Lola Young

Except where noted All Photos © Steve Galli for Full Access Magazine

Story by Chloe Catajan for Full Access Magazine

The biggest surprise guest at Weekend One of Austin City Limits Festival did not involve a celebrity sighting nor a crossover of popstars. Sure, Charli xcx inviting Troye Sivan onstage was a worthy contender, while hopes of a Robert Pattinson or an Addison Rae spotting kept fans on their toes. But the headlines, reels, and recaps all led back to one notable appearance: the mud’s.

Heavy rain brought muddy conditions to Zilker Park throughout the first weekend of the festival. The Great Lawn became a sludge fest where tens of thousands of attendees sploshed their way between sets and stages. Saturday’s start was even delayed by two hours as crews worked to improve the state of the grounds.

Despite the inevitable mess, the show went on with a “when-life-hands-you-lemons” approach. The people of ACL, from C3 Presents to the music fans, made the most of the situation. Though not as sweet as lemonade, the mud brought some of the weekend’s most memorable moments, which were refreshing in their own special way.

Ponchos and rainboots were the unofficial uniform worn readily by attendees. Muddy mosh pits of joy formed during Turnstile’s set. Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots even smeared mud all over his shirt after leaping into the center barricade.

The same spirit applied to photographer Steve Galli, who managed to catch 43 sets amid the mud and the music. See highlights from the 25th anniversary of the festival below.

A bit of everything on Day One

Day One offered a little something for a variety of taste profiles. Izzy Escobar and Leon Thomas delivered soulful performances, Marlon Funaki and Grocery Bag served up psychedelic flavors from, and CMAT and Paris Paloma brought their brand of country and folk.

Pop music had a moment, too, proving to be alive and well and reinvented into multiple new forms. Rusowsky brought bedroom pop to an avant-garde scale, while Molly Santana’s pop-rap set was a magnetic force.

Rebecca Black kicked off the weekend’s first taste of hyperpop. She danced and delivered vocals up to pop diva caliber, mostly with songs off 2026’s Age of the Exhibitionist. It was one of the few performances that felt complementary to Charli xcx’s and Skrillex’s sets later in the day, all of which leaned into the energy of industrial dance clubs.

Snow Strippers and Underscores, who played Saturday and Sunday respectively, would have been great fits for this day, too. But a microdose of electronic bangers each day sufficed.

Finally, the main stage had a notable range of acts, starting with Asleep at the Wheel’s yearly tradition of kicking off ACL with Western swing music. New Constellations followed with dreamy synthpop, and then Jesse Welles with some Americana. Turnstile brought hardcore to the big stage, followed by Skrillex closing the night.

charli xcx photo by Henry Redcliffe

CMAT

Paris Paloma

Jesse Welles

Izzy Escobar

Leon Thomas

Marlon Funaki

Grocery Bag

Rusowsky

Rebecca Black

Skrillex by Roger Ho for Austin City Limits Music Festival

Snow Strippers

Asleep at the Wheel

New Constellations

TURNSTILE

Molly Santana

A Day Two in bloom

Day Two felt a bit like a coming-of-age moment, and it wasn’t entirely due to overcoming the muddy hurdles. Performances from Lorde and Bleachers played back cathartic anthems for all former Tumblr kids and their successors of the next generations.

A handful of younger artists are starting to get their flowers, too, taking over festival stages left and right. Lola Young has made a strong return to live music, and her set at the American Express Stage only doubled down on that. Annie DiRusso, Finn Wolfhard, and Young Miko graced the same stage with excellent performances.

Indie rock band Balu Brigada has also been a force this festival season, delivering feel-good nu-disco grooves.

Sets at the Snapchat Stage proved that anything can be a dancefloor—even mud. Rochelle Jordan, Skye Newman, It’s Murph, and Lykke Li were nothing but pop sensations.

Other highlights included dreamy vibes from Night Tapes, Ryan Beatty, and Temper City; good beats from Levity; classic Americana from Emma Ogier and Coleman Jennings; and heavy riffs from Arcy Drive and Fai Laci.

Lorde photo by Ashley Osborn for Austin City Limits Festival

Lola Young

Finn Wolfhard

Annie DiRusso

Balu Brigada

Young Miko

Ryan Beatty

Night Tapes

Temper City

Rochelle Jordan

It’s Murph

Skye Newman

Levity

Lykke Li

Coleman Jennings

Emma Ogier

Arcy Drive

Fai Laci

A triumphant Day Three

Day Three finished the weekend on a high with energized, highly-anticipated sets from Twenty One Pilots, Audrey Hobert, and Stella Lefty. Each had an eventful stage presence soundtracked by relatable, fan-favorite songs.

Cannons and The War On Drugs leaned into dreamy sounds that provided a safe landing after a turbulent weekend. And perhaps the most surreal performance came from The xx, whose reunion has had anyone fond of the millennial optimism era in a chokehold.

The xx’s Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, and Jamie xx had a divine presence, silhouetted by moody stage lighting. Their sound was even more of a spiritual presence, their lush and layered indietronica and romantic lyrics opening a gateway into ascension.

Geese also delivered wonderful layers of sounds, all of which met in the middle of art rock, experimental rock, and post-punk. Those textures, sandwiching Cameron Winter’s raspy baritone meanderings on modern life, did, in fact, hit. If you get it, you get it, and maybe you just have to see it to believe in it.

Other standout sets include Jess Williamson and Claire Rosinkranz bringing soft and sentimental sounds to the Miller Lite Stage, and Aaron Rowe, Fancy Hagood, and Lauren Sanderson bringing everything from country to nu-metal influences to the BMI Stage.