Austin City Limits 2025 wraps up another sensational two weekends in the heart of Texas [Full Review]

Austin City Limits 2025 has concluded the latest chapter in its history. With showstopping performances throughout the course of three days, it was another magical two weekends in Zilker Park. 

Austin City Limits 2025 has officially reached its end. After two unbelievable weekends in the heart of Austin, the premier festival in the state of Texas proved once again why it is beloved by music fans all over the country. Whether attendees came to weekend one or weekend two, they experienced performances that many will undoubtedly talk about for years to come when referencing the ACL lineage. Each year, it’s hard to imagine how ACL could top its prior edition but they continue to do so as 2025 was one of the best yet. 

Before the festival even began, you could feel the anxious excitement around the city in the days before Zilker Park opened its gates. Arguably the biggest contributing factor to this feeling was the impressive slate of headliners that ACL put together for its 2025 lineup. Locking in some of the most in-demand and legendary artists in the industry the festival left no stone unturned for its main acts as they welcomed Sabrina Carpenter, Hozier, Luke Combs, The Killers, John Summit, The Strokes, T-Pain, Doechii, Cage The Elephant, Empire Of The Sun, Feid, Djo, and Mk. gee to the ACL stages. While a lineup with just those names would be plenty, ACL made sure that the supporting acts for both weekends were top-notch as well with the likes of Maren Morris, Role Model, Dr. Dog, King Princess, Pierce The Veil, Zeds Dead, Sammy Virji, The Backseat Lovers, Polo & Pan, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Wet Leg, Gigi Perez, Disco Lines, and many others. 

As the first day began, the anticipation was finally over and ACL 2025 was officially underway. Starting the fun quickly, acts such as Asleep At The Wheel, Chance Emerson, Tiera Kennedy, and Good Neighbours were some of the first acts on the stages. One of the highlights from the early portion of Friday came on the BeatBox stage as honestav (Honest-Ayve) marked another career milestone as ACL became one of the first few festivals that he has performed at in his career. Wowing the crowd with his energy-packed 45-minute set that concluded with his massive 2024 hit, ‘I’d Rather Overdose,‘ it was a show that fans continued to post about on social media for the rest of the weekend. 

As the day grew later and the crowds got bigger, two more acts made waves across the grounds with their brilliant performances. The first being The Favors, which consists of two of music’s most celebrated producers/artists in Finneas and Ashe. The two showcased their incredible talent as they played through the most notable tracks on their debut album, ‘The Dream.‘ On the stage directly next to them was the rising star, Role Model. Playing to one of the biggest crowds of any afternoon slot during the weekend, he provided a highly entertaining set that included guest appearances from Hillary Duff for weekend one and Lizzy McAlpine for weekend two during his popular track, ‘Sally, When The Wine Runs Out.‘

As the sun set, one of the most anticipated sets of the day began as Cage The Elephant brought a more aggressive set to Austin City Limits this year. Fans had been camping out at the stage all day to see the band and were not disappointed as the group brought their incredible stage presence to Austin. However, it was Empire Of The Sun that arguably had the most packed crowd of any act the entire weekend that did not perform on either of the main stages. With an impressive stage design and breathtaking outfits, the iconic group played through all their hits that defined a whole generation of music. 

With the night now setting in on the first day, it was time for the first main headliners of the weekend. Starting first was Hozier, who last took the ACL stage in 2023. His show was nothing short of special. With heartfelt moments, emotional acoustic renditions of certain tracks, and of course, his biggest hits. He captivated the audience by taking them on a 90-minute journey that left everyone speechless. On the other side of the park came the festival’s sole country headliner, Luke Combs. Showcasing once again that he has one of the most talented voices in the genre, Combs shuffled through his impressive catalog that featured many #1 hits and finished the first day of the festival off in style as he closed the night out with his rock-influenced country track, ‘Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma.‘

Building upon the energy from day one, the second day of ACL saw even larger crowds at the very beginning of the day. Most of that crowd was stationed at the American Express stage on the far side of the park watching pop sensation, Olivia Dean, who had the perfect slot to set the feel-good tone for the rest of the afternoon. Shortly after came acts such as Modest Mouse, Marina, and Magdalena Bay. During the golden hour of Saturday came some more incredible performances. First on the BeatBox stage was the ACL debut performance of the rising K-pop group known as RIIZE. As they were finishing, on the T-Mobile stage came The Backseat Lovers who quickly made their case for the sleeper set of the weekend. Across the park back on the American Express stage came another highly anticipated set as Grammy-winning rapper, Doechii, took the stage. Standing in front of a packed crowd and bringing her swamped theme stage to Austin, she played through her now iconic record ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal‘ as well as tracks from her older mixtapes with her full artistry on display. 

The night session for day two is what many people had talked about on social media for months before the festival commenced. Austin City Limits was set to host one of the biggest pop stars in the entire world, Sabrina Carpenter at the same time as the legendary rock band, The Strokes. With tens of thousands of people camping out in one spot for over 8 hours, their dreams were about to be fulfilled as 8 pm turned on the clock. The Strokes began the epic night first, as they rocked Austin to its core with their many classics such as ‘The Adults Are Talking‘ and ‘Reptilia.‘

About 30 minutes later, the moment of the weekend came as Sabrina Carpenter began her show to the largest crowd ACL 2025 saw the entire three days. Playing a few tracks from her newest album, ‘Man’s Best Friend,‘ but mainly filling the show with her plethora of iconic hits from her 2024 album, ‘Short n‘ Sweet,‘ Carpenter put on the best production of the entire festival. Bringing out guests such as Shania Twain and The Chicks while also interacting with the crowd, Carpenter lived up to all the expectations that were set and delivered some of the best ACL moments in recent memory. 

With the final day of Austin City Limits 2025 beginning, fans got to have some early fun with acts such as Royal & The Serpent, The Dare, Wet Leg, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Although, it was the golden hours of day three that might have made for the best afternoon of the entire weekend. First starting with one of the most in-demand DJs in the dance genre, Disco Lines. Not only did he have a massive crowd for his time slot but he had them in the palm of his hand as he delivered a heart-pounding house set that included tracks such as his massive 2025 single, ‘No Broke Boys.‘ Soon after came one of music’s breakout stars over the last few years, Gigi Perez. The best word to describe the show would be beautiful as Perez stood front and center and showed off her ability to connect with an audience as good as anybody currently does in the industry. 

Before the final two acts of the weekend took the stage, hip-hop icon T-Pain had his opportunity to etch his name as one of the best shows of the weekend. It’s hard to think that the legend did anything but that as he put on an incredibly entertaining set full of his most beloved features and solo tracks while also providing his famous choreography. Bringing a western-themed stage that featured a saloon, T-Pain was the can’t-miss moment at ACL 2025. 

It was time for the last headliners to make their way on the ACL 2025 stages. Starting on the T-Mobile stage was dance music’s most popular house producer, John Summit. Putting on a masterclass of a show, Summit filled the set with high-energy moments, pyro, and dancing. Including songs such as ‘Go Back,‘ ‘Shiver,‘ ‘crystallized,‘ his newest remix of Britney Spears’ ‘I Wanna Go,‘ and even bringing out HAYLA to sing his career-defining hit ‘Where You Are,‘ it was a sensational 90-minute set and one of Summit’s best shows this year that left many in awe. 

Taking place on the other end of Zilker Park was The Killers who replaced Doja Cat on the lineup due to the announcement of her next tour. With their first headlining show at the festival in seven years, the band immediately reminded people why they are so revered. With a showstopping performance from the entire band, the hour and a half only felt like 10 minutes. Not one second did the energy dip as The Killers played through their biggest hits including, ‘When You Were Young,‘ ‘Somebody Told Me,‘ and ‘Mr. Brightside,‘ but they also paid respect to Texas country music and Austin as they brought out blues musician Guy Forsyth to sing a rendition of ‘Whisky River.‘ However, it didn’t stop there as they also covered Willie Nelson’s ‘Always On My Mind.‘ The show was the perfect punctuation to end the three unforgettable days in Austin. 

Even in the intense Texas heat, the energy in the crowds at each stage never waned for a second, and made for another two monumental weekends in Zilker Park. Austin City Limits 2025 provided so many memories that will be talked about for years to come. And now as this page turns, we must eagerly wait just a little under a year until we get to experience the magic yet again at Austin City Limits 2026.