Bates Recital Hall
Date For ACL Too Likely To Be Hot
RECEIVED Wed., Feb. 23, 2011
Dear Editor,
Austin City Limits Music Festival ticket sales are fast approaching. I have enjoyed listening to both internationally known and local Austin musicians perform for the past three years. However, I will not be attending this year’s music festival due to the date change from mid-October to September 16-18. As an Austin native, I know how excruciatingly high the temperatures climb in early September. I will be saving my $200 and purchasing aftershow tickets at local clubs to escape the heat.
Zilker Park is one of the wonderful jewels in the greater Austin area. But with 65,000 people trampling the dry grass over the three days, it becomes a dust bowl. Also there is limited shade in the section of the park where ACL is held. Sunburns, heatstroke, and dehydration are common among participants. Since average temperatures in mid-September are 10 degrees hotter than those in mid-October, festival personnel can expect an exponential increase in these maladies this fall.
This past fall, in 2010, the festival producers finally got the weekend right. Mid-October is the perfect time to enjoy an outdoor festival in Central Texas. The risk of rain is less, the temperatures have moderated, and it is a perfect way to celebrate the first days of fall. By mid-October, the grass has had a chance to recover from the devastating summer heat and is better able to withstand the large crowd, making for a lush carpet in the spring. I will consider attending the 2012 festival if the promoters stay true to their promise of returning ACL to mid-October.
Austin City Limits Music Festival ticket sales are fast approaching. I have enjoyed listening to both internationally known and local Austin musicians perform for the past three years. However, I will not be attending this year’s music festival due to the date change from mid-October to September 16-18. As an Austin native, I know how excruciatingly high the temperatures climb in early September. I will be saving my $200 and purchasing aftershow tickets at local clubs to escape the heat.
Zilker Park is one of the wonderful jewels in the greater Austin area. But with 65,000 people trampling the dry grass over the three days, it becomes a dust bowl. Also there is limited shade in the section of the park where ACL is held. Sunburns, heatstroke, and dehydration are common among participants. Since average temperatures in mid-September are 10 degrees hotter than those in mid-October, festival personnel can expect an exponential increase in these maladies this fall.
This past fall, in 2010, the festival producers finally got the weekend right. Mid-October is the perfect time to enjoy an outdoor festival in Central Texas. The risk of rain is less, the temperatures have moderated, and it is a perfect way to celebrate the first days of fall. By mid-October, the grass has had a chance to recover from the devastating summer heat and is better able to withstand the large crowd, making for a lush carpet in the spring. I will consider attending the 2012 festival if the promoters stay true to their promise of returning ACL to mid-October.
Charlotte Ruhl
