The Big Picture
Leaves are turning but the Great Lawn at Zilker Park is taking a sabbatical for scaffolding: Austin Parks says the lawn closes Sept. 22 so crews can build for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. The closures are specific to the Great Lawn; the city warns that buildout and festival weekends will also affect nearby streets and parking lots.
That means your picnic spot, frisbee plans or sunbathing ambitions on the lawn need to be rerouted for the next few weeks while the festival moves in.
What's Next
The ACL Festival runs two weekends, Oct. 2–4 and Oct. 9–11, and the city says the Great Lawn will reopen in mid‑October. Barton Springs Pool, the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, Barton Creek Greenbelt, and Zilker’s disc golf course and playscape remain open before and during the festival. The city also flagged that many streets and parking lots could be affected during buildout and event weekends; major road closures will occur during the festival.
Go if you want the music and don’t need a blanket on the lawn; otherwise, bring your picnic game to a different patch of grass until mid‑October when the lawn returns from festival duty.