Hoping to get famous isn't the only way into a career in the music industry. For the first time, as the Austin City Limits Music Festival looms, it is preceded by the ACL Fest Job Fair. Local students interested in working at the festival in the summer and fall can get more information — and hopefully meet the right people — June 29 at Austin Community College, Highland Campus (ACC).

Organized by ACC and C3 Presents, the main organizer of the festival each year, this job fair intends to "highlight pathways to the live music entertainment industry," and reaches beyond the festival's usual annual crop of trash collectors and other volunteers. (This is many attendees' ticket into the festival, in lieu of purchasing one.)

Instead, representatives are visiting from sources outside of ACL. One category is C3 Presents vendors, who organize a multitude of local festivals including Austin Food + Wine, Two Step Inn, and Besame Mucho — the latter two being relatively new efforts with a different tone than the massive, long-established ACL Fest. The other is completely external to C3, like venues (including) Stubbs and Moody Center, plus other hospitality, security, and entertainment media companies.

Despite the fun industry, this will be a standard career fair with booths for each vendor. Things may get a bit more exciting with career workshops and a panel combining the insights of professionals in production, marketing, artist relations, talent booking, and finance.

The event is mostly geared toward ACC students, but attendees do not need to be enrolled at ACC. In fact, the event is completely open to the public, so not being enrolled in any college might even be an advantage in standing out — although the general content may be less useful.

“ACC is a phenomenal resource in our community and offers several programs connected to our work in the music business,” said C3 Presents COO Emmett Beliveau in a press release. “We’re excited to offer this opportunity to students from across Austin to connect with our growing industry, and to discover new talented individuals to add to our live event teams.”

C3 Presents has some experience hosting job fairs, but this is its first in Austin. Since 2022 it has held fairs for the Lollapalooza and Sueños music festivals. In 2024, a survey found that "over 30 [percent] of respondents were hired or secured an interview during the event and 76 [percent] had initiated the application process with vendors during the event."

In addition to escaping the norm of submitting a faceless, mostly personality-free résumé, job fairs can also be helpful in gauging interest in a company beyond the way it usually presents to the public. People will be there to answer questions about the work, and it may make it easier to compare the available jobs without getting confused by endless online searches and open tabs.

“Sometimes all it takes is a conversation to get a foot in the door," said ACC Career Services director Trish Welch. "This event highlights the value of community partnerships in creating opportunities for our talented students and job seekers."

Register for the ACL Fest Job Fair for free on Eventbrite.