clues point to Chainsmokers, Turnstile

Austin City Limits Music Festival will release the 2026 lineup at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Three-day tickets for weekend one and weekend two of the fest will go on sale at noon that same day. Last year, postcards were mailed out in May featuring drawings that alluded to some of the headliners that played in 2025.

On Sunday, festival organizers invited the public to “Rewind to Reveal,” a Sunday event that provided hints about the musical acts joining this year’s lineup via retro listening devices and electronics at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden in Austin. The marketing campaign pays homage to the festival’s 25th anniversary celebration in 2026.

Who would’ve thought we would be figuring out who’s playing ACL Fest from TI-84 calculators and a Guitar Hero emulator?

There’s been a lot of speculation about who will be the festival’s main pop act this year, with some leaning towards Charli xcx or Lorde. Well, what sounded a lot like Olivia Rodrigo played from a Sony Walkman Portable CD player, although some people said it could be Audrey Hobert.

The Sony Walkman also played “Your Love is Calling” by The War on Drugs.

A snippet of “Something Just Like This” played as the second track on an Apple iPod Classic, so it’s a safe bet that the Chainsmokers are this year’s EDM headliner. There was also a Zenith DVP615 Portable DVD Player showing a video loop featuring someone who looked strikingly like Suki Waterhouse, so she’s also likely joining the lineup.

A Guitar Hero emulator gave attendees the option to play the game with one song: “BIRDS” by Turnstile. Nearby, a Panasonic Boombox played four tracks, including a familiar tune, “Better Me For You” by Max McNown.

Perhaps the most nostalgic of all was Hit Clips, the Y2K-era low-fidelity listening device attendees could use to swap key chain-sized cartridges and play one-minute clips of different songs. The one that was pre-inserted? Natasha Bedingfield’s 2008 hit “Pocketful of Sunshine.”

It took a couple tries to decipher the hangman game programmed onto a TI-84 calculator, but it eventually spelled out “Grass Is Purple,” a lyrical hint to British singer Skye Newman’s song “I Wish I Didn’t Love You.” The other calculator had a pixelated image of a horse, a staple indicator of the Red Clay Strays.

Let’s break down one of the toughest puzzles. There were three photos saved to the desktop of a 2003 iMac: a Conair-branded hair braider and gemstone applicator, the pool at Austin’s Pearl Street Co-Op and the cartoon character Squidward enjoying a box of Bon-Bons.

This obviously points to the duo Fckers. Frontwoman Shanny Wise is notorious for her trendy braided hairstyles, and the group just played Pearl Street Co-op on Feb. 27. Plus, they have a song called “Bon Bon.” Case closed.

Some people are also pointing to Rusokowsky and Avery Hill. 

Social media users have been speculating for months about which artists could be performing at this year’s festival. One user on Reddit, u/hitmanhooker, likened the guesswork to waiting in line for a roller coaster at an amusement park: building anticipation among excited strangers is  potentially more thrilling than the ride itself.

The American-Statesman proposed our own list of artists we think will play the festival based on their recent touring schedules, other festival appearances and past shows in Austin. Last year, we correctly predicted Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter and the Dare.

Our methodology for guessing this year’s lineup was part pattern recognition, part industry timing.

We looked at who’s playing major festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo and the Lollapalooza festivals — which are produced by Austin-based C3 Presents, the company behind ACL Fest. Artists who are touring through Texas around the first two weekends of October were also factored into the judgment.

Some of our top contenders for ACL Fest 2026 include Charli xcx, Amyl and the Sniffers and Geese. We also explained why we think 22 other rock, EDM and pop acts could be listed on the poster coming next week.

Single-day tickets for the 25th anniversary festival will go on sale later this year.

Organizers are bringing back complimentary drinks for VIP ticket holders and adding air-conditioned lounges to both VIP groves this year.

More information at aclfestival.com.