Austin, TX
5 ways to keep your cool in the scorching Texas heat at Austin City Limits Fest weekend 2
Texas heat feels like death, no doubt about it. Nevertheless, us die-hard music aficionados bear the sun’s burden to celebrate our favorite performers at Austin City Limits Music Festival. To avoid a dreaded visit to the medical tent, here are five helpful tips to stay cool during your conquest of the outdoor music communion.
1. A good ole’ fashion reusable water bottle to refill at water stations
It’s imperative to stay hydrated lest you pass out after baking in the sun. Come to the festival with a reusable water bottle. You can’t bring liquids inside, so we recommend chugging your bottle while you wait in line. Once you make it past the gates, head for the water stations around the park to fill your bottle with ample water and refill between sets when trekking to your next stage. A good ole’ fashion water bottle is indispensable at times like this.
2. Stay vibey with Liquid IV or other hydration packets
Thank god for technological innovation. The automobile. The cotton gin. Magic hydration powders choc full of electrolytes and vitamins. While powders like Liquid IV are essential to ease hardcore hangovers, that doesn’t mean you can’t pregame these Kool-Aid counterparts as well. Downing this supplement before you go out drinking and throughout the day will give your body an extra boost of hydration to curb looming alcohol withdrawal and prevent a bad dehydration headache. Even if you don’t plan to drink alcohol the packets are helpful for rapid hydration. Single use sealed hydration packets are allowed in the park.
3. Be a savvy fan with a handheld fan
Standing in the heat is brutal, but having a fan of some kind is essential for long wait times. Luckily, ACL plants huge industrial fans in front of their stages for fans camping out at the barricade, but for those farther back in the crowd a personal paper or electric fan is clutch to keep cool. An accordion paper fan can shade your face from the sun, while electric fans are easy to hold near you face for a steady airstream. Just be mindful of how close you hold it so the blades don’t get tangled in your hair. It’s happened to me!
4. Don’t go bananas, bring some water-soaked bandanas
Bandanas are a must have to survive Zilker’s dusty conditions, but soaking one in some water and slapping it on the back of your neck offers instant relief to skin that’s getting a beating from the sun. Placing a cool bandana on your pressure points (i.e. neck, inner elbows, back of knees) will quickly lower your body temp in a pinch. At some midday sets, the ACL staff will even hand out water-soaked bandanas to folks standing at the barricade wilting in the heat. When you go refill your water bottle, douse your bandana too for that extra boost of cool relief.
5. Skip stage view, opt for shady vantage points
We all want to get front and center for our favorite performer, but sometimes we need to weigh our options: get borderline heat stroke waiting for hours to score a plush spot for a headliner, or watch from a shady grove with some handy binoculars. In the afternoon, when the sun is at its peak, I would opt for the latter. Of course, you won’t get the detailed videos of your onstage fave, but you will definitely be thankful when that cool breeze hits under the shady tree that has turned Tartarus into a bearable garden oasis.
Following controversial comments from head coach Steve Sarkisian and recruiting battles with other contending teams, the Texas Longhorns have once again found themselves in the national spotlight ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Just like this time 365 days ago, the Longhorns are the favorites to win the SEC Championship by the time the postseason rolls around, as well as be contenders for the national championship — despite failing to gain a playoff berth in 2025.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Texas’ preseason hype centered around quarterback Arch Manning and his first year at the helm of the Longhorns’ offense. Despite predictions that Manning would win the Heisman and be the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Longhorns went on to a nine-win regular season with steady, ongoing improvements in Manning’s performance.
Now, the attention from national media seems due to the “all-in” season that the Longhorns are looking toward, with a huge roster turnover through the transfer portal suggesting that this is the make-or-break year for Texas — and Manning — to achieve any national championship hopes.
However, a “make-or-break” season isn’t necessarily what’s ahead for Texas in 2026.
Texas’ Championship Hopes Aren’t Necessarily Over After 2026
It’s fair to assume that the Longhorns are going all in for a national championship in 2026, given the emphasis on experienced transfer portal talent, coaching staff changes and even talk from some players about what the team’s goals are over the offseason.
But considering 2026 as the Longhorns’ last chance for a trophy in the immediate future isn’t as easily justifiable, especially when Texas may not be considering much of a rebuild after this season ends. Sarkisian himself didn’t deny that Manning may come back for another year with Texas in 2027, and many key playmakers on both offense and defense have several more years of eligibility left.
Especially looking at Texas’ incoming class of freshmen and history with the transfer portal, it’s likely that the Longhorns are setting themselves up for longevity more than immediate success. If Manning does decide to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft, incoming freshman quarterback Dia Bell will be an exciting prospect for Texas to bank on when looking for its next offensive leader.
It’s natural that the Longhorns should continue to generate national excitement, especially with the newest five-star commit to the 2027 class. Even so, Texas has a habit of bucking the trends and national predictions. The pressure was on in 2025 to win a national championship in Manning’s first year as a starter, and as more mock drafts continue to slate him as a first-rounder, that pressure has only heightened in what most onlookers see as his last year playing college football.
Whether the Longhorns will buckle under that pressure this go-around will be seen, starting with their home opener against Texas State on Sept. 5.
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AUSTIN, Texas — Austin city leaders gathered on East 11th Street on Juneteenth to celebrate the “Black Artists Matter” mural before it must be removed under an order from the Texas Department of Transportation. The mural and the city’s rainbow crosswalk are slated for removal in compliance with a Texas Department of Transportation directive requiring cities to remove political ideologies from roadways. Last October, Gov. Greg Abbott directed TxDOT to enforce the policy.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson stood on the blocked-off street where the yellow letters spelling “Black Artists Matter” are painted on the roadway’s surface. “We will never forget that when the state decided to target our murals, the community stood together to celebrate our city’s diversity, spirit, and creativity,” Watson said.
Watson criticized the state’s actions, saying, “The state government engages in negative rhetoric and threats, it targets communities that it disagrees with and seeks retribution.”
In response to the order, Watson formed the Public Spaces Task Force to identify other ways to celebrate diversity in Austin.
ALSO| Screwworm medications straining animal shelter budgets across Texas
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Daphne McDole, chief executive officer of the African American Cultural Heritage District and a member of the task force, said she wanted the event held on Juneteenth because of its significance. “I wanted to do it on Juneteenth, it was significant to me because I knew that that was the day my community would be in the district. We will be celebrating over here all day, so it was appropriate,” McDole said.
Task force members said they are exploring alternatives to honor East Austin’s history and diversity. They noted that city leaders in San Antonio created rainbow sidewalks after removing rainbow crosswalks, but said Austin will pursue its own approach.
Task force chair Steven Rivas said the community is focused on preserving the meaning behind the markings. “We chose to come together as a community and find a way to respect what these markings mean and build upon them. If we can’t have them in the street, we’re going to put them off the street,” Rivas said.
AUSTIN, Texas — The screwworm outbreak is having a major impact on animal shelter budgets across Texas. Instant kill and preventative medications for dogs and cats are an unprecedented expense.
Paul is a rescue dog from South Texas, where he was living on the streets and starving. He is now at Austin Pets Alive! getting Screwworm prevention medication and the treatment he needs to get healthy.
“Any dog that enters our shelter period, but especially if they look like this, we are going over them with a fine-tooth comb and looking for anything that might be a wound where a screwworm might have been able to gain access,” said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, CEO and President of Austin Pets Alive!
RELATED| FDA authorizes generic over-the-counter drug to treat New World screwworm in pets
Dr. Jefferson says dogs and cats need regular checks of their eyes, noses, ears, and underneath their fur. But Austin Pets Alive! says the best protection is a combination of Capstar, which is an instant-kill medication for existing active screwworm larvae, and prescription preventatives that provide ongoing protection when administered every 30 days.
“Just to buy the initial Capstar for our program, it was close to $10,000,” said Rebecca Giamona, Asst. Medical Care Director at Austin Pets Alive!
Giamona says preventative meds are also putting a heavy financial strain on the nonprofit’s budget at a cost of around $70,000.
“We need about 5,000 doses of the monthly preventative, and they are roughly $14 to $15 per dose,” said Giamona.
Products with the active ingredients ending in l, a, n, e, r are highly effective at preventing and treating infestations. But keeping Paul and every shelter animal up to date will take help from the public.
“Donations, and hopefully some more donations,” said Giamona.
An infestation of New World Screwworm can be painful, disfiguring, and potentially deadly for animals. Most cases involve livestock, especially cattle, but dogs and cats can also get infestations.
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