How To: Survive ACL Fest

ACL Festival Packing, Tips and Tricks. 

Festival season is upon us, and as a way to prepare, the Buttoned team has put together a few tips and tricks to get you through ACL (Austin City Limits). 

Festival Essentials

There are many things you’ll need to have for a successful weekend while you’re at the festival. The first thing is a fanny pack or purse. These are helpful in order to keep all your things safe and in one place. They are small enough to bring and not too big to keep track of. A portable charger is good for everyone who loves to record their favorite artists and take fun pictures in front of the ACL rock wall. A water bottle is the biggest need of them all. There are water bottle filling stations all around the festival. Any type of water bottle works. A nalgene or hydro flask is always good to have, or you can bring a camelback and use it as both a backpack and a water bottle. Sunscreen and sunglasses are always a good idea when you are in the sun all day, and in this Texas heat you’ll definitely need both of these. There are always the small sunscreen bottles that you can keep with you. When on your feet all day, you will need some comfortable shoes so that you can walk around and see all the amenities inside the festival. Hand Sanitizer is a necessary item because you’ll get hot and sweaty, and you’ll need something to clean off your hands, because there aren’t any bathrooms. The last item is not an essential, but you can use it in different ways. That item is a bandana. Whether it’s for your outfit aesthetics or to protect your head from getting sunburned, bandanas are multi-functional, and you can use them in many ways.

Photographed by: Scott Dudelson

Road Trip

For your drive to Austin, we have made a list of things to help make the trip go by faster and get you pumped for the festival. Car ride concerts always help the time fly, and with this ACL playlist, you can have a great jam sesh while listening to the performers you will see that weekend. On your drive to Austin, there are a few places we recommend to stop by for a quick bite. Buc-ees is always a great place to fill up on gas and grab some snacks for the road. Other Austin favorites are Hopdoddy's Burgers, Kerbey Lane, and VooDoo Donuts. It's also important to remember to drink lots of water before and during the festival in order to stay hydrated. 

Photographed by:  Jessica Bryce Young

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3fgH9GrbLUOMaqcEczyolQ?si=EPlDqVfPTd6oh1P4Wzveiw

Festival Recovery

While after the concert you might be suffering from post-ACL depression, it's important to focus on recovering from the long weekend. There are many ways to do this, but the key is gatorade, a lot of water, and a good meal. Also, aloe vera is a lifesaver for your sunburns. The last key to your recovery is lots of sleep, because you were out all day, and you’ll need plenty of rest to get back to school on Monday.

Written by: Kaitlyn Cameron & Victoria Nelon 

Edited by: Josie Gruber