While the history of Austin City Limits will continue to be written for years to come, the third and final day of the festival proved that its roots remain a defining influence in the creative world. With a strong commitment to the country genre, while still celebrating artists across other genres, the day felt like a true homage to the Texas soul, embodying the idea that music only needs to be “three chords and the truth.

As the sun rose above Zilker Park for day two of Austin City Limits, so did the temperature, with day two shaping up to be one of the hottest in recent memory from an early hour. However, the sweltering Texas sun did little to deter fans, who rushed to the barricades as soon as the gates opened, eager to be part of the festivities.

As one of the longest-running music festivals in American history, Austin City Limits celebrated another successful year in Zilker Park. A destination for music fans from around the world, this year’s festivities were arguably the biggest to date. The first day featured some of the biggest names in music, celebrated the industry’s newest voices, and offered everything in between over the course of the weekend.

In its 21st year, the BMI Stage returns to Zilker Park for the 2024 Austin City Limits Music Festival, held Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 11-13. The global leader in music rights management has curated a musically diverse lineup at ACL Fest for the past two decades and “remains an oasis to future stars,” (Austin Chronicle).

As summer fades and autumn begins to settle in, music lovers from all over the world will set their sights on Austin, Texas, for the annual Austin City Limits (ACL) Festival. Set to take place over two weekends, October 4-6 and October 11-13, this year’s festival promises to be one of the most memorable yet, featuring an eclectic mix of genres, iconic headliners, and emerging artists.

The final day of Austin City Limits was a welcome change of pace after ending the previous night with some of the most notorious rockers of the past few decades. Day three featured a large bulk of indie artists focusing on technique and lyrics rather than volume and angst as the crowd gathered one last time to walk the grounds at Zilker Park.

As Saturday morning rolled around, it was immediately clear that the energy was electric in Austin that day. Not only was it the biggest and most attended day of the festival that weekend, but UT Austin’s homecoming game was also held just a few miles North as countless Austinites either split their time between the two events or had their phones out to watch the game in the crowd as the Longhorns hosted the Oklahoma Sooners.

After a year of anticipation, the highlight of Texas’ musical world finally returned as thousands returned to Zilker Park for Austin City Limits. Fortunately for all, the lineup this year did not disappoint and the stars aligned in so many ways to set the mood. Austin, having experienced a heat wave in the time leading up to the festival, cooled down just as the festival began, leaving the city toasty but not unbearable. The lineup left little to be desired, featuring everything from Country to Hip Hop.

The third day of Austin City Limits brought a lineup of heavy hitters to Zilker Park. With a stacked program of artists, some known throughout the decades, some up and coming, and a couple with something to prove, little was left to be desired as the festival was sent off in style.

The Texas sun beat down heavily for Day two of Austin City Limits, but nothing could stop the masses from flooding Zilker Park with high hopes for a stacked Saturday lineup. A diverse and eclectic bill of artists for the day, the list of artists had something for everyone and an array of genres that were far from what you would expect at a typical festival.