Do You Know the Way to Austin Psych Fest? Are You Sure?

by Anna · Published April 25, 2013 · Updated June 23, 2014

Austin Psych Fest is this weekend, April 26-28 2013, at Carson Creek Ranch.

If you are, er, directionally challenged like me, this should strike fear into your heart. Or at least get you to add an extra hour into your festival planning!

Earlier this week my sweetie read a location-traffic-transportation blog post from Austin Bloggy Limits and freaked out a bit about the transportation and parking situation at this year’s festival.

On Wednesday I figured it would be a good thing to try and find the venue before the festival started. Having lived in Austin for umpty-ump years –and armed with the venue address, a mapquest printout, an iPhone, and a firm knowledge of where the “new” Austin airport is located–I figured the trip to find the location of the festival would be easy-peasy, lemon squeezy.

I was so very wrong. I drove in a loop. I I missed the turnoff for Old Bastrop Road several times–though I’m pretty sure that the sign has been removed due to the road work in the area. (On Wednesday a large digital sign warned of a “change in traffic patterns” coming to the area on 4/28. )

Instead of following the small signs for Psych Fest Access I followed the GPS directions to the address of the ranch. (I wasn’t driving a UHaul full of lights or stage equiptment, so I figured this didn’t apply to me. I was wrong.) Thus, my directions took me to the front of the Carson Creek Ranch property where I was forced to and make a UTurn (just as a song by Austin Psych Festival curators and Sunday Night Reverberation Stage artists The Black Angels came on the satellite radio.) I asked a cow and the wind for directions, before I finally ended up where stages were being set up.

The location for Austin Psych Festival is a lushly green spot overlooking the river. Cows are grazing nearly.

Actually, it looks a lot like the spot near Cesis, Latvia where the Latvian Fonofest is held, but I might be the only person on earth to make that observation.

Moral of the story: Don’t just set your GPS to the street address of the festival. Instead, if you are going to the festival, a I suggest that you READ THESE EFFING DIRECTIONS about how to get to the event. Or that you drive a super-comfy car.

Or maybe there will be signs directing people to the event this weekend!

FYI: Next to the turnoff to the private Giraffe Pen Road that leads to the festival is a landscape company whose sign tells you that their business phone number is 989-ROCK. For reals. (But don’t call them asking for festival directions. That wouldn’t be nice.)