Sunday
October 4, 2026
Today at a glance
- Weather 83° / 72°Showers may visit again, so keep the muddy boots by the door.
- Air quality 20 · GoodClean air for a slow Sunday walk.
- Lake Travis 94.1% fullThe week of rain has left its mark on the lake.
- Power grid NormalThe grid expects normal conditions this evening.
- Sunrise 7:26 a.m.A little morning patience; the sun is taking its time.
Good morning, Austin. There is a particular Sunday smell to wet shoes drying by the door. The festival has one more day before the city gets a breather, and the forecast still has room for a shower. If you are going to Zilker, check the organizers' updates before leaving. If you are staying home, the coffee can take its time. The school district spent Saturday interviewing people who keep buses, kitchens and classrooms running. Local bands spent it finding their way onto bigger stages. Tomorrow is the voter registration deadline. Today leaves a little room to get ready.
The Briefing
The festival has to put Zilker back
Saturday's mud at Zilker Park became a question about who restores the lawn once the music leaves. Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival delayed its gates from noon to 2 p.m. while crews worked on the wet grounds. The park still has another festival weekend ahead.
Restoration is part of the contract. The city's Parks Department told KXAN that the festival must restore the Great Lawn and surrounding areas, including replacement grass where needed. Organizer C3 Presents said it remediates Zilker every year. Crews were removing standing water and putting down mulch; the Parks Department said all of that mulch will come out afterward and damaged sod will be replaced.
Council Member Ryan Alter called the damage unacceptable and asked for clearer maintenance policies. He told KXAN he did not think the city's deal needed revision and was confident the park would be restored. CBS Austin separately reported his concerns and festivalgoers' difficulty walking across the lawn.
The promise is a repaired public park. Neither account supplies a firm date when the Great Lawn will reopen for ordinary use.
What's next: The second weekend runs Oct. 9–11, with restoration following the festival and no firm lawn reopening date in the reports.
Sources: KXAN (the contract, maintenance and Alter's response), CBS Austin (conditions and public concerns), City of Austin (festival dates)
City Desk
Public safety & courts
One adult died in a crash southeast of the airport
One adult died at the scene of a two-vehicle crash near Pearce Lane and FM 973 on Saturday afternoon. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) said crews responded at 4:22 p.m. Two other adults went to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, one with serious injuries and one with minor injuries, CBS Austin reported. No names were released in the account. CBS Austin
Also
The Austin Police Department (APD) began its festival No Refusal Initiative Saturday; it runs nightly, 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., through Oct. 12. City of Austin
Growth & infrastructure
The lawn repair belongs to the festival
The Parks Department says the festival’s contract requires restoration of Zilker’s Great Lawn and surrounding areas, including replacement grass where needed. The Parks Department said crews were using mulch to make muddy areas passable and removing standing water. After the festival, all the mulch will be removed and damaged sod replaced, the Parks Department told KXAN. KXAN
Overheard on Reddit
ACL delay to 2pm today
ACL has just announced that they are not opening the gates until at least 2 o’clock. I can’t imagine what sort of damage is being done to Zilker right now.
Also
Saturday’s festival gates opened at 2 p.m. instead of noon, with organizers changing the performance schedule while crews worked on the muddy grounds. FOX 7 Austin
For today’s trip to Zilker, the city lists shuttle pickup at Sand Beach Park, at Walter Seaholm Drive and Electric Drive, with return rides each evening. City of Austin
The city recommends MetroRapid 803 for festival trips; its stop near South Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road leaves the last stretch to walk. City of Austin
Overheard on Bluesky
Got invited to a fancy bday dinner, dreading driving in downtown Austin at night however 😔
Council Member Ryan Alter asked for clearer park maintenance policies Saturday, while telling KXAN he did not think the festival agreement itself needed revision. KXAN
City Hall & county
Tomorrow, Oct. 5, is the voter registration deadline for the Nov. 3 election; official state and county links are on our Vote 2026 page. Texas Secretary of State
Mailed voter registration applications must be postmarked by Monday; the Secretary of State recommends requesting a manual postmark at a postal retail counter. Texas Secretary of State
In a new history interview, former school trustee Paul Saldaña describes forming Hispanic Advocates, Business Leaders of Austin to bring community and business leaders together. KXAN
Schools
The district is hiring the people behind the school day
Austin Independent School District (AISD) held a support staff hiring fair Saturday at its headquarters, with about 70 openings in transportation, groundskeeping, custodial work and child nutrition. Managers conducted interviews on the spot and could recommend applicants for hiring. People who missed the fair can still apply through the district’s careers website, talent officer Woodrow Bailey told KXAN. KXAN
Also
Bailey said about 300 people registered for the fair and roughly 200 had arrived by 10 a.m.; those figures describe turnout, not completed hires. KXAN
The district expects to begin processing the recommended applicants next week, Bailey said, with the aim of getting new support employees to work quickly. KXAN
Business & street life
Flight By Nothing gets its first festival slot today
Austin band Flight By Nothing plays the festival’s Beatbox stage today, its first ACL appearance after nearly a decade together. Members told The Daily Texan they are preparing for a five-week tour and a debut full-length album. The Sunday slot puts a local band in front of the crowd before it heads back onto the road. The Daily Texan
Also
Austin-raised Elijah Delgado made his first ACL appearance Friday; his extended-play record, Wherever You Go, There You Are, came out earlier this year. The Daily Texan
Austin rock band Grocery Bag made its festival debut Friday, including two unreleased songs from a forthcoming record in its set. The Daily Texan
Overheard on Bluesky
We were there today as well for the bday, and similarly did our part to keep the lights on. Austin’s Alienated Majesty is one of the best-curated bookstores I have ever had the good fortune to get my brain food from, and run & staffed by really exceptional people alienatedmajestybooks.comp
Asleep at the Wheel opened Friday with “Miles and Miles of Texas,” continuing its first-weekend opening tradition, interrupted in 2021 by a weather delay. The Daily Texan
Festivalgoers can exchange a full green recycling bag at the Rock and Recycle booth for a limited-edition T-shirt designed by a local artist. FOX 7 Austin
The Austin Parks Foundation’s recycling program has partnered with the festival for more than 15 years; rain and mud delayed access to some collection areas this weekend. FOX 7 Austin
Overheard on Bluesky
Down in South Austin to watch @nakia.net and the Never Not Now rock the roof off the C-Boys club.
This year’s recycling volunteer slots are already filled, the foundation told FOX 7; next year’s applications will be posted on its website. FOX 7 Austin
Weather
Sunday is mostly cloudy with a high near 83: showers possible before 1 p.m., then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms until 4 p.m. North northeast winds around 10 mph may gust to 25. Tonight turns partly cloudy, with a low near 72. National Weather Service
No active watches or warnings were listed for Travis County in this morning’s alert feed. National Weather Service
The Back Page
5 days until the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival’s second weekend · Weekend one ends today; weekend two runs Oct. 9–11 at Zilker Park.
A filled recycling bag becomes a T-shirt, and the shirt carries a local artist’s work. The Austin Parks Foundation’s Rock and Recycle booth is doing that exchange again at the festival. You don’t have to have booked a volunteer shift to take part. Ask for a green bag at the booth, collect recyclables and bring it back full. A little time walking the grounds leaves something useful behind. FOX 7 Austin