Austin Parks and Recreation (APR) has announced that the western section of the Great Lawn at Zilker Park, which closed for the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest), will reopen to the public on Saturday, October 31.

A City of Austin newletter lays out the changes to expect through the end of 2026. The western great lawn, which is vertically divided from the eastern side at the "island" of boulders in the center, will remain open throughout the holiday season. The volleyball courts, located in the western portion, will only be open from October 31 to November 16.

Stratford Drive, the road that divides the lawn from Zilker Botanical Garden, will remain open, as will the Stratford parking lot. Lou Neff Road, which loops around the majority of the lawn, will be closed through the holiday season to accommodate the annual Trail of Lights display.

Austinites are always eager to get back to Zilker Park after ACL Fest. This year, the anticipation — and for some, suspicion — was heightened as locals reflected on the rain that damaged turf under attendee's feet during the festival's first weekend. Muddy photos showed festival-goers having fun, while some locals looked on from home, worrying that the ground damage would significantly delay public access.

Many also worried about how much the lawn would cost to fix. However, contracts between APR and festival organizer C3 clearly stated that the parks director would determine what repairs were needed, and C3 would pay for them.

The city newsletter explained that recovery tasks performed by the APR Turf and Zilker Maintenance teams so far, along with C3 contractors, have included debris removal, lawn aeration, rye seed distribution, and more. The volleyball courts and areas south of Barton Springs Road also got special attention.

Even after a dry ACL Fest, APR does annual maintenance to clean up. That extends the time the Great Lawn is inaccessible after the festival itself ends, and public access is a compromise as Trail of Lights prepares to flip its switches. The team is now working on getting the holiday trail set up on the east side of the lawn. Various events related to the trail span December 4-23. More recovery work will follow the trail's closure.

Anyone can check for information about projects and closures across Austin's park system at austintexas.gov.