Austin City Limits Music Festival returned to Zilker Park in Austin, Texas for its 22nd year in the city. Exciting headliners, smaller artists and good food made the experience worth it.
Getting to the festival was an adventure in itself as some chose transit by vehicles, and others simply hiked to Zilker park. Travel by shuttle bus proved an efficient form of transportation, delivering me almost right to the entrance of the festival.
The extreme loudness of the festival hit me right when I arrived. I could feel the bass from the performance of rapper “Lil Yachty” deep in my chest. On the other side of the park “Portugal The Man” performed their set of rock music, and while not as striking as the bass from “Lil Yachty”, their performance also shook my chest and the ground.
Along the sides of the park tents selling food, tents drew people in with drinks and food. With plenty affordable options, the meals at the festival did not disappoint. I had pork and cabbage pot stickers, three cheese fries, a warm cookie with mint ice cream and a cup of lemonade. All of these treats, especially the dumplings, tasted great while walking around the warm Austin park.
The first full performance I watched came from “Major Lazer,” an electronic dance music and DJ trio. This group replaced headliner Kali Uchis who dropped the festival before the first weekend. While this group’s style of music did not excite me, the performance resembled a fun rave. People all around jumped up and down to the bone-shaking music produced by the trio.
Next up was rapper Kendrick Lamar, the main reason I attended the festival. Lamar’s set had a scheduled start time of 8:40 p.m. on Friday night. As that time approached a message came on the screens at the American Express stage informing us that due to plane issues Lamar’s performance would get delayed. Many groaned and attitudes soured, but later on in the night another message confirmed that an abbreviated set by Kendrick Lamar would begin at 9:45 p.m.. The headliner finally started his set with his song “N95,” and the crowd went wild. He then performed many of his hits from “Backseat Freestyle” to “HUMBLE.” to “Alright”. Austin city parks fulfilled an earlier challenge by Lamar at 10:15 PM as they shut off his mic, ending his amazing performance to a chorus of repeating shouts from the crowd.
The Austin City Limits Music Festival did not disappoint this year, with exciting performances, fun crowds, and good food. Anyone who enjoys music of all kinds should consider going to the festival next October.