ACL Fest Takes a Step Toward Second Weekend
Signs are pointing to a two-weekend ACL Festival starting next year. Photo courtesy flickr.com/mjeckerAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The Austin City Council voted unanimously this morning to allow for the expansion of the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park to two weekends next year.
The council’s resolution encourages City Manager Marc Ott to “negotiate and execute an agreement with C3 Presents to include an additional weekend event” for ACL Fest.
C3, the show organizer, has promised not only fees for the use of Zilker Park but also an unspecified sum of money to upgrade Auditorium Shores.
But the addition of a second weekend had its opponents. Council member Kathie Tovo expressed concern about the effect a second ACL weekend would have on the farmers market downtown at Republic Square Park, where shuttle buses operate during the festival.
And the Zilker Neighborhood Association has reservations too. “Over the years, we’ve kind of fine-tuned our traffic management and parking agreement with C3, so that the Zilker neighborhood has a pretty good plan in action,” said Jeff Jack, a former association president. “We just want to make sure that is continued. We’d like to see more ticketing for people who are parked illegally and that sort of stuff.”
No date has been set for the two-weekend ACL Fest, though speculation centers on the first and second weekends in October 2013. This year’s one-weekend ACL Fest is set for Oct. 12-14.
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