AUSTIN, Texas — After a muddy first weekend, Austin City Limits Festival returned to Zilker Park on Friday with a different set of problems: heat and dust — and lingering questions about what it will take to restore the grass after the crowds leave.
Fans arriving for Weekend Two said conditions were noticeably drier than the previous weekend, when rain and heavy foot traffic left parts of the park torn up. “At least we’re not stepping in mud. Yeah. I’d rather have dust than mud,” said Allye Hernandez, an ACL attendee.
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Others said the dust was manageable and credited efforts to reduce it. “The turf they laid out was nice; that’s helped. It’s a little dry, but… Definitely dead the grass, but like it’s still there a little bit so I feel like it’s blocking the dust,” said an ACL fan.
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Rudy Ruiz, who was sitting with his wife, said he expected dust but felt conditions were better than anticipated. “I would expect it to be dusty, but it’s not really too dusty; it seems like they took care of it quite well,” Ruiz said. He also referenced reports about last weekend’s conditions: “I saw it on the news; it was really bad, and we were hoping it wasn’t like that this weekend, and luckily it’s a little too hot; it’s really nice,” Ruiz said.
Mazi Singleton, another attendee, said the dustier conditions are typical for the second weekend. “It’s pretty comparable to Weekend Two just normally. It was dusty last year; that’s just kind of what you get Weekend Two,” Singleton said.
While festivalgoers focused on the improved weather, the damage to the grass at Zilker Park remains an issue that will require repairs after the event. The contract between the city of Austin and C3, the company that puts on ACL, spells out cleanup responsibilities. Language on page six says in part, “Organizer agrees continuing an event during rain… is defacing of city property,” and states C3 is responsible for paying for the cleanup.
A request for an interview with C3 on Friday was declined.
Austin City Council member Ryan Alter said earlier this week that repairs are part of the annual process, but he wanted to ensure the festival wasn’t causing deeper problems that could keep the public from using the park for an extended period.
“After every year, we do have C3 come in and repair the lawn. That is their obligation under the contract, but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t doing some kind of underlying damage that would make that process take a long time and result in the public not being able to enjoy the space,” Alter said.