Austin

How to Navigate the City on a (Probably Wet) Formula One Weekend

KUT 90.5 | By KUT Staff

Published October 23, 2015 at 9:05 AM CDT

Formula 1 is heading to Austin this weekend, along with a front that could produce flooding in parts of Austin.

To the chagrin of many international auto racing fans hoping to enjoy sunny Texas weather, Austin and surrounding areas are expecting heavy rain this Formula One weekend, beginning in earnest Friday night and lasting at least through Saturday. Area drivers will want to pay close attention to road conditions and be aware of road closures due to either the F1 Fan Fest or to flooding.

This year's free F1 Fan Fest will host performances by Public Enemy, Mayer Hawthorne, Ozomatli and others. If you're looking for the best Fan Fest acts to check out or if you're looking for good shows outside the fest can check out this weekend's best live music suggestions from KUTX's Matt Reilly below.

Wherever you end up going for your live music fix, you're likely to run into a throng of F1 fans. Maps below indicate areas downtown where roads are closed, and where Fan Festers are likely to congregate.

Road closures

For the F1 Fan Fest, Trinity Street is closed from Cesar Chavez to 4th Street ; 2nd Street is closed from San Jacinto to Trinity; and 3rd Street is also closed from San Jacinto to Trinity. Some other streets may be closed by law enforcement officials should the need arise, like if a street gets too rainy (or too Rainey). The Fan Fest stage sits just off of Driskill near Rainey Street, and that will likely be the nexus of F1 Fan Fest revelry. Please find more street closure and parking information here.

Red is road closures; blue is possible road closures (to be shut down at law enforcement discretion).

Other modes of transportation

Festival goers can take a shuttle bus from Republic Square Park to the race track.

CapMetro has extended its hours for the weekend; buses will run until midnight, as will MetroRail (except to Leander). Some of the LocalMetro buses are rerouted during the festival: routes 4, 17, 21, 22 and 100 will be affected.

The Night Owl bus along certain routes until 3 a.m., and you can find more information here. And remember, rain tends to alter any posted bus schedules.

You can download the CapMetro app for more real-time info on buses and trains. More info can be found online at CapMetro's special events page.

It may be advisable not to drive yourself downtown for Fan Fest. But, here's a link to the page where you can find a downtown parking map.

This page has more information about CapMetro services, including airport rides and festival shuttles.