This year, APF is expanding its role at the fest by leading volunteer operations with Austin City Limits Music Festival’s signature greening programs for both weekends of the festival this year on October 7-9 and 14-16. This is the fifth year APF has managed programs Rock & Recycle and Divert It!, and the second year managing the water refill stations.
Rock & Recycle encourages festival attendees to pick up a bag of recyclables from the grounds in exchange for a specially designed ACL Fest lineup tee. Divert It! enlists volunteers to encourage and educate fans by helping them compost, recycle and send less waste to landfills. Hydration stations encourage ACL Fest fans to bring a reusable water bottle to reduce waste.
“We are incredibly excited to be back on the festival grounds as a leader in several sustainable practices that make a significant impact on keeping our green spaces beautiful and clean,” said Colin Wallis, CEO of Austin Parks Foundation.
In addition, we are continuing our celebration of Austin Park Foundation’s 30th anniversary by inviting festival attendees to stop by the APF booth and lounge where they can learn about our mission and how to support Austin’s 300+ parks. We are grateful to all the volunteers that continue to support APF and do their part while watching some of the best live music our city has to offer.
With hundreds of volunteer spots to fill, backup volunteers are always welcome to apply. Beyond these programs, attendees contribute to Austin’s green spaces by purchasing a ticket with a portion of every ticket sold supporting the Austin parks system. APF and ACL Fest’s signature greening programs are setting the bar for festival sustainability efforts across the globe.
Photo: Katrina Barber
Party with a purpose
As the festival’s main beneficiary, in 2021, ACL Fest generated $6.7 million towards Austin park improvements. Over the last 17 years, ACL Fest’s partnership with APF has provided nearly $50 million to Austin’s public park system. The festival has allowed APF to make necessary improvements at parks, pools, recreation centers, trails and greenbelts in every area of the city. Through this partnership, significant investments have been made to beloved spaces in the city, including major renovations at Auditorium Shores, continued care of Zilker Park, the complete renovation of Republic Square, supplemental funding for construction of Alliance Children’s Garden and most recently $950,000 for the playground renovation, field improvements and ball field lighting at Govalle Neighborhood Park.
For more information on APF’s programs during Austin City Limits Music Festival 2022, visit austinparks.org/acl-music-festival/