Two weekends, one park, SO MANY PEOPLE. This past weekend, I was one of the thousands of people who gathered in Austin to partake in the second weekend of ACL 2015.
It was my first music festival and an experience I won't soon forget. I tackled the three hour drive from TCU to Austin on Thursday night, got some Bluebell at the store (YAY), and collapsed in bed in anticipation for the start of the BEST WEEKEND EVER. On Friday morning, after the rest of my friends had arrived and we had all gotten festival-ready, we hopped in the car, parked, grabbed a shuttle, and arrived at Zilker park.
I was in love from the moment I walked in the gate. If you haven't been to Zilker, I would encourage you to go. It's huge (because what isn't in Texas) and has a beautiful view of the Austin skyline. ACL took over the whole park, with six stages, an expansive food court, and shopping galore. From the second we walked in, the music was blaring, and it didn't stop all weekend. The three days consisted of endless dancing (and standing), amazing artists, great food, and infinite FUN. ACL is nothing like real life, it's a 72 hour break from all things normal. So here it goes, five things you see at ACL that don't exist in real life:
1. Countless Camelbak Backpacks
Have you seen these things before? Its a backpack with a built in water bottle and straw hanging on the strap. My veteran ACL friends insisted I get one before the weekend. I was unconvinced, however, thinking I would look weird drinking from my backpack. About five seconds after walking through the gate, I regretted my decision. These backpacks were EVERYWHERE, becoming an ACL staple. Prior to this, I had only seen these bags on hikers, and didn't think every average Joe would have one. They are, however, probably the most convenient invention ever. If you didn't know, it gets pretty hot in Texas, and at ACL, you're outside all day. Anyone with these backpacks could drink anytime they wanted, without having to take out water bottles from their bag. The backpack also stores a lot of water, not forcing you to continuously refill your bottle (potentially missing great music). I will definitely invest in one before ACL 2016 (that's right, I'm going back) and any other music fest.
2. Lack of Personal Space
Have you ever stood for five hours straight in a mosh pit to catch a glimpse of Drake? No? Well I can say from personal experience, it was 100 percent worth it, and 100 percent the strangest experience of my life. There I was, in the dead center of thousands of people, camped out in 95 degree weather, waiting to have a front row seat at this concert. My feet hurt like they never have before, forcing me to shift weight from one to leg to another every five minutes. My ribs were continuously crushed into the metal barrier I was leaning on by the mass of people behind me. I was surrounded on all but one side by strangers (I only managed to cling on to one of my friends while the rest of the group was about 10 people away). I couldn't open my backpack to get water or turn in a full circle without running into those around me. But despite all these conditions, my heart was infinitely happy. And it was all worth it when I found myself less than a foot away from ASAP Rocky and G-Eazy (still can't believe that) and then saw DRAKE slay. The moral of the story? Personal space isn't a thing at ACL, but insanely fun experiences are.
3. Shoulder Sits
I don't usually find myself sitting on the shoulders of my 6'3 friend in normal life. But when you're second row for Disclosure and the person in front of you is blocking your view, the shoulder sit is a must. With tons of people scrambling for the best view, the one from 11 feet up isn't too shabby. At ACL, someone gets on some else's shoulder at least once a concert. And let me tell you, for the five minutes I was shoulder sitting (before the security guard yelled at us for blocking the camera) the view was amazing and the music may have even sounded better (Omen by Disclosure and Sam Smith is my jam) from up there.
4. Crazy Outfits
Festival fashion is a world all its own. It's the place where you can rock the retro double braid (I haven't worn that hair do since probably middle school) or pull out the craziest shirt in your closet. No matter how weird your outfit, you're guaranteed to not be the wackiest dressed there. My best friend wore a matching Hawaiian shirt and short set and fit right in among the fest attendees if that tells you anything about the outfit choices of the weekend.
5. AMAZING music all in one place
How often do you get to see a ton of your favorite artists in one place on one weekend? A music festival is an experience all its own and Austin certainly delivered in the lineup department this year. I started the fest off with Cherub and then hopped on over to Disclosure about 20 feet away. Saturday was filled with The Glass Animals, Twenty One Pilots, A$AP Rocky, and Drake all on the same stage. On the third and final day, we saw Halsey, Of Monsters and Men (my personal fav), Ben Howard, Hozier and The Weeknd and was almost front row for every act. In summary, I've never danced this much in my entire life. The live music capitol of the world certainly did not disappoint.
It's been over a week since the end of ACL and I'm still missing it. My ACL wristband was my golden ticket to the best Fall break ever with amazing friends and music. We danced, we ate (snowcones for dinner and late night Whataburger runs), we lived. So thanks ACL for the best weekend ever and giving me a break from real life for three days. Don't worry, I'll be back to fest again.
