Parking tips for Deadhead Disco at Empire Control Room (Austin 01/31)

hey austin crew, figured i'd share some parking tips for the deadhead disco show on 01/31. the empire control room is right there at 7th and red river, and honestly, parking can be a nightmare in that whole entertainment district since they don't have their own lot. you gotta be smart or you'll pay a ton or get towed.

first up, the best insider trick is the Prked app. this is where you can rent someone's personal driveway or garage space right next to the venue. it's usually way cheaper than the commercial lots and you get to skip a lot of the crazy red river traffic since you're parking in a private spot a short walk away. worth checking on the app before you even leave your house to see what's available.

if you skip Prked, you'll be looking at the standard paid lots and garages. pre-booking on apps like spothero or parkwhiz is a smart move, as event rates can climb high the day-of. one of the most convenient spots is the simms lot at 707 e 7th st; it's super close (like a one-minute walk) and is usually one of the more reasonable bookable lots, often around $7 to $10 for a few hours. the 400 e 8th st lot also sometimes has cheaper spots around $6. a little farther but sometimes a good deal is the st. david's church garage at 710 trinity st, which is about a four-minute walk. be wary of the 600 sabine st lot or the hotel indigo garage at 505 e 9th st, as those rates can shoot up into the $30 range on busy nights.

for street parking, 01/31 is a tuesday night, which is actually a blessing. downtown metered parking is typically only enforced until **6 p.m. on mondays and tuesdays**. since the show starts at 9:00 pm, you shouldn't have to pay for street parking if you arrive at or after 6 p.m. but you absolutely must read the posted signs *very* carefully to be sure, as some areas can have different rules. a couple of essential tips: use the park atx app if you do need to pay, never park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, and watch out for back-in angle parking spots—they *will* ticket you if you pull in head first.

traffic is rough, especially coming off i-35 and running into the 6th street area crowd. try to arrive a bit early, like closer to 8:30 pm, to snag one of those free street spots near the venue that opens up after 6 p.m..

hope this helps you skip the parking chaos and have a blast at deadhead disco!