A Longhorn football game away in Louisiana left many UT students in Austin with little to do the weekend of Sept. 28, 2002. Catching wind of a weekend music festival taking over Zilker Metropolitan Park with $25 tickets, many attended as a way to kill time and enjoy local artists in one of their favorite hangout spots. 

Since 2002, the Austin City Limits Music Festival has grown into a two-weekend experience attracting artists and attendees from across the world. The inaugural festival filled a hole in the Austin music festival scene left by the 1962 to 1998 Austin Aqua Festival. ACL’s debut showcased 67 artists, many of whom would become Austin legends, such as Gary Clark Jr. and Bob Schneider. ACL now includes two weekends of over 130 artists across nine stages.

Attending has become tradition for many of its festival-goers who look back on years at the festival. 

“The next year, we kind of took note of, ‘Hey, we need to go to ACL Fest!’” said finance alumnus Michael Steitberger. “The first year, I don’t even think we called it that. We were just like, ‘It’s bands in the park.’”

Because festival culture wasn’t as big and homogenized in 2002 and ACL was hosted at one of his favorite recreational spots, Streitberger said the festival offered a unique experience. He said he enjoyed seeing local bands in Zilker who would normally perform in smaller backyard-type venues. A friend of his who attended, EmilyAnne Skinner, said although Austin held the title of the “Live Music Capital,” most music venues weren’t as accessible to younger people because of their 21-and-up age policies. 

“(Now) it brings this level of community to the city of Austin and (it brings) identity,” said Skinner, a public relations alumna, who has attended the festival annually since 2002. “When you think of Austin, you think of ACL Fest, Sixth Street, ACL Live … and South By Southwest.”

Skinner said the festival felt relaxed in its first years, welcoming everyone with no chain link fences, limited security and guests bringing in their own food and blankets. Beto Martinez, who performed in the then-two-year-old Grupo Fantasma, said performing at the festival was exciting, but it wasn’t as huge in stature as it’s considered now. 

“There were some cool headliners, and we were super happy to be a part of it, but it definitely felt local,” Martinez said. “It was exciting, but it didn’t feel like now. I played there two years ago with my band Caramelo Haze, and obviously we felt (more) like, ‘This is a great opportunity. This is a huge festival. We’re super excited to go.’”

Despite the festival’s growth and stricter guidelines, Streitberger said it remains welcoming. Attending nearly every year since 2002, Streitberger said he’ll bring his two kids with him this year, enjoy the concerts, catch up with the same friends he’s continued going with since college and take his kids to Austin Kiddie Limits. 

“It was a really cool time and place in 2002. I’m glad that I got to experience that version of it, because not many people did,” Streitberger said. “To see it evolve has been really cool. Even though it’s gotten really, really big … it’s always been something that’s a must go.”