Mud, Mayhem and the Great Lawn: Can Zilker Park Bounce Back From ACL Weekend One?
Austin City Limits Music Festival‘s first weekend ended with the Great Lawn at Zilker Park in rough shape.
Roughly two inches of rain fell Thursday and Friday, and tens of thousands of fans churned the soaked ground into mud. Saturday’s gates opened two hours late so crews could prepare the grounds, and by Sunday much of the lawn was still covered in muck as showers continued.
(Photos: CBS Austin, Jane Page)
Officials weigh in
Council Member Ryan Alter, whose district includes the park, called the damage “unacceptable” and said he has raised concerns with the promoter, C3 Presents, and city staff.
He told KXAN-TV he is confident C3 and Austin Parks and Recreation will restore the lawn, and he suggested clearer maintenance policies rather than rewriting the festival deal.
Politics has crept in as well: Alter’s November opponent, David Weinberg, has used the mud to attack his record on past Zilker plans, which Alter disputes.
Organizer promises
ACL says it remediates the park every year and will again.
Starting Sunday night, organizers said, extra crews began removing temporary turf and ground protection, and the park would get a week of rest with activity strictly limited before weekend two. The city notes that under its contract, the festival must restore the lawn, including replacing grass as needed.
Cost and timeline
No repair estimate has been published. The contract puts remediation at the organizer’s expense, as determined by the parks director.
For scale, in a normal year the city spent more than $20,000 on lawn care before and after the festival, later reimbursed by ACL, according to KUT News.
This year’s damage is likely far worse.
The city currently lists a reopening of October 19, but that date looks uncertain. Past soggy years have stretched closures to weeks or longer.
What it means for residents
For Austinites who play soccer, frisbee and football on the lawn every weekend, a delayed reopening means losing a central recreation space during prime fall weather. Soil compaction also reduces how well the ground absorbs rain, which can make repeat damage more likely. Later events, such as the holiday Trail of Lights, depend on the lawn recovering.
Locals react
“There’s four more days of ACL. If it’s dry this week, the story next week will be about dust. But at the end of this, the grass will either grow back or get replaced. C3 gets the bill. And they’ll pay it because they want to do this again next year and for 25 more years after that. Don’t like it? Fine. But if your plan for saving Austin is making sure nothing happens here anymore or everything moves to the Domain or COTA, then it’ll be you that finally killed old Austin.” — Andy Langer
Benefits versus costs
The festival’s backers have real numbers.
Last year’s festival generated $8.5 million for city parks, and nearly $80 million over about two decades through the Austin Parks Foundation. A festival-commissioned report credited ACL with $557.8 million in economic impact.
Critics counter that those figures come with a park that is repeatedly closed and damaged. With the contract running through 2040, this is a tradeoff Austin will face again.
The real test comes when the fences come down. If the grass returns on schedule, weekend one may be remembered as a bad-weather blip. If not, expect louder calls for stronger protections.
Sources:
- Axios Austin, “ACL Fest leaves Zilker Park a muddy mess”: https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/10/04/acl-fest-zilker-mud-austin
- KXAN, “ACL Festival’s muddy Great Lawn raises concern for Austin park’s future”: https://www.kxan.com/acl/acl-festivals-muddy-great-lawn-raises-concern-for-austin-parks-future/
- KVUE, “Muddy conditions at ACL raises concerns about impact on Zilker Park”: https://www.kvue.com/article/entertainment/events/austin-city-limits/acl-fest-delayed-start-saturday-muddy-conditions/269-e3a610e6-886b-4b46-bc17-83a50627648f
- CBS Austin, “ACL fans brave rain and mud for final day of Weekend One”: https://cbsaustin.com/newsletter-daily/acl-fans-brave-rain-and-mud-for-final-day-of-weekend-one
- CBS Austin, “ACL mud draws concern as festivalgoers navigate Zilker Park’s Great Lawn”: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/acl-mud-draws-concern-as-festivalgoers-navigate-zilker-parks-great-lawn
- MySA, “Austin City Limits music festival delayed due to rainy weather”: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/austin/article/acl-music-festival-weather-update-22458649.php
- KUT, “Zilker Park grass and ACL Music Festival” (Oct. 14, 2025): https://www.kut.org/austin/2025-10-14/austin-tx-zilker-park-grass-acl-music-festival
- The Daily Texan, on soil compaction and recovery: https://thedailytexan.com/?p=39728
As ACL Festival visitors leave Austin after its first weekend, the city’s airport is expecting high passenger traffic volume today.
Police are investigating after they say a pedestrian was hit by a driver and died late Sunday near Lake Creek Parkway and Pecan Park Boulevard in northwest Austin.
A Lago Vista police officer who was no longer on the force while under a criminal investigation has died.
City Statement Regarding the Death of Lago Vista Police Officer Brandon Carey
LAGO VISTA, Texas — On Wednesday, September 30, Brandon Carey passed away. At the time of his death, the officer was suspended from duty pending a criminal investigation being conducted by Travis County. His death occurred while off duty and outside Lago Vista city limits.
The City will not discuss confidential investigative information or speculate about the circumstances of his death. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of both the criminal investigation and the death investigation.
While immediate notification of this death was made to his family and appropriate entities, these details were communicated to City Council on Thursday and, on Saturday, October 3, were communicated to the employees of the Lago Vista Police Department with mental health professionals present to assist employees. It is appropriate at this time to communicate this basic information to our community.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Carey family, the employees of the Lago Vista Police Department, and our community.
Ron Joy / City of Lago Vista / Interim City Manager
Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch spoke with CNN about the condition of Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, who underwent surgery last week after a shooting involving ICE.
Austin City Council has a Work Session planned for tomorrow.
The Austin City Council Work Session is Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 9:00 AM at Austin City Hall (301 W. Second Street). Some members may join by videoconference. The agenda has two substantive items:
Briefing: No Wrong Door initiative
This is a coordinated crisis response program that connects high-utilizer individuals (people who frequently use emergency and crisis services) with permanent supportive services. Those services include housing, health care, behavioral health, and substance use treatment. The goals are to reduce arrests, emergency room visits, and homelessness.
Presenters:
- Robert Luckritz, Chief, Austin Travis County EMS
- David Gray, Director, Homeless Strategies and Operations
- Robert Kingham, Court Administrator, Community Court
- Maris Herold, Chief of Strategic Initiatives, Police
- Marisa Malik, Director of Crisis Services and Justice Initiatives, Integral Care
- Perla Cavazos, Chief Governance and Government Affairs Officer, Central Health
E1. Executive Session: Levins et al. v. City of Austin et al.
Council will consult privately with legal counsel (Texas Government Code Section 551.071) about this lawsuit, Case No. D-1-GN-26-009327 in the 53rd District Court in Travis County. The suit challenges the legality of Dog’s Head Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 21. Because it is a closed session, the discussion won’t be public.
Other sections
Pre-Selected Agenda Items (A), Council Items of Interest (C), and Council Discussion (D) are listed with nothing under them.
Procedural notes
- Council may go into closed session on any agenda item under the Texas Open Meetings Act.
- Council won’t discuss regular meeting agenda items at the work session unless they’re identified for discussion, and won’t vote on a work session item that is also on the regular meeting agenda.
Falling home values could mean lower property tax bills for some homeowners despite the Austin City Council and Travis County Commissioners raising rates. (Austin Current)
Burnet Middle School parents spent years warning Austin school district leaders about the language barriers and teacher turnover their children experienced. Now, they’re Burnet, Webb parents weigh petitions to close schools. (Austin Current)
Meanwhile, some school district parents are raising concerns about transportation for high school band equipment, saying they’ve had to find alternative ways to get large amounts of equipment to games and competitions.
WEATHER
SUNDAY’S HIGH /LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
The Southeast will face repeated rounds of flooding downpours through much of this week as tropical moisture interacts with a stalled front, while a separate area of tropical moisture could organize along the Gulf Coast. Heavy rainfall has already triggered flash flooding across parts of the Gulf Coast this past weekend.
A new set of polls from The New York Times finds that Democratic candidates are doing remarkably well in the Republican-leaning states that they need to win to gain control of the U.S. Senate in next month’s midterm elections.
They are doing less well in the blue states that, in theory, should be easier to win.
Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The Times, offers his idea of what is behind the numbers.
State Rep. Denise Villalobos (R-Corpus Christi), who running for re-election in Texas House District 34 against Democratic challenger Stephanie Saenz, joined The Texan’s Reporter Meridith Dyer to discuss her campaign.
Villalobos spoke on of the biggest issues facing her South Texas district, focusing especially on water issues in Corpus Christi and property taxes.
A month away from Election Day and still no debates, plus a voter registration backlog affecting thousands of Texans.
Since June, the United States has reported 53 confirmed animal cases of New World screwworm, with 51 detected in Texas and two in New Mexico. Three cases remain active: a dog in Brewster County, Texas (confirmed Oct. 2), a goat in Crockett County, Texas (confirmed Sept. 26), and a horse in Grant County, New Mexico (confirmed Sept. 17). (Texas Public Radio)
AAA GAS PRICES
DIESEL PRICES
SPORTS
NFL: Dak Prescott capped a furious second-half rally with a go-ahead touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb with just 40 seconds remaining, lifting the Dallas Cowboys to a thrilling 34-30 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.
Down 16-6 at halftime after a sluggish start down I-45, the Cowboys (2-2) exploded for 28 second-half points to survive a wild back-and-forth thriller.
Lamb monstered the Houston secondary with 17 receptions for 189 yards, while running back Javonte Williams punched in three touchdown runs to power the Dallas comeback. Houston (0-4) briefly took a late lead behind C.J. Stroud’s 347 passing yards and two touchdowns, but Prescott’s 74-yard game-winning drive in the final minutes proved decisive, leaving the winless Texans heartbroken in the latest iteration of the Governor’s Cup clash.
For the Cowboys, it’s a quick turnaround this week:
Fresh off a dramatic 34-30 victory over the Houston Texans, the Dallas Cowboys (2-2) look to keep their momentum rolling on a short week when they host the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) for Thursday Night Football at AT&T Stadium.
For the Texans, they’ll be in Nashville Sunday for a battle of winless teams. They face the 0-4 Tennessee Titans.
NHL: The Dallas Stars are 0-2. They will go for their first victory of the season tonight when they host the 2-0 San Jose Sharks.
NBA: Newly acquired free agent Tobias Harris will be questionable for the San Antonio Spurs’ October 20 season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Texas Longhorns dominate Red River rivalry as Steve Sarkisian flips the script against Oklahoma Sooners—can Texas sustain their momentum through the SEC gauntlet? BK explains why Texas fans should feel confident going into Dallas.
Enjoy the sights and sounds of clear flowing water from the springs that feed Gorman Creek at Colorado Bend State Park.
