The festival was scheduled to open at noon, but was pushed back to 2 p.m.
AUSTIN, Texas — Artists are reporting their early Saturday sets have been rescheduled or canceled after muddy conditions delayed the start of day two of the ACL Music Festival.
Showers throughout Thursday and Friday dumped nearly 2 inches of rain on Zilker Park in Austin, prompting a Flood Watch as the festival kicked off.
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The event was scheduled to open at noon on Saturday, but the start has been pushed back to 2 p.m.
“We had a great time yesterday!” ACL said in a message to festivalgoers on Saturday morning. “Areas of the park remain muddy, doors will be delayed today until 2pm so that we can prepare before your arrival.”
The festival urged concertgoers to come prepared for muddy, wet conditions.
“Wear waterproof shoes you don’t mind getting wet and muddy and be patient as you make your way around the grounds,” it said.
On ACL Fest’s original Saturday schedule, sets before 2 p.m. included Annie Dirusso, Left Lucid, Fightmaster, Night Tapes and Antoni Porowski. Two other acts – Temper City and Emma Ogier – were scheduled to start at 1:45 p.m., while three others – LeTrainiump, DJ Cassandra and Rochelle Jordan – were scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
In an updated schedule, Left Lucid and Fightmaster had their sets canceled, while the other acts were scheduled for new start times.
Austin Council Member Ryan Alter expressed concerns about the condition of Zilker’s Great Lawn as the festival continues.
“ACL is a great event for Austin, its residents, visitors, and our economy but the damage we’ve witnessed to the Great Lawn is unacceptable,” he said in a statement. “It is a public asset that must be available for everyone after the festival, but I’m very worried it won’t be. I’ve told C3 and city staff that something needs to change to protect from further damage. The public deserves to know the decisions that led to this, what is being done to fix it, and assurances that it will never happen again.”
Rain during the 2009 and 2013 events also turned Zilker Park into a massive, muddy mess. In 2009, Zilker Park had to close for nearly a month for turf repairs following the festival. That same year, the city of Austin had spent $2.5 million resodding the park.
ACL Fest organizers responded to Alter’s concerns in a statement on Saturday.
“For 25 years, ACL Fest has enjoyed an incredible partnership with both the city of Austin and Austin Parks and Recreation,” organizers said. “Every year, ACL Fest remediates any areas of Zilker Park that need repair following the festival, and this year will be no different. Over the years, ACL Fest and Austin Parks Foundation have also invested millions to build, improve and maintain the Great Lawn. ACL Fest has called Zilker Park home for 25 years and we have always been proud stewards of the space.”