City of Austin’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HSEM) collaborates with other departments as part of the Austin Center for Events as well as outside organizations to provide planning, staffing, and communications assistance for special events. HSEM works behind the scenes to keep Austinites and visitors to our city safe at major events like Austin City Limits Music Festival, SXSW, Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix, University of Texas football games, and more.

For multi-day major special events, HSEM coordinates staffing at the emergency operations center and on-site at event operations centers as well as coordinates radio programs for communications among staff and emergency personnel during events.

Austin HSEM is proud to provide these services that protect our community at events that make Austin such a lively and unique city to live, visit, and play.

Austin City Limits Music Festival

Every year the Austin City Limits Music Festival brings a diverse group of artists to perform across nine stages at Zilker Park for two weekends full of music. This event is just one of the many reasons Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World. 

With so many concert goers on the lawn at Zilker safety is at the top of mind for HSEM and all our safety and emergency partners throughout the event. Ways you can keep yourself and your party safe during ACL are:

  • follow the buddy system and never going anywhere alone,
  • stay hydrated and don't overconsume alcoholic beverages,
  • apply and re-apply sunscreen even on cloudy days,
  • keep lists of your emergency contacts, allergies, and medications on you in case of an emergency.

Our friends from C3 Events have their own ACL Music Festival Safety Tips with more details specific to the event and services available on-site to keep you safe. Please review their tips before attending the festival.

General Major Event Safety Tips

It's important to have a plan when attending a large event and be aware of any special policies or practices at the venue. Does the venue have a clear bag policy? Is there a special drop-off or pick-up area for ride share services like Uber, Lyft, or taxis? Where are ADA entrances, exits, and parking? These are just a few things to consider before heading to your event for a good time.

Here are a few venues in Austin that may have policies to review before arriving: