The Austin City Limits music festival has been an Austin tradition for over 10 years. A cultural icon and a testament to Austin's label as the "Live music capital of the world," ACL has attracted music fans from all over the world. Recently there has been talk of extending the festival to two weekends instead of one. (Source) Being a music fan and past attendee of ACL festivals, I support this change because I see nothing but benefit for Austin as a result.
The biggest effect would be economical growth as a result of the festival. The company that puts the festival on, C3 Presents, donates millions each year to the Austin Parks Foundation and the city, a number which could potentially be doubled to help beautify our city if the festival is extended. Tourism would skyrocket as more people flood in from all over the nation, ultimately allowing for a more enjoyable concert experience as it would not be nearly as packed. Local stores and bars would be jam packed with people looking to end their day with a relaxing atmosphere after ACL, which helps spread awareness about the culture of Austin, hopefully increasing tourism to the city and generating more money.
Having two separate concerts would also allow music buffs to experience the full lineup of ACL. I know from experience that having to choose between headliners was always a tough decision, so having two ACLs allows for full enjoyment of the concerts. This not only generates revenue for the city, but also increases the satisfaction for music fans. Extending the festival would also allow people to work around schedule conflicts. I know that last year, ACL was held on the same weekend as the OU-Texas football game, which made a lot of people choose between the two.(Source) This led to vast amounts of potential revenue to be lost, a loss that would not have occurred if ACL was over two weekends.
All in all, there is no harm to be had from ACL extending to two weekends except for the availability of Zilker Park. It would benefit the economy of the city, promote awareness about the city and its culture, allow for music buffs to enjoy the festival more, and help to beautify our city with the donations put out by C3 Presents. I believe that it is a necessary change that will help our city grow and prosper well into future generations.
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To many around the world, Austin is considered to be the "live music capital of the world" and the main event that surrounds our city is ACL, Austin City Limits. In fact, there are people that come from around the country and even outside the US just to join in on the music. There have been recent announcements from the organizers of ACL that the event will take place over two weekends rather than just one (Source). According to Robin's blog, he supports this change because it will be "nothing but benefit for Austin". Personally I think that this will have both positive and negative effects but the positive ones will out weigh the negative ones. In other words, extending ACL to two weekends will not be a 100% good decision.
One of the main positive effects that will come from this is the fact that ACL brings many people from all over the world. This not only increases participation for ACL but helps Austin economically too. As Robin said, the organizers of ACL donate millions of money each year to the city and the increase of tourism helps the city as well. In terms of the city's economy ACL only helps the city. ACL brings more money than it costs to set up. Another thing that Robin mentions is the fact that more people will be allowed to experience ACL. Having two weekends allow people to listen to more bands and let them choose between which two weekends they would like to go. Personally I think that this might affect turnout from fans because they will have to choose between which two weekend. Even if it's possible to buy both weekend passes, the cost might be too much for many. Nonetheless, allowing fans to choose between which weekend they want will increase the amount of fans that will come.
However, one important factor that Robin forgets to mention is the massive clean up that happens after ACL. This video shows the aftermath of ACL a few years ago. As you can see, there was a sea of mud in front of the stages where grass used to be. If ACL were to be extended over two weekends we might see worse damage to Zilker Park. As Robin said, its true that Zilker Park will be unavailable during these two weekends but it's important to note what will happen after ACL. We can see what happens when ACL happens on one weekend but what will happen when this doubles?
Overall despite this possible effect, the fact that ACL helps Austin both economically and culturally, heavily outweighs the negative consequences. This extra ACL weekend will greatly benefit Austin and as Robin said will help our city "prosper well into future generations."
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