Last weekend, I was passing by Zilker Park and was really surprised. What usually takes 5 minutes to get through was barely moving at all.

It turned out to be the first weekend of the ACL Festival. Since this weekend is the second weekend, I thought it would be good for those of us not attending the festival to plan our routes in advance, so I put together some information.

This year's Austin City Limits Music Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The dates are October 2-4 and October 9-11, spanning two weekends.

As a history enthusiast, let me share a quick story: this festival started in 2002 as a two-day event. Back then, a weekend pass was $25, which seems almost legendary now.

The expected attendance at that time was 25,000, but over 40,000 actually showed up. In 2013, the city council approved the change to the current two-weekend format.

Now, the daily capacity is 75,000. Looking at this number, it's easy to understand why the local roads get congested.

The gates open daily at noon and close at 10 PM. Therefore, the busiest traffic times are around lunchtime when entry begins and around 10 PM when the headliners finish.

The first thing to note is that Barton Springs Road will be completely closed from Thursday evening at 7 PM until Monday at 6 AM for both weekends.

Stratford Drive will also be closed from Thursday at 9 AM until Monday. This means you should check your commute route tonight since it starts tomorrow morning.

Azie Morton Road will be closed on festival days from 11 AM to 11:59 PM. It's best to completely erase these three roads from your mind.

Additionally, there will be no parking in Zilker Park during the festival. Parking in the surrounding neighborhoods is also prohibited, so it's best to abandon any plans to park nearby for a quick stop.

Surprisingly, many people get confused about Barton Springs Pool. The pool will remain open and operational.

However, during festival weekends, you can only enter through the Azie Morton Road entrance, and there is separate reserved parking for pool visitors. If you plan to swim over the weekend, just check this detail in advance.

So how do residents who aren't attending the festival avoid the chaos? My method is simple. From Friday to Sunday, I completely avoid the Zilker area around noon and between 9:30 PM and 11 PM.

I schedule grocery shopping or appointments for the morning and avoid dinner plans in downtown or South Lamar. It may seem trivial, but just doing this significantly reduces stress.

It's also good to know the rideshare pickup locations. There are designated spots under the MoPac pedestrian bridge on Veterans Drive, Lee Barton Drive, and Wallingwood Drive.

This means that after 10 PM, there will be a huge influx of Uber and Lyft vehicles in these areas. If you need to drive in that direction during that time, it's definitely better to take a detour.

If you have family or friends attending the festival, I recommend taking a shuttle instead of driving them. A free shuttle departs daily from Sand Beach Park starting at 11:30 AM.

The pickup point is at the corner of Walter Seaholm Drive and Electric Drive, and it drops you off in front of the west entrance of Barton Springs. You can catch the return shuttle at the same spot to go back to Sand Beach Park.

If you prefer public transportation, CapMetro routes 3 and 803 stop near South Lamar and Barton Springs Road. You'll need to walk about three-quarters of a mile to the entrance.

There are also parking areas for those arriving by bike or scooter on Toomey Road and Sterzing Street. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail is also open for walking or biking.

Personally, I wish Austin would expand public transportation more boldly during events like this. The structure of transporting 75,000 people by car is inherently unsustainable.

The fact that shuttles, buses, and bike routes are well organized indicates that the city has some understanding of the solution. I sincerely hope this continues beyond just the two weekends a year.

Finally, even after the festival ends, things won't return to normal immediately. From October 12 to 16, Barton Springs Road will have reduced lanes from 9 AM to 6 PM.

Stratford Drive will also have lane reductions during the same hours from October 14 to 16. Due to construction, if you plan to drive during the day on weekdays, make sure to allow extra time until that week.

The Zilker Park parking lots and Great Lawn will reopen on October 18. It's best to postpone park walks or picnics until after that date.

To summarize: forget about Barton Springs Road from Thursday evening to Monday morning. Avoid the Zilker area around noon and 10 PM. Those attending the festival should take shuttles or buses.

It's clear that this festival has become a face of Austin over the past 25 years. Whether you benefit from it or not, if local residents move smartly this weekend, they can still navigate peacefully.