Offering a modern spin on the classic Italian-American supper club idea, Sophia’s opened its doors in downtown Austin in July. Its menu includes familiar Italian dishes like orecchiette tartufate with cremini mushrooms, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, black truffle cream, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and white truffle oil; whole roasted fish with lemon, fresh herbs, and breadcrumbs; and a spumoni bomb for dessert. The 3,700-square-foot restaurant includes a bar and lounge area, an open dining room with intimate dining coves, and an upstairs covered terrace, with seating for 100 indoors and 25 on the terrace.
Scheduled to open in August, the Residence Inn Austin Lake Austin/River Place will offer studios and one- and two-bedroom suites with separate living and sleeping areas. Along with fully equipped kitchens, the four-floor, 100-room property will provide complimentary grocery delivery service. Plus, the extended-stay hotel will offer one event room, measuring approximately 400 square feet and accommodating as many as 30 people.
The family-owned-and-operated Tiny Pies bakery recently expanded, opening a 1,000-square-foot South Lamar location in April. Larger than the original Burnet spot, the new space offers bench seating for as many as seven people, as well as a large refrigerated case stuffed with goodies, including individually-wrapped three-inch pies, Mason jar pies, and pie pops. The savory and sweet treats are made from scratch daily with locally sourced ingredients. In addition, the bakery also offers catering, customized corporate gifts, and pie case display rentals.
Located in downtown Austin, the Statesman Skyline Theater at the Long Center features a panoramic view of the city’s skyline, with standing capacity for 7,000. Opened in June, the venue also offers a terrace, which is adjacent to and overlooks the lawn and stage areas; it can be set up to hold a food court, full bar, and sponsor activations. In addition, the theater’s V.I.P. passes include access to an air-conditioned indoor lounge.
Founded by brothers Jon and Adam Schlegel in Denver, Snooze recently added two new locations in the North and South Lamar neighborhoods of Austin. The eatery specializes in hearty breakfast grub like pineapple upside-down pancakes, chilaquiles with roasted poblano hollandaise, and an egg sandwich on a pretzel roll. Plus, 1 percent of sales from each location is donated to the local community through goods and services. The North Lamar spot, which opened in June, boasts 3,935 square feet and a 174-person seating capacity, while the South Lamar location, which opened in May, measures 3,900 square feet and seats 186.
Michael Icenhauer, owner of the popular Rainey Street bar Icenhauer's, plans to open a second bar and lounge called Sellers in September. The one-story, 5,800-square-foot cocktail lounge, located in the Warehouse District, will hold as many as 250 people and offer lounge seating, along with a private event space. The new venue will have the underground feel of a 1970s basement lounge with velvet, brass, and wood details.
Opened in June, contemporary Italian restaurant L'Oca d'Oro has an open kitchen with a six-foot wood-burning grill and a family-style menu that includes house-made pasta, pork shank, fried rabbit, and roasted carrots with pistachio butter and honey. The 2,900-square-foot, 120-seat space also boasts two private dining rooms: the pasta room, where diners sit around a butcher-block table, and the prima room with a 10-person, U-shaped banquette. Design highlights include a barrel-vaulted ceiling, hanging greenery, sky blue and gold-plastered walls, and antique mirrors in the dining room.
Opened in May, Austin’s new music venue and event space Grizzly Hall features a rustic log cabin vibe, with lots of reclaimed wood and taxidermy. The 6,396-square-foot space, which was a former sports bar, holds 500 people and includes a new sound system, full-service bar, and a balcony to view the stage. In addition to musical performances, Grizzly Hall will host comedy, art exhibits, and film events.
In July, Austin-based La Corsha Hospitality Group opened Boiler Nine Bar & Grill, a 10,000-square-foot, four-story restaurant located in the historic Seaholm Power Plant. The space includes three distinct areas: the main restaurant with an open kitchen and a wood-fired grill that offers seasonal small plates; a rooftop bar with picnic-style tables; and a subterranean drinking den, located on the lowest level and serving cocktails from the ‘60s and ‘70s. The venue’s design preserves the bones of the power plant, including the original beams, which are complemented by custom-made steel and wood tables and floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The main restaurant seats 125, while the basement and rooftop bars each hold 80.
Slated to open in September, the Archer Hotel Austin, a luxury boutique hotel within the Domain Northside community, will have many nods to its home state, including distinct Austin murals in the guest rooms and locally produced snacks. The 171-room, eight-story property will boast over 6,600 square feet of indoor meeting space, 2,400 square feet of pre-function space, and nearly 2,500 square feet of outdoor space on the second-floor terrace. Five meeting rooms and two breakout rooms can accommodate groups of as many as 300 people. In addition, there is a boardroom that will seat as many as 10. The event space will offer dinner seating for as many as 350 people.
About 75,000 fans flocked to Zilker Park daily to see headlining acts such as Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, and LCD Soundsystem.
Within the Artists Village, clothing company Aviator Nation built a teepee for its pop-up shop. Inside, guests could buy specially branded ACL apparel—including trucker caps, T-shirts, and tank tops—at a discounted rate, or decide to play one of several instruments for an impromptu musical session.
New to this year’s festival grounds were the ACL Bodegas, convenience stores of sorts that sold fruits, snacks, and other essentials from $2 to $5.
As part of the vacation rental company’s backstage area, HomeAway used furniture from West Elm to create a lounge for those wishing to relax while watching the concerts. Scattered around the space were signs directing guests to specific rentals though the website.
Austin Tiny Homes built a custom house in the area that guests could explore. People were encouraged to take a nap in the lofted bedroom, which had mattresses and bedding provided by Casper.
To help the home improvement company appeal to a younger generation, Lowe's open-air lounge offered cozy seating, shade, and Wi-Fi to festivalgoers. Guests and the artists who performed acoustic sets within the space were encouraged to sign the giant Texas Star, which will be on display at Lowe’s headquarters in North Carolina.
Mixing music and home improvement, Lowe’s also created a paint drum station. As visitors struck each drum, different colored paints splashed up within giant tubes. The harder they hit, the higher the paint would jump. Guests could also pose with instruments for 180-degree gifs.
Miller Lite offered a game hall with shade to guests. For fun, there were branded games from arcade video games to foosball, all free to play. The centerpiece of the Miller Lite’s hall was the giant ACL mural made up of the beer cans. MAC Presents produced the activation.
Guests also scribbled their theme song picks onto a wall. Keeping guest comfort in mind, tables at the activation had a condiment-holder filled with an array of sunscreen lotions and sprays.
Samsung's public lounge, #GalaxyLife, showcased its products and offered a vending machine accessible through the company’s phones. Throughout the festival grounds were Samsung’s wireless charging stations.
Within the separate Samsung Lounge, available to Samsung-owners who waited for wristbands, guests were able to experience the sensation of riding Six Flags’ Magic Mountain roller coaster with its special virtual-reality product using Oculus Rift. Users sat in chairs that moved and vibrated during the ride. For those not attending the festival, Samsung also partnered with Red Bull TV to offer essentially a live stream virtual-reality experience of select concerts using the energy drink brand’s live broadcast combined with Samsung Gear powered by Oculus. Users were able to immerse themselves in the show with a 360-degree experience with their phones and the app.
Guests also posed in the lounge’s photo booth using Samsung's Gear 360 camera inside a festive reflective space.
State Farm’s #HeretoHelp lounge offered attendees a place to cool down in an air-conditioned area with comfortable seats and televisions screening the live stages. Guests could scan their festival wristbands for giveaways.
Outside the State Farm lounge were free lockers for people to place items for safekeeping. Additionally, the insurance company encouraged guest to use the hashtag for lost or found items and general help.
Lines were very long for Tito’s Plinko board, where people contended to win potential prizes like coveted fanny packs, book bags, and bandanas.
Next door, people were able to pose with the local vodka company’s version of Austin’s iconic mural, “I Love You So Much.” Tito’s will donate $1 to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals with every photo published on social media using the hashtag “lovetitos.”
Since Lyft and Uber left Austin earlier this year, Honda partnered with the new personal driving app Ride Austin to offer free rides to festivalgoers. Participants were able to open the app on their phone and select the Hail-a-Honda option. The CR-Vs came from the Central Texas Honda dealerships, and were outfitted with bandanas and water for riders.
New to this year’s festival was the dedicated wine-on-tap bar featuring local wineries. To honor the fresh selections, one of those wineries, Troublemaker, created a giant wine bottle version of a mechanical bull dubbed the Trubull. Participants could sit on the bottle and pose for photos.
