Reserved Seat home
    • City
    • Austin, TX

    Austin

    October stacks ACL Fest, F1 and football · SXSW each March

    Austin's seat choices run from a 2,750-seat TV studio theater to a 100,000-seat stadium, with standing-room club floors in between.

    By the Reserved Seat editorial teamUpdated How we research
    The skyline of Austin, the capital city of Texas. With a population of 961,855, it's the 13th-most populous city in the U.S
    Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Upcoming events in Austin

    Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.

    Austin's seat decision, sorted by venue type

    In Austin, start by deciding whether you want a reserved seat or a spot on a standing floor, because the city has plenty of both. Big concerts on campus, Austin FC matches at Q2 Stadium and Longhorns games sell assigned seats. Most club shows on Sixth Street and Red River sell general admission (no assigned seats), and ACL Live sells either layout depending on the night.

    The city adopted its music-capital slogan in 1991, and the calendar still supports it: SXSW in spring, ACL Fest in fall, several club districts and a public-TV concert series that has taped here for decades. Major-league sport is limited to one club, Austin FC, yet Saturday crowds for the Longhorns run near 100,000, and the racetrack southeast of town hosts Formula 1, MotoGP and NASCAR weekends.

    • Arena: Moody Center, which doubles as the home court for UT basketball.
    • Soccer: Austin FC, an MLS club since 2021.
    • College football: Texas Longhorns football on campus.
    • Racing: Circuit of the Americas, built from scratch for Formula 1, a first for an American track.
    • Minor league teams: Round Rock's Triple-A Express, a Texas Rangers farm club, and two Cedar Park tenants: the AHL's Texas Stars and the G League's Austin Spurs.
    • Stand-up: the Comedy Mothership, where Kill Tony tapes each week.

    Arena, stadium and racetrack seats

    Moody Center

    Since its spring 2022 debut, the arena has seated roughly 16,200 at concerts and 10,800 at basketball. Oak View Group runs the building in partnership with Live Nation and C3 Presents, and professional bull riding (the Austin Gamblers) shares the dates. For an end-stage concert, a lower-level seat on the side near the stage usually beats the back of the floor; for basketball, sideline seats show both ends best.

    Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium

    Built in 1924, the Longhorns' home lists 100,119 seats, and it squeezed in a record 105,215 for the October 2024 Georgia game. The Texas Longhorns football page has the sideline-by-sideline advice.

    Q2 Stadium

    This 20,738-seat bowl in North Burnet dates to June 2021, and its sideline seats near midfield give the most complete view of a match. Sellouts are the norm: through February 2026, Austin FC had filled the stadium 89 home games running, an MLS high. Beyond soccer, it has staged Copa América games (2024) and Willie Nelson's annual Independence Day show.

    Circuit of the Americas

    The circuit has run since fall 2012. Some 9,000 fans fit in the main grandstand, and a full race weekend can draw as many as 120,000 across the property. Grandstand seats give you a fixed view of one stretch of track, while general admission lets you roam. COTA's concert venue, which carries the Germania Insurance name, fits up to 14,000, of whom 5,240 sit in fixed reserved seats. Race-weekend ticket types are covered on the Formula 1 page.

    ACL Live and the club districts

    ACL Live at the Moody Theater

    Public television's Austin City Limits, on the air since 1974 and the longest-running music program TV has produced, moved its tapings in 2011 to this 2,750-seat room on West Willie Nelson Boulevard, part of Block 21. Some nights the floor is standing room under a seated mezzanine; other nights every ticket is a seat. For a guaranteed seat, buy the mezzanine; to get near the band, buy the floor and get there early.

    Clubs

    The club scene spreads across four areas: Sixth Street, Red River, South Congress and the East Side. Names to know include Antone's (since 1975), Stubb's, the Mohawk, Emo's, the Scoot Inn and the Continental Club. Expect general admission at most of them, so your arrival time sets your view.

    Austin's busiest months and why

    • March: South by Southwest brings film, music and tech to downtown. The convention center is under reconstruction through 2029, so the 2026 edition scattered across downtown venues, replaced wristbands with badges and ran two fewer music days. The two-wheel and stock-car series also visit COTA this month.
    • March to October: Austin FC's league schedule, with postseason games possible into November; the in-state Copa Tejas rivalry with FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo draws the heaviest demand.
    • Spring and summer: Triple-A games in Round Rock.
    • September to November: college football Saturdays on campus.
    • October: the crunch. The festival takes over Zilker Park for two long weekends (in 2026, the 2nd through 4th and the 9th through 11th), each day capped at 75,000, while the U.S. Grand Prix brings Formula 1 to town.
    • November to March: UT basketball on campus.

    If the festival, a home football game and the Grand Prix fall in the same stretch, every hotel in town gets expensive. Reserve the room first, then buy the ticket.

    Reaching each Austin venue

    The airport, Austin–Bergstrom, is roughly 5 miles from downtown, to the southeast.

    • UT campus venues: the arena and the football stadium sit a short walk apart, just above downtown. For 2026, the arena routes rideshare cars to Lot 37 beside the LBJ Library, and event-day spaces in the Manor Garage must be bought in advance; the arena's parking page has details.
    • Q2 Stadium: take the CapMetro Red Line; McKalla station, added in 2024, is right outside the gates, and the 803 MetroRapid line plus regular buses run close by.
    • COTA: it is well outside downtown, and race-weekend traffic is heavy, so plan around the circuit's own transportation guidance.
    • Round Rock and Cedar Park: both suburban venues are north of town and practical only by car.

    Austin bases by neighborhood

    • Second Street District: the W hotel is in the same Block 21 complex as ACL Live, dining surrounds it, and Sixth Street is a short walk up.
    • Campus edge: Red River's clubs start where the university venues end, which makes a late set after the game easy.
    • South Austin: South Congress and South Lamar absorb the festival crowds, and their hotels sell out first on those weekends.
    • North Austin: the stadium sits inside a newer mixed-use area; a hotel near any Red Line stop makes match day simple.
    • East Sixth: the Comedy Mothership is here. As of 2026 it admits only guests 21 and over, and phones are locked in pouches during shows.

    Buying tips for an Austin trip

    • Treat October as a special case. Festival, race and football weekends can overlap, and hotel rooms run short before tickets do.
    • Respect the heat. September kickoffs, July matches and open-air shows can be punishing; night events are kinder.
    • Expect resale for Austin FC. With home sellouts the norm, most fans buying a single match use the secondary market.
    • Pack for the bag rule. The arena's 2026 limit is a clear bag no larger than 14 x 14 x 6 inches, or a small clutch; rules can change, so confirm before you go.

    Every Reserved Seat order includes guaranteed entry.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is ACL Live seated or standing?

    Both, depending on the night. Some shows pair a standing floor with mezzanine seats, and others are seated throughout, so read the listing first.

    How hard is it to get Austin FC tickets?

    Very hard at face value. The club had sold out 89 home matches in a row through February 2026, a league record, so single-match buyers usually turn to resale.

    What are the 2026 ACL Fest dates?

    The festival took place over two weekends at Zilker Park: Friday to Sunday, October 2 to 4, and again October 9 to 11, with up to 75,000 people each day.

    How many people does the Moody Center hold?

    Roughly 16,200 for a concert and 10,800 for a basketball game. The UT campus arena opened in 2022.

    Is Q2 Stadium reachable by train?

    Yes. The Red Line's McKalla station is beside the stadium, and the 803 rapid bus is another option.

    Can you bring a phone into the Comedy Mothership?

    You can bring it, but as of 2026 phones are locked in pouches during shows. The club on Sixth Street admits guests 21 and over.

    Sources