Concerts are absolutely one of the coolest experiences ever—it’s amazing how many people can come together to see one artist perform for an hour or two. The atmosphere is always so exciting, and there is nothing like the adrenaline rush you get when the lights dim and the music begins.

At Austin City Limits (ACL), Austin’s largest music festival, you encounter this feeling multiple times a day as you hop from artist to artist, seeing some of the biggest names in the music industry in the same place. You can go from Billie Eilish to 21 Savage without skipping a beat, and top your experience off with Childish Gambino all in the span of three hours.

I attended ACL on its first weekend, on Oct. 2 to 4. On Sunday night, Lizzo and Cardi B played back to back. I love Lizzo, and Cardi B is iconic, so seeing both of them was incredible. The only problem was that there was a massive crowd to see Lizzo—over 60,000 people squeezed in around one of the smallest stages at the festival to see her perform, and I was at the front of it. My friends and I had waited for about two hours in the crowd to keep our spots, and it was totally worth it.

However, when the concert ended at 8 p.m., all 60,000 people flocked to the left of the park to catch Mumford and Sons, or to the right to see Cardi B. We knew we wouldn’t be as close to Cardi B as we were to Lizzo, but we also knew that the crowd would be much more energetic for Cardi B.

As we moved from the Miller Lite stage to the Honda stage, we found a spot on the side of the crowd waiting for Cardi B, where there was space for us to dance and enjoy ourselves without being shoulder to shoulder with thousands of strangers. When Cardi B finally came out onto the stage, we had lots of space to really go crazy and have fun.

I think the contrast between the crowds really highlights the biggest challenge in planning a day at ACL. Festival attendees had to choose between waiting for hours in a crowded line to be close to their performers, or having room to dance and have fun further away from the stage.

Personally, I had much more fun with free space to move around in. 95 degree heat combined with a tightly packed crowd made it hard to enjoy the concert, but in all fairness, it’s hard not to enjoy Lizzo and Cardi B. Even though we were further away from Cardi B and I could barely see her over the crowd, my friends and I were able to enjoy ourselves more by having space to breathe freely.

ACL definitely delivers on the fun, music filled weekend it advertises. The overall atmosphere that comes with the concerts, whether you’re close or far, the food options, the merchandise and the backdrop of the city of Austin create an unforgettable experience.

The big crowds, loud music and high prices don’t bother me as much as they might other festival-goers. I’m also not bothered by little things like being far away from the stage or waiting in the Texas heat for two hours for an artist to come out, because the music is always worth the wait.

I know that some of my friends don’t enjoy it as much as I do because of common problems, like overcrowding and unfair price increases. Cramming tens of thousands of people into the park creates some tight squeezes near the stages or the ACL Eats areas, and the prices are a little ridiculous. A usual “Trailer Park” taco from Torchy’s Tacos is $3.75 when you order at the restaurant, but at the Torchy’s Tacos booth at ACL, the same taco costs $8.00. But a price increase on food is a small price to pay for great music and fun times with friends.

Regardless of the minor inconveniences, I think that ACL creates an amazing festival experience that not enough people get to be a part of. Austin is the live music capital of the world, and ACL definitely lives up to the hype and creates an unforgettable experience for everyone.