Music, dust, friends, good food and vibes. Just a few of the things the Chaps anticipate at the annual Austin City Limits Music festival. They anxiously await the release of the lineup, but the tickets sell fast. Many students have mixed feelings about the announced artists. 

The first weekend of ACL fell Oct. 3-5 and students have their plans for who they will see. 

The 50th anniversary lineup consisted of various headliners and smaller artists across genres including pop, country, rap and rock. Some of the more highly anticipated performers were Hozier, Sabrina Carpenter, The Strokes, Luke Combs, John Summit and Doechi. 

“I can’t wait to see Sabrina Carpenter even though I don’t know her songs, and I think she’ll be good but really crowded,” senior Sanaya Telang said. “Last year was my first time going. I only went for one day, but the security took my bag. This year I’m doing all three days, so now I know how the process works better.”

The Texas heat combined with hours of outdoor activity adds stress as hydrating and protection from the sun become festival priorities.                                                                      

“I’m expecting a lot of people, and that it will be hard after the first and second day,” senior Baylee Brush said. “The third day is always the most rough because of all the dust, people and heat.”

With an expected 75,000 attendees daily, Austin City Limits prepares for music fans to descend onto Zilker Park. They’re anticipating maximum capacity, likely making music sets crowded. Festival goers plan accordingly.

“I’m gonna go early to see all the big artists, but I am also going to small ones,” Brush said. “I spent about an hour and a half listening to the artists I didn’t know so I can see which ones I want to go to.”

After the first weekend of ACL, students matched their expectations with their experience.

“It was even more fun than I expected,” Telang said. ”I went for two days, and on the first I saw Cage The Elephant, Empire of the Sun and Hozier. [On the second]I saw Doechi and Sabrina Carpenter but some people were rude because they kept telling people to be quiet which made me really annoyed.”

Selang’s experience can reflect the concerns other attendees have about the price of food and the quality of the environment that may impact their enjoyment.

“I think the price of the food and stuff was disappointing, and the quality of it was not that good either,” Telang said. 

Brush also enjoyed the performances throughout the weekend, however poor air quality and people were their main issues as well. 

“I didn’t like the dust as I’m still recovering from the cough it gave me, and I also didn’t like some of the people,” Brush said. “Even though those parts were bad, I still think it was super fun and worth all the hassle.”

Many artists brought on an exceptional performance, drawing large crowds and even appearing on streaming channels like Hulu, which broadcasts each performance.

“The last day was my favorite because I really liked all of the artists,” Brush said. ”My favorites were probably T Pain or John Summit but I also liked Empire of the Sun and Luke Combs, which were different days.”

Despite the challenges, both Telang and Brush’s final review of the fun-filled weekend have found the experience worthwhile despite the drawbacks. The crowd atmosphere and dust were the main factors both students felt negative about at ACL, but the artists made up for it.