Austin is a vibrant community that hosts hundreds of local, national, and international events each year—ranging from music concerts, food festivals, and racing competitions, to parades, art exhibitions, and family fun. As our city continues to thrive, special events enrich Austin’s quality of life and boost economic prosperity. The goal of the Austin Center for Events (ACE) is to keep all of those events safe.

The Austin Center for Events oversees the permitting and planning for temporary special events and festivals in the City of Austin.

ACE is an interdepartmental team consisting of representatives from multiple city departments, including Austin Police, Austin Fire, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, Transportation and Public Works, Austin Water Utility, Economic Development Department’s Music & Entertainment Division, Parks and Recreation, Austin Public Health, Code Compliance, and Austin Resource Recovery. ACE also works with several local agencies, such as Capital Metro and the Texas Facilities Commission, for event planning and permitting.

The Austin Center for Events Planning Guide assists event organizers through the city permitting process by providing requirements and guidelines necessary to produce a special event in the City of Austin. On behalf of the City of Austin, thank you for contributing to the spirit and vitality of our community through the production of your event.

Things to Know Before You Plan

  • Take a look at the current ACE fee schedule. Applicants are charged an application processing fee at the time of application submittal and an ACE permitting fee after reviews are complete and before the permit is issued.
  • The City of Austin Special Events Ordinance provides event organizers with the opportunity to hire private security, including licensed peace officers that are not employed by the City of Austin, for personal safety or property security during a special event to supplement the services provided by the Austin Police Department (APD). This security handout provides additional information about requirements and identified resources. 
  • The City of Austin Transportation and Public Works Department and the Austin Center for Events has declared a Moratorium on New Downtown Street Events (pdf) and a Moratorium Extension (pdf).
  • The State of Texas Capitol Complex Master Plan is ongoing. The development may impact downtown streets with utility expansions, new construction and sidewalk enhancement. Please visit https://www.tfc-ccp.org/ to sign-up for the Texas Facilities newsletter. Contact TransportationSpecialEvents@austintexas.gov for coordination assistance.
  • The Special Events Ordinance was adopted May 2018.
  • The Special Events Ordinance Rules (pdf) went into effect April 2019.
  • Legacy Events, or special events that have been held in the City of Austin in substantially the same form for a minimum of 20 years, may submit a Notice of Proposed Special Event Dates (pdf) for up to a five year period. Please Note: Submittal of this form does NOT guarantee these dates for your event. Additionally, ACE will review the submitted dates for any active, pending, or possible conflicts and work with event organizer to resolve those conflicts. The Austin Center for Events has the final decision on approved event dates.

Ask ACE

Submit your questions to SpecialEvents@austintexas.gov, and an ACE representative will be in touch.