I have been attending the Austin, Texas, South By Southwest (SXSW) Conference since 2012 and learned how to navigate it quite well. Last year, however, it came with a warning. Its headquarters and activities center – the Austin Convention Center – was about to be remodeled and would be unavailable the next three years.
Unlike other events, like Adobe Software’s annual conference, which went on the road for three years while the Los Angeles Convention Center was being redone, SXSW could not do that. The conference and the city are too tightly tied together. Its volunteers and community support keep the fest going.
So, here’s what will happen beginning March 12.
Everywhere…
Instead of one center in the construction that used to be the convention center, each subsection of the conference – Film & TV, Music, and Innovation – will have its own headquarters. These will be called “clubhouses,” each in a different part of downtown Austin. Each clubhouse will be the focus for that part of the festival, with related events happening nearby.
The Film & TV Clubhouse will be at 800 Congress, a short walk from the Paramount Theater where the featured-films screen and the hot red-carpets take place. Opening night will feature two must-see films. Margo’s Got Money Problems features an all-star cast including Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, Nicole Kidman, and Greg Kinnear. Also, on opening night I Love Boosters brings Keke Palmer and Demi Moore to the Austin screen.
The Innovation Clubhouse will occupy Brazos Hall. Here you’ll find the HQ for tech, marketing, business innovation and, of course, AI. Ironically, all this tech and modernity will be explored in a 100-year-old warehouse. Don’t worry, it has a famous chef attached.
Forty years ago, SXSW started as a music festival. That part of the fest expands this year with its clubhouse located in The Downright. It’s a new hotel within blocks of one of Austin’s premiere music venues, Moody Amphitheater. As it has for years, SXSW will feature entertainers from all over the world. Notables this year include multi-GRAMMY nominated singer-songwriter Ingrid Andress; Los Lobos, the Mexican-American rock group from East Los Angeles; current country superstar Lainey Wilson; and over 700 other performers. Genres include Caribbean, R&B, blues, punk, metal, jazz, and even eight classical-music artists.
Traditionally, the three parts of SXSW – Music, Film & TV, and Innovation – have started on different days, with the days when they overlap being a special featured time of the festival. SXSW 2025 lasted nine days with, as usual, the overlap in the middle.
All At Once
The new configuration this year, however, begins everything on March 12 with all three parts running concurrently for seven days. This adds an extra day for music and more days for attendees who have badges for just one part of the festival to attend events in the other tracks.
Another first is a reservation system. All badges come with daily reservations that can be used to secure seats in advance for high-demand sessions, screenings, and showcases.
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987, SXSW continues to evolve and seems certain to survive the temporary lack of a convention center.
