Beginning Oct. 4, music fans from all over Texas and the country will pour into Austin’s Zilker Park for the 21st time to revel in the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
As usual, a panoply of A-list artists will be spread across eight stages, three days and two weekends. The first weekend runs Oct. 4-6, and the second weekend runs Oct. 11-13. There are slight variations in the line-ups from the first to second weekends — for example, Kehlani is a Saturday headliner during weekend one, while you can only see Santigold on weekend two — but an abundance of great music no matter which weekend you visit.
(There are also plenty of North Texas-bred talents making the trip down I-35: Leon Bridges, Norah Jones, Mickey Guyton, Chaparelle and Cale Tyson will appear during one or both of the weekends of the 2024 ACL Music Festival.)
Whether you’re making the trip to Zilker Park or will be livestreaming the performances via Hulu, here are five can’t miss acts.
Chappell Roan (Oct. 6 and 13)
One of the unquestioned breakout stars of 2024 (her Lollapalooza set earlier this year broke festival attendance records), the Missouri-born singer-songwriter has exploded into the pop stratosphere on the strength of her 2023 full-length studio debut The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, a sharp, synth-pop departure from her more folk-inclined roots.
Khruangbin (Oct. 5 and 12)
This Houston-based trio — Laura Lee, Mark Speer and Donald “DJ” Johnson — remains one of the most captivating bands around, its psychedelic brand of rock like little else out there. Fresh off its fourth studio album, A La Sala, released earlier this year, expect an abundance of vibes during this performance.
Jungle (Oct. 5 and 12)
British trio Jungle has been a slow burn success over the last decade, finally cracking North America on the strength of hits like “Back on 74,” taken from its fourth full-length studio album, Volcano. Explosive and soulful, Jungle is an arresting live act, and one which should take Zilker Park by storm.
The Red Clay Strays (Oct. 6 and 13)
This country-rock quintet from Mobile, Alabama has stealthily become one of the buzzier bands in recent memory on the strength of viral tracks like “Wondering Why,” which blew up on TikTok last year. With that fresh burst of visibility, the Red Clay Strays released its sophomore album, the Dave Cobb-produced Made by These Moments this past July.
Dua Lipa (Oct. 5 and 12)
Despite her perch atop pop music, it still feels a bit like Dua Lipa is overlooked. Perhaps it’s the ease with which she deploys her sleek, disco-adjacent style — her latest studio album, Radical Optimism, continues the streak of hits she began a decade ago, on the strength of singles like “Houdini” and “Training Season.”
The 2024 Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park, Austin. Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 11-13. Tickets for both weekends are still available.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
