Austin City Limits is back at Zilker Park for two weekends, October 2 to 4 and October 9 to 11. Every year a few thousand people try to drive to the gate anyway, and every year they find the same thing: there is no festival parking at Zilker, the roads around the park close, and the neighborhood streets nearby are restricted. The festival itself tells you to come by shuttle, bus, bike, rideshare or on foot.
So the real question is not where to park at Zilker. It is where to leave the car so the rest of the day is easy. We are at 715 Nueces, the corner of 7th and Nueces on the west side of downtown, and this is how we would do it.
The short version
- Park at 715 Nueces. The entrance is on Nueces at 7th, and the gate is open 24 hours.
- Walk about eight minutes to Republic Square Park and take the festival's free shuttle to the Barton Springs entrance.
- Or ask us ahead of time about a one-way pedicab from the lot out to the festival.
- Come back whenever you are done. A daily ticket includes in and out, so the car is never on a clock.
The free festival shuttle, eight minutes from our gate
ACL runs a free shuttle for wristband holders from Republic Square Park, in the middle of downtown, to the Barton Springs entrance on the west side of the festival. Republic Square is about an eight minute walk from the lot on flat sidewalk. In past years the shuttle has started around noon on Fridays and late morning on Saturdays and Sundays, and run until the park clears at night.
The shuttle is the festival's service, not ours, so check the festival's own site for this year's hours and the exact boarding corner before you set out. What we can promise is the part at our end: a gated lot, eight minutes from the line, that is still open when the last bus gets back.
Or ride out by pedicab
If you would rather skip the shuttle line, we can help arrange a pedicab from the lot out to the festival. It is one way only, from our gate to the festival, and it is arranged ahead of time rather than waiting at the lot on a schedule. Call us or send the date and the number of riders, and we will tell you honestly what we can line up for that day.
How the pedicab arrangement works, and how to ask. Pedicab from the lot.
Getting back at night
The ride home is the part people forget to plan. Rideshare pickups sit outside the festival footprint on Barton Springs Road, and prices climb when the headliner finishes and everyone opens the app at once. The festival shuttle runs back to Republic Square. Either way, you finish the night about eight minutes from a car in a lot that does not lock, which means you can get food downtown, wait out the traffic, and leave when it suits you.
The two weekends, and what else is on downtown
| Date | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Thu Oct 1 to Sat Oct 10 | ACL Fest Nights late shows | Antone's, Stubb's, ACL Live at 3TEN and more |
| Fri Oct 2 to Sun Oct 4 | Austin City Limits, Weekend One | Zilker Park |
| Fri Oct 9 to Sun Oct 11 | Austin City Limits, Weekend Two | Zilker Park |
| Sat Oct 10 | Texas vs. Oklahoma, 2:30 PM, in Dallas | Watch parties downtown |
| Sat Oct 10 | Wave to Earth | ACL Live at the Moody Theater |
Dates confirmed on the festival and venue sites. Late show line-ups are on each venue's calendar.
The official late shows put a second crowd downtown after the park empties. ACL Live and its 3TEN room are about a ten minute walk from our gate, and Antone's on 5th Street is a little further. Parking once for the festival and the late show is the whole point of a lot with in and out access.
Saturday, October 10 is the heavy one. Weekend Two's Saturday lands on the same day as the Texas and Oklahoma game in Dallas, so West 6th fills with watch parties in the afternoon while the festival crowd heads to Zilker. If that is your day, sort out parking before you leave home.
Event weekend pricing is posted at the lot and on our rates page before each weekend. We do not print a number in a guide that could go stale. See current rates.
Weekend One details, with walk times and nearby stops. ACL Weekend One parking.
Weekend Two details, and why the lots near the shuttle fill earlier. ACL Weekend Two parking.
Posted rates are starting prices and are subject to change. During citywide events (SXSW, ACL, F1, UT football, and Capitol session weekends) rates may increase. We post current pricing at the lot entrance and on this page.
Published 2026-09-21.