Austin City Limits Music Festival returned to Zilker Park on Oct. 2–4 and Oct. 9–11, bringing two weekends of live music, surprise appearances and unforgettable performances to Austin. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the festival welcomed fans for a lineup spanning pop, rock, indie, punk and electronic music. But while the music was a major draw, the weather became an unexpected part of this year’s story, with torrential rain turning the first weekend into a muddy adventure before sunny, dusty conditions greeted festivalgoers during Weekend Two.

Credit: Austin City Limits Music FestivalWeekend One: Rain, Mud and a Show That Went On

The first weekend of ACL Fest began with heavy rain that transformed large sections of Zilker Park into slippery mud pits and standing puddles. Approximately two inches of rain fell across Austin on Thursday and Friday, leaving festivalgoers navigating soggy walkways, muddy fields and challenging conditions between stages. Rain gear, waterproof boots and improvised shoe covers quickly became essential festival accessories.

The weather also affected the schedule. Friday’s opening was delayed briefly, and organizers pushed Saturday’s gate opening to 2 p.m. to prepare the grounds. Some early performances were shortened, moved or canceled as a result of the adjustments. Despite the challenges, thousands of fans still made their way to the park to catch their favorite artists.

Credit: Austin City Limits Music FestivalWeekend One Performers and Highlights

Friday’s lineup featured headliners Charli XCX and Turnstile, with performances from artists including Lola Young, CMAT and Amyl and the Sniffers. Turnstile delivered one of the weekend’s most talked-about sets, as fans moshed and crowdsurfed through the mud. The band’s high-energy performance became a defining image of the festival’s first weekend.

Charli XCX also drew attention with a visually striking headline set featuring elaborate choreography, popular hits and a shower of custom-branded underwear during her performance of “Guess.” A surprise appearance by Troye Sivan added another memorable moment, with the singer joining Charli to perform new material, including “Party” and “Le Boy.”

Saturday brought more performances and schedule changes, with Bleachers helping turn a difficult day into a lively celebration. On Sunday, Twenty One Pilots closed out the weekend with an energetic performance, while Lorde, Geese, Sofi Tukker, Blood Orange and other artists drew enthusiastic crowds. One of the weekend’s lighter moments came when singer Audrey Hobert celebrated the brief return of sunshine during her set.

Beyond the music, festivalgoers embraced the mud with humor, sharing photos and videos of ruined shoes, homemade galoshes and muddy mosh pits across social media. The conditions were difficult, but they also gave Weekend One a distinctive personality that attendees are unlikely to forget.

Credit: Austin City Limits Music FestivalWeekend Two: Sunshine, Dust and More Live Music

After the rain-soaked opening weekend, ACL Fest returned to Zilker Park Oct. 9–11 with a dramatic change in conditions. The second weekend brought sunnier skies and increasingly dusty grounds, replacing the mud with dry, hazy walkways. Festivalgoers adjusted once again, this time reaching for hats, face coverings and other ways to protect themselves from the dust.

The change in weather allowed the second weekend to move forward without the same widespread mud-related disruptions that defined the festival’s opening days. City officials also worked to prepare the park, addressing concerns about the Great Lawn and its recovery following the heavy rain and crowds of Weekend One.

Credit: Austin City Limits Music FestivalWeekend Two Performers and Highlights

Weekend Two featured another round of major performances, including Charli XCX and Turnstile, alongside Kings of Leon, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Lorde, Twenty One Pilots, The xx, Geese and Sofi Tukker. The lineup offered a mix of established headliners and emerging artists, giving fans plenty of opportunities to discover new favorites between the biggest sets.

Kings of Leon brought their rock sound to the festival’s Friday lineup, while electronic acts and indie performers helped keep the energy moving throughout the weekend. Turnstile’s crowd-energizing performance remained a highlight for fans, and artists such as Sienna Spiro, Bella Kay, Bleachers and Blood Orange added variety to the weekend’s musical offerings.

Across both weekends, the festival’s mix of familiar favorites, rising artists and energetic crowds reinforced ACL’s place on Austin’s annual live-music calendar. The change from mud-soaked fields to dusty grounds also made the two weekends feel like distinctly different festival experiences, despite sharing many of the same headliners.

Credit: Austin City Limits Music FestivalAttendance and the Impact on Zilker Park

ACL Fest once again brought tens of thousands of people to Zilker Park each day, making it one of Austin’s biggest annual music events. An exact official attendance total for the 2026 festival was not confirmed in the sources reviewed for this recap. For context, reported attendance in 2025 was approximately 75,000 people per festival day, illustrating the scale of the event across its six days.

The heavy rain and foot traffic raised concerns about the condition of Zilker Park’s Great Lawn after Weekend One. City officials later said the grass beneath the mud remained healthier than the initial images suggested and outlined restoration work to help the grounds recover. Organizers also used measures such as mulch, temporary turf and walkways to improve conditions in high-traffic areas.

Credit: Austin City Limits Music FestivalTwo Weekends, Plenty of Memories

The 2026 Austin City Limits Music Festival offered a memorable 25th-anniversary celebration shaped by both its performances and the unpredictable Texas weather. Weekend One will be remembered for the rain, the mud and Turnstile’s mud-soaked mosh pit, while Weekend Two brought brighter skies, dusty fields and another round of standout sets.

Through changing conditions, schedule adjustments and two very different weekends, artists and fans kept the music going at Zilker Park. From surprise guests and elaborate headlining productions to emerging performers and spontaneous moments in the crowd, ACL Fest 2026 delivered the live-music energy that continues to make the festival a signature Austin tradition.