South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conference and festival held in March in Austin, Texas, United States.
Last updated October 22, 2026
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Overview
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conference and festival that takes place in March in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1987, SXSW features programming across technology, film and television, music, education, culture, gaming, and other creative industries. The event includes keynote and featured sessions, exhibitions, screenings, music showcases, networking opportunities, and more held across multiple venues throughout Austin. SXSW is run by the company SXSW, LLC, which organizes conferences, trade shows, festivals, and other events. In addition to SXSW, the company runs the SXSW EDU conference and the SXSW London festival, and co-runs North by Northeast in Toronto, Canada.
History
In July 1986, the organizers of the New York City music festival New Music Seminar contacted Roland Swenson, a staffer at the alternative weekly The Austin Chronicle, to talk about organizing an extension of that festival into Austin. They thereafter announced they were going to hold a "New Music Seminar Southwest". The plans did not materialize, however, so Swenson decided to instead co-organize a local music festival, with the help of two other people at the Chronicle: editor and co-founder Louis Black, and publisher Nick Barbaro. Louis Meyers, a booking agent and musician, was also brought on board. Black came up with the name, as a play on the name of the 1959 Alfred Hitchcock film North by Northwest. The event was first held in March 1987. The organizers considered it a regional event and expected around 150 attendees to show up, but over 700 came, and according to Black "it was national almost immediately." Meyers left Austin and the festival in the early 1990s, but Black, Barbaro and Swenson remained the festival's key organizers as of 2010. In 1993, SXSW moved into the Austin Convention Center, where it is still held. In 1994, SXSW added a component for film and other media, named the "SXSW Film and Multimedia Conference".
Controversies
2020
Ticketholders sue SXSW over ticket refunds
Ticketholders Maria Bromley and Pauta Kleber filed a lawsuit against SXSW after the festival did not refund tickets following its cancellation. According to the plaintiffs, they had spent more than $1,000 each on tickets. The event was reported on April 24, 2020.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Media Corporation acquires SXSW, ending local ownership[3]
Media Corporation has acquired SXSW, ending local ownership of the brand, as reported by The Daily Texan.
Reported
SXSW sues its insurer over legal-fee coverage[4]
SXSW sued its insurance company, alleging that it did not cover legal fees in an ongoing class action brought by attendees seeking refunds for the previous year's canceled event.
Reported
SXSW Online passes offered at a limited-time $149 price[5]
SXSW offered SXSW Online passes for $149 for a limited time, with the rate set to increase to $399 by March 2021.
Reported
SXSW announces an online edition of its annual festival[6]
SXSW announced an online edition of its annual festival, scheduled to take place March 16–20, 2021. The SXSW EDU online event was scheduled for March 9–11.
Reported
Ticketholders sue SXSW over ticket refunds[2]
Ticketholders Maria Bromley and Pauta Kleber filed a lawsuit against SXSW after the festival did not refund tickets following its cancellation; the plaintiffs said they had spent more than $1,000 each on tickets.
Reported
SXSW and Amazon Prime Video partner to stream festival films[7]
SXSW announced a partnership with Amazon Prime Video to stream as much of the SXSW Film Festival movie lineup as possible for a free 10-day period in the U.S.; the online event was planned for late April.
Reported
Apple withdraws from SXSW 2020[8]
Apple said it would withdraw from SXSW 2020, where it had planned to premiere original Apple TV+ content, citing concern about the novel coronavirus.
Reported
SXSW announces discounted Austin-only music wristbands[9]
SXSW announced that Austin-only music wristbands would go on sale January 22 for $149, $20 less than the prior year’s price.
Reported
White Claw announces SXSW sponsorship[10]
White Claw Hard Seltzer announced its sponsorship of South by Southwest (SXSW). The announcement said SXSW 2020 would take place March 13–22, 2020.
Sources11 sources
- 1South by Southwesten.wikipedia.org
- 2Ticketholders sue SXSW over ticket refundsnme.com
- 3Media Corporation收购SXSW,结束本地所有权news.google.com
- 4SXSW就法律费用承保问题起诉保险公司billboard.com
- 5SXSW Online通行证限时售价149美元dallas.culturemap.com
- 6SXSW 宣布推出年度电影节的线上版pitchfork.com
- 7SXSW与Amazon Prime Video合作线上播放电影节影片toronto.citynews.ca
- 8苹果宣布退出SXSW 2020tech.sina.com.cn
- 9SXSW宣布推出奥斯汀居民专属音乐腕带优惠价austin.culturemap.com
- 10White Claw宣布赞助SXSWprnewswire.com
- 11SXSW partners with Amazon to put its film festival onlineindianexpress.com
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