LIMITS ON SPECIAL EVENTS.
Austin City Code § 8-1-15
in effect§ 8-1-15 - LIMITS ON SPECIAL EVENTS.
(A) For purposes of this section, special event days do not include days to set up and take down a special event.
(B) Except as provided in Subsections (D) and (E), the Council establishes the maximum number of special event days for the following public recreation areas:
(1) Zilker Metropolitan Park is 24 per calendar year;
(2) Festival Beach at Edward Rendon Senior Metropolitan Park is 17 per calendar year; and
(3) Auditorium and Vic Mathias Shores at Lady Bird Lake Metropolitan Park is 17 per calendar year.
(C) As of June 8, 2017, the reoccurring special events and days used are:
(1) Zilker Metropolitan Park:
Reoccurring Special Event | Days Used
Trail of Lights 5k | 1
Trail of Lights Event Nights | 14
Zilker Park Kite Festival | 1
Zilker Garden Festival | 2
Blues on the Green | 4
Zilker Relays | 1
ACL Festival | 6
(2) Festival Beach at Edward Rendon Senior Metropolitan Park:
Reoccurring Special Event | Days Used
Heart of Texas Regatta | 2
Texas Vegefest | 1
Bengali New Year Celebration | 1
Texas Rowing Championships | 2
Dragon Boat Races | 2
Cinco de Mayo | 2
Hot Sauce Festival | 1
Pride Festival | 1
Diez y Seis | 2
Craft Brewer's Festival | 1
Head of the Colorado | 1
Celtic Festival | 2
Ice Cream Festival | 1
(3) Auditorium and Vic Mathias Shores at Lady Bird Lake Metropolitan Park:
Reoccurring Special Event | Days Used
SXSW Music Festival | 3
Urban Music Festival | 2
Austin Reggae Festival | 3
Capitol 10k | 1
Austin Food and Wine Festival | 2
Sunshine Run 5k and 10k | 1
Cap Tex Tri | 1
4 th of July | 1
Tri Rock Austin | 1
Austin Marathon Relay | 1
Fun, Fun, Fun Festival | 3
New Year's Eve | 1
(D) Council authorizes the continued use of the public recreation areas for the number of special event days described in Subsection (C). If a reoccurring special event described in Subsection (C) does not occur in substantially the same form after the effective date of this section, the City Manager may not allow the special event days to be used by a different special event until the number of days used per calendar year is less than maximum established in Subsection (B).
(E) In addition to the days authorized in Subsection (B)(3), the City Manager may authorize single day non-reoccurring special events to take place at Auditorium and Vic Mathias Shores at Lady Bird Lake Metropolitan Park for a municipal purpose if the total number of special event days does not exceed 25 per calendar year. In evaluating a request described by this subsection, the City Manager must consider the following factors:
(1) a scheduling conflict at the public recreation area or with adjacent properties;
(2) traffic congestion;
(3) potential damage to park property or landscape;
(4) potential threat to public health, safety or welfare;
(5) availability of city resources required to permit and to provide services to the special event; and
(6) availability of other public recreation areas for the special event.
(F) Nothing in this section limits the City Manager's authority to establish a maximum number of special event days that may be used at other public recreation areas.
Source: Ord. No. 20170615-023, Pt. 7, 6-26-17; Ord. No. 20190307-014, Pts. 4, 9, 3-18-19.
Source: City of Austin, City Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/austin/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT8PARE_CH8-1PAAD_ART2REPAUS_S8-1-15LISPEVFetched: 10/27/2026