ACL Festival 2026 Lineup & Dates: Full Schedule, Headliners, and Weekend-by-Weekend Guide?

If you've been searching "ACL Fest 2026 lineup," "Austin City Limits 2026 dates," or "ACL Festival tickets 2026," you're in the right place. This guide covers everything — official dates, confirmed headliners, weekend-by-weekend breakdowns, ticket tiers and pricing, streaming details, and first-timer tips — so you can plan your Zilker Park trip without digging through a dozen tabs.

When Is ACL Festival 2026? (Official Dates)

Austin City Limits Music Festival returns to Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, across two back-to-back three-day weekends: October 2–4 and October 9–11. This marks the festival's 25th anniversary, a milestone that adds extra weight to an already stacked 2026 lineup.

The two-weekend format means every artist typically performs the same set on both weekends, giving fans two separate chances to attend — a structure ACL popularized alongside Coachella. If you can only make one, the lineups are nearly identical, though a handful of acts are exclusive to a single weekend (more on that below).

Quick facts:

• Location: Zilker Park, Austin, TX
• Weekend One: October 2–4, 2026 (Fri–Sun)
• Weekend Two: October 9–11, 2026 (Fri–Sun)
• Edition: 25th anniversary festival

ACL Festival 2026 Headliners

The top-line headliners confirmed for 2026 are Charli XCX, Rufus Du Sol, Twenty One Pilots, Lorde, Skrillex, Kings of Leon, and The xx. Two of these acts are weekend-exclusive: Skrillex is playing Weekend One only, while Kings of Leon is headlining Weekend Two only — so if either of those names is your must-see, mark your weekend accordingly.

This lineup spans a wide range of genres — pop, electronic, alt-rock, indie, and hip-hop-adjacent sounds — which is exactly the kind of eclectic booking ACL has built its identity on over 25 years.

Full ACL Fest 2026 Lineup (Both Weekends)

Beyond the headliners, the broader 2026 bill includes a deep mix of buzzy and established acts performing across both weekends: Turnstile, Lola Young, Geese, Bleachers, The War on Drugs, Blood Orange, Lykke Li, Amyl and the Sniffers, Audrey Hobert, Fcukers, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and CMAT, among many others.

Additional confirmed names announced alongside the headliners include Labrinth, Leon Thomas, The Chainsmokers, and Natasha Bedingfield — a strong showing for both electronic-pop and R&B-leaning fans.

Weekend One Exclusive Artists

A few acts are only performing during the first weekend: Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Underscores, Rebecca Black, and Hunx and his Punx are among the Weekend One-only performers, alongside Skrillex.

Weekend Two Exclusive Artists

On the flip side, Weekend Two gets its own exclusive names, including S.G. Goodman, alongside headliner Kings of Leon.

Tip for search-intent planning: If you're deciding "should I go Weekend One or Weekend Two ACL 2026," the honest answer is that both weekends deliver nearly the same overall experience — but Weekend One leans slightly more toward Skrillex/electronic energy, while Weekend Two carries a rockier edge with Kings of Leon closing things out.

ACL Fest 2026 Lineup by Day

ACL also released its lineup broken down by day — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — for both October 2–4 and October 9–11, which is especially useful if you're buying single-day tickets rather than a full three-day pass. This day-by-day release lets fans build a personalized schedule around specific headliners and mid-tier acts they don't want to miss, rather than committing to an entire weekend blind.

If your goal is to catch one specific headliner — say, Charli XCX or Lorde — checking the daily breakdown before buying is the smartest way to avoid overpaying for days you won't fully use.

ACL Festival 2026 Tickets: Types & Pricing

ACL Fest offers a tiered ticketing system, and 2026 introduces a new option alongside the returning tiers. The festival's ticketing lineup for 2026 includes GA, GA+, VIP, Platinum, Bungalows, and the newly announced Speakeasy Lounge, on top of standard General Admission.

Based on presale pricing, here's what fans have been paying to secure a spot:

Kids policy: Children 8 and under get in free with a ticketed adult for standard access.

Good cause note: A meaningful portion of every ticket purchase supports Austin's green spaces — since 2006, ACL Fest and the Austin Parks Foundation have generated more than $79 million for Zilker Park and other public parks across Austin.

Single-day tickets are also now available across GA, VIP, Platinum, and Bungalow categories, letting fans build a schedule around specific artists without committing to a full three-day pass.

How to Watch ACL Festival 2026 From Home

Can't make it to Austin? You're not entirely out of luck. Disney+ and Hulu will serve as the official streaming destinations for ACL Fest 2026, offering select live performances, interviews, and more from October 2–4 (Weekend One), with a full broadcast schedule expected to be announced closer to the event.

This is a great option if you're weighing "ACL Fest tickets vs. livestream" — you'll miss the in-person energy, but you'll still catch marquee sets from the comfort of home.

A Quick History of ACL Festival

Understanding ACL's roots helps explain why the 25th anniversary lineup matters so much. The festival launched in 2002 as a one-weekend event, and a one-day pass originally cost just $25. As demand grew, the festival expanded into two three-day weekends, and ticketing evolved dramatically — tiered options like GA+ were introduced in 2019, eventually growing into the five-tier luxury system fans see today.

That evolution — from a modest single weekend to one of America's biggest music festivals — is part of why ACL 2026 carries "25th anniversary" branding and an especially ambitious lineup.

Planning Your ACL Fest Trip: Practical Tips

A few things worth knowing before you book:

1. Book accommodation early. Zilker Park sits close to downtown Austin, and hotel rates spike hard during both festival weekends.
2. Pick your weekend based on exclusives. If Skrillex or Kings of Leon is a must-see, that decision alone should determine which weekend you attend.
3. Layaway plans exist. For fans budgeting ahead, layaway options are typically available, starting around $20–25 per ticket for GA-tier passes.
4. Texas heat is real in early October. Hydration, sun protection, and comfortable footwear matter more than festival fashion.
5. Weekday travelers, plan around coursework. If you're a student squeezing a festival trip into a busy semester, block out study time before you leave — assignments don't pause for headliners. Resources like EssayCorp can help you get ahead on essays or assignments due around festival season, so you're not scrambling to catch up when you get back.

That last point matters more than people admit. A three-day festival plus travel time can eat a full week of study bandwidth. Students juggling deadlines around concert season often benefit from planning coursework support in advance — whether that's outlining an essay before you leave or lining up help with a time-sensitive assignment through a service like EssayCorp's academic writing support, so festival weekends don't turn into all-nighters the moment you're back on campus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are the official ACL Festival 2026 dates?

ACL Festival 2026 runs across two weekends: October 2–4 and October 9–11, at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas.

Q. Who are the headliners at ACL Fest 2026?

The confirmed headliners are Charli XCX, Rufus Du Sol, Twenty One Pilots, Lorde, Skrillex (Weekend One only), Kings of Leon (Weekend Two only), and The xx.

Q. Is the lineup the same for both ACL weekends?

Mostly, yes. Most artists perform on both weekends, but a small number are exclusive — for example, Skrillex, Brandon Flowers, Underscores, Rebecca Black, and Hunx and his Punx play Weekend One only, while Kings of Leon and S.G. Goodman are Weekend Two exclusives.

Q. How much do ACL Festival 2026 tickets cost?

Prices vary widely by tier: 3-day GA starts around $325, GA+ around $700, VIP around $1,670, and Platinum around $5,670, with luxury options like Bungalows starting at $30,000 for a 10-guest package.

Q. Can I watch ACL Fest 2026 online if I can't attend in person?

Yes — Disney+ and Hulu are the official streaming partners for the festival, airing select performances and interviews during Weekend One (October 2–4).