SAFETY FIRST

ACL Music Fest updates safety protocols and requires masks in certain areas

ACL skyline Austin Zilker Park Austin City Limits Music Fest

Stay safe out there, y'all!

Photo by Daniel Cavazos

Amid swirling concerns about COVID-19 — and mere days before it kicks off — Austin City Limits Music Festival has updated its safety protocols for the 2021 event, which will now require masks in certain festival spots, including the many packed areas closest to the stages.

ACL Fest announced Tuesday, September 21 that following a review and approval by Austin Public Health, the event is adding a mask requirement to its COVID-related health and safety policy.

In August, the festival revealed its Fan Health Pledge and 2021 safety protocol, which noted that the event would require attendees to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result obtained within 72 hours of the fest.

However, questions arose about whether those protocols went far enough amid Austin’s current Stage 5 risk level and, more specifically, whether the safety guidelines met the City of Austin’s standards for large-scale events.

At issue was the city’s safety specifications for events like ACL Fest, as managed by the Austin Center for Events. In late August, the city released info on its guidelines for large events on city property or parkland, noting that outdoor events with 2,500 people or more (a scant fraction of those expected to attend ACL Fest at Zilker Park) must screen attendees prior to entering the event, and require proof of a negative COVID test obtained within 72 hours of entry.

While ACL Fest’s previously announced safety protocols met the bulk of those standards, the screening element — added in lieu of the city being able to require all attendees to be vaccinated — caused concern, particularly since such a massive undertaking like testing all attendees at festival entrances is hardly feasible. Yet, the city’s guidelines remained unclear on whether proof of vaccination could be supplied in place of a negative test.

Those special-events guidelines were updated Monday, September 20, with language indicating enhanced mitigation criteria that would include event organizers being required to:

Conduct screening of all attendees including but not limited to requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of entering an event.
Develop strategies that enable attendees to maintain at least 6 feet of social distancing.
Include “mask zones” in outdoor event areas where social distancing is not possible, with masks being required at all City of Austin or Travis County facilities.

ACL Fest followed suit, releasing its updated protocols for the October event within hours of the city’s update, and including specific masking requirements.

“As required by City of Austin Order 20210811-033, masks will be required in areas of Zilker Park where it is difficult to maintain social distancing, including on festival shuttle buses, entrance lines, areas closest to the stages, and in the limited indoor areas at the festival, including our onsite merchandise store,” ACL Fest says via a release. “Free masks will be available at each entry gate.”

As they currently stand, these are the safety protocols for ACL Music Festival 2021:

A printed copy of a negative COVID-19 test result will be required to attend the festival. The negative COVID-19 printed test result must be obtained within 72 hours of entering ACL Festival.
Patrons who are fully vaccinated may show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination instead of proof of negative test. Patrons showing proof of vaccine do not need to be tested to enter ACL Festival. “Fully vaccinated” means it has been at least 14 days since a person has received the second shot of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccination or single shot of the J&J vaccination. Vaccination will not be required to attend ACL Festival.

Festival organizers remain steadfast in regard to their entry procedures for all attendees, which include:

Complying with the ACL Festival Fan Health Pledge.
Bringing a printed copy of a personal negative COVID-19 test, vaccine card, or vaccine record to the festival each day.
Bringing a festival wristband.
Bringing clear bags only and not bringing any liquids.

And in compliance with its Fan Health Pledge, ACL Fest organizers ask attendees to not attend if they or anyone in their party has tested positive for COVID-19 — or been exposed to anyone who has tested positive — within 14 days of attending the festival, or if attendees experience any signs of COVID-19 within 48 of attending the festival, or if attendees have traveled to any international territory identified by federal or applicable state or local governments as being subject to travel or quarantine advisories due to COVID-19.

There’s no word on ACL Fest providing refunds to any ticket holders who can’t attend based on these safety protocols.

ACL Fest notes these safety policies are subject to change, in accordance with health guidelines and changing circumstances, and plans to have even more hand-sanitizer stations onsite and will have crews frequently cleaning in high-touch areas.

Fans can get the most up-to-date information on the ACL Festival website and social media channels.

music austin-city-limits festivals concerts health

High Score

Austin named the nation's pickleball capital in industry report

Photo by Henry Selis Photo

Other Racquet Social Club is back after city woes.

It's no secret that Austinites love pickleball. A new study proves just how much by ranking Austin the No. 1 city for pickleball in the whole country. Dallas and Houston also made the top 10 at Nos. 3 and 8, respectively.

The report was published by TeachMe.To, an online marketplace for learning sports (and sometimes music) from private instructors. It used data from its own platform, USA Pickleball, Places2Play, local pickleball associations, and more. It also referred to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), which named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America, with a growth rate of 223.5 percent over three years.

Similarly, TeachMe.To ranked Austin as the fastest-growing city for pickleball, and citing this as the main reason for the overall title of "the nation's pickleball capital."

It name-checked the Austin Metro Pickleball Association (AMPA) — with approximately 3,000-3,500 members — and the Austin Pickleball League (APL), estimating that overall, "15,000-20,000 people play pickleball at least occasionally in the greater Austin area." About half of those players — about 8,000-10,000 people — play at least twice a month.

The report did not include gender data on Austin, specifically, but it did note that not only are two-thirds of pickleball players female; women's involvement in the sport is also growing 50 percent faster than men's.

New courts everywhere
This probably isn't a surprise to people who have noticed the number of courts opened around Austin in recent years. By 2024, TeachMe.To's data shows 32 dedicated courts in Austin, and thanks to with a utility rate of 92 percent it doesn't look like that'll be slowing down.

In the summer of 2023, the online booking platform Swimply noticed how many pickleball courts there were in Austin compared to such great demand, and added courts to its service. In fall 2023 and summer 2024, at least two important developments expanded that availability: Other Racquet Social Club opened as a friendly, country club-like neighborhood option, and national chain The Picklr announced it's bringing five locations to Austin and Round Rock.

Perhaps because Austin is such a food-obsessed city, there seems to be some growing opportunity for food and beverage hospitality around pickleball, too. Other Racquet recently started hosting the Bill's Dips food truck, a spinoff of the popular downtown restaurant Bill's Oyster; and a pair of bars with pickleball courts, Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails and The Pickle Pub, also opened in South Austin this year, with strong online ratings already.

The trend has even reached into real estate (see this cute house with its own pickleball court) and inspired athletes to introduce similar sports to the local market, as in the case of the padel club Paddle39. TeachMe.To's report also mentioned tech companies adding pickleball to their campuses.

Aside from growth, the study also considered lesson activity (including information about teacher availability and diversity of clinic offerings), infrastructure, community vitality, the tournament scene.

Austin had the highest concentration of all the cities of players under 40 (65 percent), as well as the highest share of national lesson bookings. At 16.90 percent, that means about one in six of the pickleball lessons contracted through this platform were in Austin. Lesson demand, the report says, is growing 125 percent year-over-year.

Elsewhere in Texas
Dallas was No. 3 thanks in part to its "central location" according to the report.

"The city's 45 dedicated courts and 85 [percent] public accessibility rate have fostered one of the most active competitive scenes in the country, with 8,500 registered league players," it says. "The combination of strong tournament presence, extensive infrastructure, and a 112% growth in lesson bookings solidifies Dallas as a powerhouse in the national pickleball landscape."

Houston made No. 8 with an emphasis on integrating pickleball with other sports.

"The city's 22 dedicated courts have seen a 92% increase in lesson bookings, driven by innovative programming that includes the nation's first corporate league system," it says. "Houston's success in integrating pickleball into existing sports infrastructure while maintaining 72% year-round utilization demonstrates a sustainable model for rapid growth."

Overall predictions
After laying out data about the top cities in pickleball, the report made some predictions. As the Austin newcomer mentioned above believes, the report also thinks padel is the next big thing. It also guesses more cities will act like Houston by focusing on hybrid facilities.

It also expects to see an expanded professional circuit and mainstream coverage, more technology used on the court, a rise in the prevalence of young players, and more opportunities in corporate wellness and real estate. "Dedicated pickleball facilities will become as common as swimming pools in luxury developments," it says. Texans will be the judge of that one.

pickleball lists

SAFETY FIRST

ACL Music Fest updates safety protocols and requires masks in certain areas

High Score

Austin named the nation's pickleball capital in industry report

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