fun activities. Pace yourself so you can take it all in.