AUSTIN, Texas — The thousands of music fans going to the Austin City Limits Music Festival are helping make Austin greener.
There are 75,000 people a day who go to the festival, and a percentage of the ticket sales will go towards making Austin parks better.
Allison Watkins with the Austin Parks Foundation said since ACL started more than a decade ago, more than $35 million has gone back into the organization in improving parks across the city. In 2018, the organization received $5 million from ticket sales.
You might have noticed a difference around the city.
Watkins told KVUE at Zilker Park, they've been able to build an entirely new irrigation system so the park stays green all year long. The organization also put $5 million toward the renovation of Auditorium Shores, then $1 million towards renovating Republic Square.
“There are little pieces of all of this festival all throughout the city in terms of amenities that have been added and beautifications and enhancements that have been done that without ACL Fest, they never would have been possible,” said Watkins.
You don't have to wait to make a difference. At the festival, attendees might have also seen people carrying around large trash bags and picking up empty bottles and cans. They're a part of a program called Rock and Recycle.
“The 8,000 people that we see are just attendees of the festival. We see a lot of kids, a lot of parents that want to participate and a lot of young college students that maybe don’t have money to pay for a T-shirt,” said Watkins.
Those that find their tent and help pick up trash get a free limited T-shirt just by helping keep the park clean. With the big turn out at ACL this year, the foundation hopes $5 million or more will go towards parks this year.
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