How to get to the big events

Get ready, because there’s a lot happening this weekend, and if you’re planning on celebrating we recommend you plan out your route in advance to avoid traffic snarls. There’s big stuff happening both downtown and in Northwest Austin on Monday, July 4. The annual free shindig at Auditorium Shores starts at 8 p.m. with the Austin Symphony Orchestra concert, followed by the fireworks show. There will be no parking in the neighborhoods surrounding Auditorium Shores and the Long Center – none, zip, zilch – and sections of Barton Springs Road, South First Street and Riverside Drive will be closed. This map depicts the closures. Capital Metro is offering free rides after 5 p.m. to this event; use the trip planner to find the best way to get there on public transit or MetroBike. You can walk or bike directly to the concert site or you can rent a scooter: The southwest corner of Riverside Drive and South First Street will be available to drop off scooters and other dockless devices. For those driving cars, the city recommends parking north of Lady Bird Lake in the downtown area and walking to the event, and here’s some info about downtown parking garages. Then there’s Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July picnic and fireworks. The all-day affair will be at Q2 Stadium, with doors opening at 11 a.m. and music starting at noon. Capital Metro will also take you here for free, but not until after 5 p.m. MetroRail will be operating on a special schedule serving Q2 Stadium: Trains from each direction will stop at Kramer Station and not run the entire length of the MetroRail line, with no direct service from Leander to downtown. Here’s more info about parking at the event, if you decide to brave it.