Editor’s note: This article was publishedfrom for the first time on September 30 by Flora Farr and was translated into Spanish by Maria Guerra.
A Longhorns football game in Louisiana left many UT students in Austin with little to do on the weekend of September 28, 2002. Upon learning of a music festival taking over Zilker Metropolitan Park, with tickets at $25, many attended as a way to kill time and enjoy local artists at one of their favorite hangout spots.
Since 2002, the Austin City Limits music festival has grown into a two-weekend experience that attracts artists and attendees from all over the world. The inaugural festival filled a void in Austin’s music festival scene, left by the Austin Aqua Festival, which ran from 1962 to 1998. The debut featured 67 artists, many of whom would become Austin legends, such as Gary Clark Jr. and Bob Schneider. Now, ACL includes two weekends featuring more than 130 artists across nine stages.
Attending this event has become a tradition for many, who reminisce about past years of the festival.
“The next year, we made a note of, ‘Hey, we have to go to ACL Fest!’” said finance alumnus Michael Steitberger. “The first year I don’t even think we called it that. We were like, ‘it’s gangs in the park.'”
Because the festival culture was not as large and standardized in 2002 and ACL was held at one of his favorite recreational venues, Streitberger said the festival offered a unique experience. Relator that he enjoyed seeing local bands at Zilker, who typically performed in smaller venues, like backyards. A friend of hers who attended, EmilyAnne Skinner, said that although Austin has the title of the “Live Music Capital,” most venues were not as accessible to younger people due to their 21-and-up policies.
“(It now) brings this level of community to the city of Austin and (contributes to) its identity,” said Skinner, a public relations alum, who has attended the festival annually since 2002. “When you think of Austin, you think of the ACL Fest, Sixth Street, ACL Live… and at South by Southwest.”
Skinner expressed that the festival felt relaxed in its early years, welcoming everyone with no woven wire fences, limited security, and guests bringing their own food and blankets. Beto Martinez, who performed in the then Grupo Fantasma when he was only two years old, said that performing at the festival was exciting, but he was not as big in stature as he is considered today.
“There were some great headliners, and we were super happy to be a part of it, but it definitely felt local,” Martinez expressed. “It was exciting, but it didn’t feel like it does now. Touchand there two years ago with my band Caramelo Haze, and obviously we felt (more) like, ‘This is a cool opportunity. It’s a great festival. “We are super excited to go.”
Despite the festival’s growth and stricter rules, Streitberger said it remains welcoming. Attending almost every year since 2002, Streitberger said he will bring his two children with him this year, enjoy the concerts, catch up with the same friends he has continued to go with since college and take his children to the Austin Kiddie Limits.
“It was a really cool time and place in 2002. I’m glad I got to enjoy that version, because not many people did,” Streitberger continued. “Watching it evolve has been really cool. Although it has gotten very, very big… It has always been something to go to.”
