South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas, United States. It began in 1987 and has continued to grow in both scope and size every year. In 2017, the conference lasted for 10 days with the interactive track lasting for five days, music for seven days, and film for nine days. SXSW is run by the company SXSW, LLC, which organizes conferences, trade shows, festivals, and other events. In addition to the three main South by Southwest festivals, the company runs other conferences: SXSW EDU, a conference on educational innovation, held in Austin, and the me Convention, held in Frankfurt, Germany and in Stockholm, Sweden, in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz.
| Genre | Conference and festival |
| Dates | March (dates vary but generally coinciding with University of Texas at Austin spring break and also usually includes St. Patrick's Day) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Inaugurated | 1987 |
| Founders | Roland Swenson, Louis Jay Meyers, Louis Black, Nick Barbaro |
| Next event | March 2022 (dates TBD) |
| Attendance | SXSW Music: 28,119, SXSW Interactive: 30,621, SXSW Film: 16,297, SXSW EDU: 4,260, Other Exhibits/Parties: 152,000 |
| Organized by | SXSW, LLC |
About South by Southwest
Several events held annually in March, including a tech conference, film festival and music festival, all running under the title South by Southwest, or SXSW. The tech conference highlights emerging trends and products in the world of technology and features talks from prominent members of the tech industry.
Achievement of South by Southwest
John Mayer's performance at the music festival in 2000 led to him signing with his first label, Aware Records. The hit comedy film 21 Jump Street had its premiere at the 2012 SXSW film festival.
Top Facts You Did Not Know About South by Southwest
Music festivals in Texas.. Annual events in Texas.. Music conferences.. Conferences in the United States.. March events.. Festivals in Austin, Texas.. Computer conferences.. Technology conferences.. Electronic music festivals in the United States.. Rock festivals in the United States.
Latest information about South by Southwest updated on July 28 2021.
