By Emilly Martinez
Copy Editor
Many Baylor students, along with others from around the nation, will travel to Austin this weekend for the 10th annual installment of the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
A C3 Presents production, ACL is an eight-stage, three-day festival spanning today to Sunday. More than 130 bands are on the lineup over the three days with headliners Kanye West, Coldplay, Stevie Wonder and Arcade Fire. Other big names include My Morning Jacket, Manu Chao La Ventura and Fleet Foxes.
While many believe the festival mainly caters to the indie crowd, artists such as Cee Lo and Jack Ingram on the lineup show ACL has something for everyone.
Despite the heat, more than 70,000 people are expected to attend the festival each day. All three-day passes, VIP passes and single-day passes, except for Sunday, have sold out.
Tickets for ACL Festival Official Aftershows scheduled throughout Austin are still available. While ACL is open to all ages, many aftershows are held in 18+ and 21+ venues. Aftershows give music lovers a chance to see individual bands play in a small venue after they perform at ACL.
San Antonio junior Catherine Barnhill said she chose to volunteer at ACL as an alternative to buying tickets.
“I initially applied to volunteer because the tickets were sold out, but now I’m glad I am because I feel like I’m a part of the festival,” Barnhill said.
As a volunteer, Barnhill will greet festival attendees for a couple of hours each day before being allowed free entry to the rest of the festival.
Choosing which shows to attend is a different experience for each person. Some will go with a detailed game plan including bands, shows and bathroom breaks, but others may go with no set agenda.
Dallas junior Byron Griffin said he is going with some bands in mind but also wants to discover new bands.
“There are a lot of bands that I’m going to see specifically,” Griffin said, “but I’m almost more excited to discover the new bands that aren’t big yet.”
This year’s festival is expected to be one of the best so far by many social media sites as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. The Lariat will cover the festival and many of bands scheduled – headliners and newcomers alike – in Tuesday’s edition.
