According to the Austin American-Statesman, ACL Fest’s first weekend “is shaping up to be a wet and muddy one,” with rain predicted throughout all three days, as well as slightly cooler temperatures. (Lower temperatures might be cause for celebration, however.)
It’s not out of the realm of possibility, though ACL Fest has only called a cancellation once before. In 2013, late-night thunderstorms soaked Zilker Park and the fest was cancelled for Sunday, weekend two. Refunds were issued for those who bought tickets through official channels.
On Wednesday, C3 Presents, the production company behind ACL Fest, told KVUE that safety is a “number one priority and a year-round focus.”
“We work closely with our partners at the City of Austin to continually evaluate our plans to ensure the safety of everyone in the park,” C3 Presents said in a statement. “We are monitoring the weather forecast closely and have contingencies for all scenarios. We look forward to another great weekend in Zilker Park, and we will provide further updates as necessary.”
In a press conference on Wednesday, Austin officials detailed safety plans for a busy weekend in Texas’ capital.
ACL attendees are encouraged to follow the festival and city accounts on social media for weather updates. Festgoers can also receive text alerts by texting “ACL” to 64934 and can turn on push notifications in the ACL Festiverse app.
You better dig out that rain poncho and your rain boots. ACL Fest will go on (if it’s safe). Some notoriously muddy festivals are etched in Austin’s history books. In 2009, some festgoers took advantage of a giant mud puddle, rolling around and dancing in it. But ACL Fest mud isn’t just wet regular ol’ dirt. It’s also made up of Dillo Dirt: Austin’s trademarked blend of treated municipal sewage sludge and local yard trimmings. (And yes, it stinks when wet.) I cannot make this clearer: Do not roll around in it.
Instead, here’s what to do in what seems to be the inevitable case of rain:
And even if it does rain on your parade, enjoy it. The Cure’s set during a downpour at ACL Fest in 2013 remains legendary for a reason.