AUSTIN—Once again, Austin City Limits took over the city’s Zilker Park for two weekends, October 4-6 and October 11-13. More than 75,000 people attended the 18th iteration of the music festival, which was produced by C3 Presents, to catch performances from bands and acts such as Cardi B, Lizzo, Childish Gambino, Guns N Roses, and others.
Brands like Honda, T-Mobile, American Express, and more vied for the attention of the crowd, offered comforts like air-conditioning to beat the Texas heat and phone chargers, and created a splash with colorful Instagrammable installations. Here's a look at how new and returning brands and sponsors attracted and engaged ACL attendees.
American Express
American Express sponsored ACL for the third consecutive year.
Photo: Keenan Hairston
American Express
American Express returned to ACL with its two-floor lounge, produced by Live Nation. The ground floor featured a small juice bar from JuiceLand, a pop-up record shop from local business Waterloo Records, a musical stage photo op, airbrushed tattoos from local artist Michael Williams of Resurrection Tattoo, and more.
Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images for American Express
American Express
The second floor, which was accessible to American Express card members, featured a viewing deck of the headlining stage, an air-conditioned lounge with seating and phone chargers, a makeup refreshing station courtesy of Austin service Milk and Honey, and a bar.
Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images for American Express
Bai
Over in the festival’s V.I.P. section, beverage company Bai created a stylish lounge decorated with faux flower petals, a neon sign featuring the hashtag “FlavorLife,” and pastel-colored water bottles; it was designed and produced in house. Video opportunities included the Upside Down, which recorded guests as if they were on the ceiling of the lounge.
Photo: Courtesy of Bai
Bumble
Social networking app Bumble highlighted its Bumble BFF mode with the Find Your Festie lounge, produced with the company’s in-house team in collaboration with IMG Live. The lounge, which was located behind streamer doors, featured what the company dubbed as a space to “encourage safety, kindness, and connectivity,” with fun elements like neon signage and disco balls. The company made contributions to nonprofit organization Out Youth based on photos tagged with the #FindYourFestie hashtag.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
Campo Viejo
Spanish winery Campo Viejo, ACL’s official wine sponsor, built out a colorful outdoor lounge area that was decorated with bright streamers. It took inspiration from three elements: air, sea, and land (a.k.a. A.Sea.L), and included a swing photo op and neon butterfly wings (representing air), a sailboat (sea), and lawn games and the iconic Texas longhorn figure (land).
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
DoorDash
First-time ACL sponsor food delivery company DoorDash set up an open lounge in the middle of the festival’s food court. Guests were invited to spin a wheel for prizes ranging from swag to discounted food from partnering restaurants to wristband upgrades. The space, produced and designed by DoorDash in partnership with Austin-based production agency AvecMode, featured a living green wall and lounge seating.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
GT's Kombucha
Beverage company GT's Kombucha worked with production company Inject to create a South Asian-inspired lounge within the V.I.P. section. The bar served up several of the brand’s kombucha flavors, as well as a float made with vegan coconut milk-based ice cream. Plus, festivalgoers could score glitter makeup.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
Honda
The highlight of Honda and the Central Texas Honda Dealer Ad Association’s activation was its Seatbelt Forest, produced with experience marketing company George P. Johnson. People were encouraged to walk through 600 multi-colored dangling seatbelts to snag photos. On site were models of the auto company’s Civic Type R and Passport vehicles, which attendees could enter to win.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
Miller Lite
Stage sponsor Miller Lite brought back its porch-inspired bar setup, the Miller Lite Bar 75. The Austin iteration of the bar, which travels to music festivals around the U.S., featured its own mural design with a bat painted across 1,000 beer cans. That same design was printed on koozies, which guests could win through its branded Plinko game. The bar was produced by Kara Saarinen and Dayna Fields, with design by Patrick Finch and Gale Tan, and creative by David Butler.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
Monkey Shoulder Speakeasy
In the V.I.P. section of ACL, whiskey brand Monkey Shoulder created a speakeasy lounge, produced by Momentum Worldwide, the entrance of which was through the door of a “Port-a-Party.”
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
Monkey Shoulder Speakeasy
Guests could pose inside a cage with bent bars indicating an escape. Plus there was a furnished patio and bar in the branded speakeasy.
Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
T-Mobile
For T-Mobile’s first ACL sponsorship, the wireless service network spread out throughout the festival grounds with cell phone charging lockers. Plus, a pop-up shop featured products and services from the company.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
T-Mobile
The brand’s pink-and-white lounge, “Club Magenta,” produced by IMG Live, offered backstage access to its sponsored stage, which featured acts like RL Grime, Tierra Whack, and Duckwrth. The lounge included shaded seating, a bar, lawn games, and happy hour snacks, plus guests were able to create customizable pouches, designed by Family Industries.
Photo: Brittany NoFomo
Hendrick’s Gin
Outside the festival grounds, spirits company Hendrick’s Gin took to Republic Square Park (where ACL’s shuttles were located) for a large-scale installation, produced by Momentum Worldwide. The Fantastical Botanical from Austin artist Monique Capanelli was made up of a mish-mash of items, gears, florals, and greenery inspired by the quirky gin brand.
Photo: Leonid Furmansky
Tito’s
Austin-based distillery and ACL sponsor Tito’s Handmade Vodka built a party lounge in the middle of the festival grounds. Tito’s Party in the Shack, produced with Engine Shop, was made to look like the actual distillery, from the corrugated roof to the signage. Guests were able to win swag through a Plinko game and claw machine as well as score customizable tags for dogs.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
Uber Rewards
Access to the rideshare company's air-conditioned lounge, produced by Live Nation, was given to members participating in the benefits program. Colored wristbands were given out based on the attendees’ respective tiers: blue, gold, platinum, and diamond, which also determined the giveaways they received such as lip balm, sunglasses, bandanas, and hats. The lounge’s design stemmed from the program's branding, with its colored diamond motif featured on the bar as well as on the 180-degree gif booth.
Photo: Keenan Hairston
ACL Cares
A relatively newer component of music fest is ACL Cares, where nonprofit organizations are given space to engage with attendees. With the passing of Austin musician and artist Daniel Johnston earlier this year, the festival recreated his iconic “Hi, How Are You” mural with help from the nonprofit of the same name.
Photo: Katrina Barber
Bonus Tracks Stage
New this year was the festival’s Bonus Tracks stage, which hosted more intimate programming, such as a dance class, NPR interviews with performing artists like Jenny Lewis and Billie Eilish, conversations with Austin chefs like pitmaster Aaron Franklin, and breathing exercises led by Goop.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury for BizBash
