Preparing for Austin City Limits

Writing and photos by Ashley Gallegos

Graphic by Rebekah Witt

As we have stepped foot into festival season in recent months with the return of festivals, such as Lollapalooza, Hinterland, Bonnaroo, Reading and Leeds, and Newport Folk Festival, just to name a few, as well as the newly-introduced but beautiful Daisy Chain Fields, I would love to highlight Austin City Limits Festival taking place in October this year and give way for a special time via pointers for your time there. Always held the first two weekends in October, this year’s Austin City Limits brings artists such as Lorde, Turnstile, Charli XCX, The XX, Twenty One Pilots, Blood Orange, Young Miko, Lola Young, Skrillex, and Lykke Li to Austin’s Zilker Park. When you see festivals begin to tease and eventually release their lineups, you get the feeling that some people view the real worth in it only in the headliners. If you’re wondering about the reasoning as to why this occurs, this could potentially be reflective of how people discover artists along with their willingness to be open to other acts in these types of experiences. ACL’s lineup also consists of artists like CMAT, Rochelle Jordan, Amyl and the Sniffers, Grace Ives, Noga Erez, Bleachers, Texas’s own Grocery Bag and Cure For Paranoia, among plenty more that all deserve your live music-loving ears and eyes. I do think there’s this thing that happens when you discuss festival lineups, whether it’s natural or purposeful, on some level, that reduces the artists and their music to a status or tier dependent upon number of streams, charts, sales, or even followings on social media. This, however, does no justice to anyone, no matter where and how their names are listed on the bills. Conversation and focus shouldn’t stop at the headliners.

Being that the daily lineup for Austin City Limits has recently been released, I am sure many people who are looking forward to attending are in the process of officially assembling what their own daily schedules and plans may look like for the festival. So, if I had to give some recommendations to some artists and their sets to which you wouldn’t want to miss, oh, do I have a list for you! CMAT is one of the artists I am especially thrilled for others to witness live, if they haven’t already. She has actually gained lots of traction since I first saw her at South By Southwest in 2022. With the release of her most recent album EURO-COUNTRY, she has been catapulted into a space where she continues to get recognition and love on a much larger scale that is much deserved. So, if you end up having the chance in your schedule to make it to her set, please do. Performing both weekends, Bleachers is another act you should take the opportunity of seeing if given the chance. I’ve thought a lot about how Bleachers shows specifically are something that often can’t be fully described. It doesn’t do the very real, raw, unrelentingly-alive atmosphere justice most of the time–it’s something that must be felt to even be somewhat understood. They will be ending their North American leg of tour in Nashville a couple days before their Austin City Limits Weekend 2 performance before picking back up in Italy in November. That type of period between legs of tour, I imagine could only bring a specific, more singular type of electricity between all the bodies, which would be on full display at their Weekend 2 set and sure to take over the crowd.

Grocery Bag and Cure for Paranoia are other examples of some acts deserving of your eyes and ears, and they’re also artists that are native to Texas, so be sure to show them some love. Grocery Bag recently released their new EP Deadvolt in May, which has some of my favorite songs released this year, such as “Watching TV” and the title track “Deadvolt.” Cure for Paranoia was the winner of NPR’s 2026 Tiny Desk Contest. I can’t help but feel extremely proud of the hip-hop collective’s success. Sometimes you get an overwhelmingly sweet feeling of something larger happening when you witness an artist on stage for the first time, and that’s how I felt with Cure for Paranoia. I first witnessed the collective in 2018 at Fortress Festival in Fort Worth, Texas and had that exact feeling and sensation. There is a refreshing purity to the collective’s simultaneous curiosity, solemnity, and levity to their approach in creating and performing, which is clear when you see the live performances. I beg you to do yourself a favor and check out Cure for Paranoia’s set. I will take it upon myself to reveal to you a golden rule for a show of theirs — understand nobody is thinking about you the way you are thinking about you. 

If you are a person that goes to shows and festivals in whatever ways possible to you, you know that your experiences also depend on what you make of them, which is why I wanted to give you a quick little boost on some of the various ways to not only enjoy yourself but to also take care of yourself and others. One of my best recommendations is to stay open throughout your day(s) at the festival, even in your preparation for it. Music and performance wise, there’s a plethora of incredible options; discover new music not just at the festival but in this time leading up to it – look into the artists. You may find your new favorite song, album, or artist exploring or expressing something that rattles you. Sometimes you maybe even won’t know why something or someone does just yet, but it’s something worth leaning into and staying curious about. Your curiosity and openness will lead you to many beautiful things. Be loud about who you are there to see, wear the merch, scream-sing the lyrics, give your body the grace to dance and move how it pleases until it feels like you have nothing left to give.

I hope you think of this next part as sort of a rapid -fire reminder of things you will want to do and take with you, some of which I have already mentioned but the reminder and emphasis is needed. Here are some things you will thank yourself for having or doing: a reusable water bottle or shoulder sling/hydration pack, carabiner for the water bottle if you are able to attach it to yourself somehow, portable charger, taking a poncho of some form depending on the weather forecast for the weekend. An important one I can’t emphasize enough is to figure out your likely route/transportation and desired drop-off or pick-up spots prior to your first day of the weekend, have a specific meeting point for the end of the day if you and someone you are going with happen to go to different sets that evening (especially in case of your phones dying and not being able to get to a charger), wear comfortable shoes, don’t feel the need to feel like you must get new clothing items for the entire weekend and spend more money if you do not want to, go as early as you can to the merch booth if you think you will want something, check out the map prior to going in case a specific entrance will help your experience or schedule that day, a portable fan whether it’s a regular one or the type that mists, your best sunglasses, a mini deodorant that is in a non-aerosol container. Listen, you’re going to be in the Texas heat and constantly moving around, please take the deodorant. If you are able to, I do recommend taking travel-sized items such as first aid, sunscreen, over-the-counter medicine (must still be in the original packaging though), wet wipes, and even a bandana or other face covering for when the dust or dirt gets a bit intense in some areas.

If you are planning on making the full days out of the festival, please start them with eating enough and well. Drink your water and get some extra electrolytes in even the day before, but take an extra package or two with you to keep you extra hydrated throughout the festival. No, you won’t be able to take in liquids in your reusable water bottles or hydration packs, but they have refill stations to which I recommend filling them up immediately once you get inside as the lines will get much longer throughout the day. If, or rather most likely, when you get hungry again throughout the day, always get the option that will leave you more full and nourished. Listen to your body. Your body will only thank you as you take care of it properly.

Lastly, be open and engaged. I’ve learned firsthand how special it is to leave room for spontaneity in these types of experiences. I cannot stress this enough to anyone who is simply even going to a standalone show sometimes. In those moments, those one-of-a-kind experiences, you are surrounded by people who are there for both similar and different reasons as to why you may be. One thing that is common though is the sensibility you all will share; it’s also a very unique situation to allow yourself that freedom to just be in that space and to be there with others. Remember that golden rule from Cure for Paranoia: understand nobody is thinking about you the way you are thinking about you. As a collective, allow yourself and your bodies that ticket to just even momentarily let go of any anxieties and stressors is special. Don’t be afraid to step into that. Show your best fan adornment, make it known how much you love that one song or album that feels like it was ripped from your chest. When you really settle into it all, you’ll notice it’s not just about the music or the artist, the discovery of new things or the love you have for old ones, but also of the people around you as well. Look at and connect with the people around you, be present, be moved by not just the music but all the life and love of the people next to you. Stay open, safe, curious, take care of yourself and others – let the festival and all its magic shake you. See you there!