ACL Festival To Require Negative Tests (Or Proof Of Vaccine) For Entry

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2017
Gary Miller / FilmMagic – Austin City Limits Music Festival 2017

Austin City Limits Music Festival, which takes place Oct. 1-3 and Oct. 8-10 at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, has announced it will require guests to show a negative COVID test – or full vaccination before being granted entry to the event. 

“A printed copy of a negative COVID-19 test result will be required to attend ACL Festival 2021,” reads the policy, updated today and on the festival’s website and social channels.  “The negative COVID-19 printed test result must be obtained within 72 hours (3 days) of attending ACL Festival.  Patrons who are fully vaccinated may show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination instead of proof of negative test. Information related to masks will be released closer to the festival dates.”
The ACL Festival Health Policy asks that fans take a health pledge to not attend the event if you have tested positive or been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, experienced symptoms within 48 hours of attending, or within 14 days traveled to any international territory identified by federal, state or local governments as being subject to travel or quarantine advisories due to COVID-19.
While the policy is mostly in line with recent measures taken for the also C3 Presents-produced Lollapalooza in Chicago, and the overall policies by parent company Live Nation as well as competing promoter and venue operator AEG Presents, ACL’s policy is notable for being enacted in a state that has publicly prohibited businesses or governments from adopting policies requiring vaccination.   Both Live Nation and AEG policies have noted that the COVID policies would apply where legally permitted and in venues they control, leaving some uncertainty to how independent venues or venues in states with conflicting policies would be able to comply.
Industry sources unaffiliated with Live Nation or C3 have speculated that the legal language presented by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott may be vague enough to require negative COVID tests — which would mean discriminating against attendees who have COVID or COVID symptoms rather than discriminating against those are unvaccinated.  
Live Nation’s policy is said to have been modeled after Lollapalooza, with top brass saying the event had 90+ percent of attendees fully vaccinated and local health officials saying the event was linked to around 200 COVID cases among its total nearly-400,000 attendees, far from a super-spreader event. 
ACL also released its performance schedule, which can be viewed at its website.  The festival is expecting 450,000 total attendees over the course of its two weekends, with the usual massive lineup, topped this year by George Strait, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Rufus Du Sol, Tyler, The Creator, Duran Duran and including many others.  
Stevie Nicks recently pulled out of ACL and her other 2021 festival appearances, noting the concern of rising COVID cases, while DaBaby was removed after making homophobic comments at Rolling Loud in Miami in late July.