Three days,
124 artists,
225,000 people.
Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) takes place 2 weekends a year, this year falling on Oct. 3-5 and Oct. 10-12 at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2002 by Charlie Jones and Charles Attal and features all genres of music.
When I first saw the lineup released back in May featuring artists I loved such as Sabrina Carpenter, Empire of the Sun, Doja Cat (who unfortunately dropped out to focus on her new album “Vie” a few weeks before the festival) and John Summit, I knew that it was going to be amazing. I hadn’t seen an ACL lineup this good in years, so I could tell I picked the perfect year to go.
ACL is more than just a festival, it’s an experience. I love the atmosphere ACL has— it feels so magical seeing thousands of people singing and dancing all around you for three days straight. I appreciate the way the stages are spread out because no matter where you are in the park, you can always hear live music playing. The sense of community there was great. A lot of the time when my friends and I would sit down to eat a meal, random people would come eat with us and we would all become friends. Speaking of eating, I loved trying all kinds of different foods from their hundreds of vendors. They had everything from smoothie bowls to loaded nachos. But the best part, in my opinion, was having the chance to attend concerts I’ve been dreaming of going to for years. Every concert I attended was its own unique experience— so here’s a quick review of some of my favorite concerts that made this experience truly unforgettable.
Empire of the Sun
This concert was incredibly ethereal. I genuinely felt like I was being transported to another universe. There were amazing visuals such as a red thunderstorm, green aliens and big hands reaching out to the moon that made the concert feel truly immersive. I appreciated how he played all of his most popular songs like “Walking on a Dream,” “Alive” and “Half Mast.” He also had many outfit changes. He started off in all red then changed into silver sequins, which really brought his performance to life. There were great vibes all around, with everyone in the crowd constantly singing and jumping. This was the first concert I saw of the weekend, so it set the standard very high.
Marina
Marina’s concert was pretty fun. She had great stage presence, fun vibes and a stellar atmosphere— the crowd was all singing and vibing together. The only part I didn’t love was the heat as this performance was in the afternoon, so the sun was blazing on us. It was obviously affecting Marina too because she kept complaining about it saying, “This is the hottest show I’ve ever played!” Overall, this was a fun concert with some fun 2020 throwback vibes. The performance had a medium sized crowd, and it was fun to hear everyone singing along to her songs like “Primmadona Girl” and “Are You Satisfied.” Although she did not play one of her more popular songs “Teen Idle,” I still had a blast.
Sammy Virji
Before last weekend, I had never heard of Sammy Virji, but I saw a few different online sources recommending him, so I decided to go to his performance. As he started his set, I didn’t really know what to expect because all I knew was that he was an electric dance music (EDM) artist, so I just went in with an open mind. He entered the stage as the sun started to set, and that’s when the magic happened. He had a fairly large crowd, forming one big mosh pit. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who’s claustrophobic, but if you like to rave, this set would be perfect for you. I had so much fun in this crowd, there was a group of 10 guys dressed up in banana costumes, and they were so fun to be around. Concerts like these are a great way to meet new people and are just a great experience overall!
Sabrina Carpenter
I loved her energy! Her concert was lots of fun, and she played a lot of her popular songs, so the crowd was all singing along with her. Despite that, I wish she played more songs from her newest album “Man’s Best Friend.” She only played three of her new songs: “Manchild,” “Tears” and “Goodbye.” Most people were expecting more, so her concert almost felt a little “incomplete.” However, the crowd was absolutely ginormous, making it probably one of the biggest of the weekend. It was a little hard to get out when her concert ended, but overall, I had a ball.
Disco Lines
The best way I could describe this concert is a daylight rave. His set played from 5:15-6:15 p.m. so the sun was out the whole time, which isn’t typical for most edm sets. However, the beaming sun added to the vibe of the performance. It was nice because some workers were spraying a hose into the audience to cool us all down. Something I enjoyed was that I didn’t have to know a lot of his songs to have a good time, as he remixed some well known songs such as “Space Jam,” and even when he played songs I had never heard before, it felt so natural just to jump and dance along.
T-Pain
T-Pain had one of the last concerts of the weekend, and I had a great time. He played a lot of popular rap songs that weren’t his, such as “Rich Baby Daddy” by Drake and “Not like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. When I heard him play these songs, I was very pleasantly surprised and immediately started singing and dancing along. Another surprising song he played was “Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey which was super fun, and I don’t think anyone saw that coming, since he is a hip-hop artist. It was such a magical moment to hear a crowd of thousands all singing along. He performed his own songs really well, though you could tell he was feeling the heat. At one point, he made a short but funny speech reminding everyone not to plan their ACL outfits in the air conditioning, because the festival is insanely hot (over 95 degrees). I ended up leaving his performance a little early to attempt to secure a good spot in the John Summit crowd, but the time I spent at T-Pain was time well spent.
John Summit
I don’t even know where to start with this one. This was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. My friends and I got there 45 minutes early to secure spots somewhat near the front, and it was so worth it. As soon as Summit entered the stage with strobe lights, lasers and an electrifying bass so strong I could feel it on the ground, I knew it was about to be one of the best concerts of my life. The crowd was one big mosh pit jumping along to all of his songs. Some of my favorites that he played were “Light Years,” “Focus” and an unreleased song called “Diet Coke.” But he didn’t stop there, he brought out Hayla as a special guest and performed “Where you are” and “Shiver,” which are 2 of his most popular songs. This was the last concert of the weekend and it was definitely the best in my opinion. As John Summit says, “I wanna go back.”
My top five
Overall, this was one of the best weekends of my life. ACL 2025 exceeded all my expectations and I had so much fun. After thinking long and hard, I was able to put together my top 5 favorite performances and here they are. I definitely recommend anyone who is considering attending to go.
John Summit
Empire of the Sun
Sammy Virji
Sabrina Carpenter
Disco Lines
