The trailblazing live music series Austin City Limits (ACL) kicks off its 50th celebrations with a week of highlights leading up to the October 17th anniversary of Willie Nelson’s landmark 1974 pilot episode taping. Iconic Austin institutions and music venues will tip their hat to the fabled music program with salutes on their signs and marquees to celebrate the series’ half-century mark. El Arroyo, Austin Motel, Paramount Theatre, Hole in the Wall, Saxon Pub, Q2 Arena, Moody Center and more will participate throughout the celebratory week to show their appreciation and toast the longest-running music series in TV history, which helped secure Austin’s reputation as “the live music capital of the world.”
Austin City Limits will receive a Texas-sized salute with proclamations from both the state and the Austin City Council to officially declare October 17th “Austin City Limits Day” state and citywide in recognition of the music institution’s contributions to Austin’s live music culture and identity, and for broadcasting legendary performances into homes across America and beyond for a remarkable five decades. The proclamations will be announced from the stage at the Austin City Limits 50th Birthday Bash celebration. Adriana Cruz, Executive Director of Texas Economic Development & Tourism for the state of Texas, along with Chip Adams, Director of the Texas Music Office, will announce the Lone Star State’s proclamation; Austin Mayor Kirk Watson will declare “Austin City Limits Day” on behalf of the city of Austin.
Austin City Limits will livestream the golden anniversary concert performances by Willie Nelson & Family, along with an opening set from Austin’s own Asleep at the Wheel, live from Austin City Limits’ 50th Birthday Bash. Fans worldwide can join in the celebrations with a free livestream of the event, which will stream live in its entirety on aclturns50.com and Austin City Limits TV’s YouTube channel beginning at 7pm CT on Thursday, October 17, 2024—exactly 50 years to the day that Willie Nelson taped the show’s pilot debut. The outdoor concert, on the lawn of Austin’s Long Center, will feature Willie and Asleep at the Wheel performing in front of the city skyline that has inspired the show’s trademark set for decades. The stream will only be available live; the performance will be taped, and musical highlights will air early next year on PBS as a season highlight of the program’s anniversary Season 50.
ACL is proud to partner with Armadillo World Headquarters (AWHQ) as the official Watch Party partner for the event. The legendary live music venue recently relaunched as a purpose-driven brand supporting Austin musicians. AWHQ will livestream the show at multiple venues across Austin, including the newly opened Armadillo Forever space at the South Congress Hotel, Pershing and Deep Eddy Cabaret.