Some people plan their year around major holidays, but here in Austin, festivals come first. Since 2002, Austin City Limits has been the city’s last hurrah before summer’s end. The entire city goes on pause for two weekends straight as people flock from all corners of the globe to Zilker Park. In celebration of ACL being less than 100 days away, here are a few of our favorite pieces of trivia about the festival. Get your flower crown and wristband ready!
Where’s Willie?
ACL began as a television show in 1974 on a local Austin station, KLRU. Willie Nelson was the featured musician on the pilot, and in its 44th year running, ACL is the longest continuously-running music television program in the world.
To honor their first featured artist, Capital Area Statues commissioned a bronze likeness of Willie Nelson to be displayed outside of the ACL studio in downtown Austin. Sculpted by artist Clete Shields, the statue features Nelson’s guitar “Trigger” and his signature pigtails.
Gotta Be Fast
Tickets for ACL Festival typically sell out in less than 60 seconds. With such a high demand for wristbands, there’s an enormous market for scalpers. While most tickets are resold for a small upcharge, we’ve seen prices soar as high as $1,000 for 3-day passes.
That’s a Lot of Flower Crowns…
According to Austin Business Journal, over 450,000 people attend ACL every year, making the festival the largest single event in the city. The festival outpaces the second-most popular event, the holiday Trail of Lights, by over 50,000 attendees. Massive attendance and influx into the local economy nets $277 million for the 512 every year.