Make plans to join the world’s brightest creators March 13-22 at the 2020 SXSW Conference & Festivals in Austin, TX!
Registration opens on August 1, 2019. Stay tuned to SXSW News and subscribe to SXSW Newsletters for more information about SXSW 2020.
Whether you’re a seasoned SXSW veteran or first-timer, the Attendee Services Hub is your guide to SXSW resources that will prepare you for the adventure ahead.
SXSW is always working to make the event a positive experience for attendees. We have developed a suite of tools to help you navigate and access conference and festival events.
Dive into Event Navigation Tools, badge pickup information, registrant tips, and more.
After you purchase your SXSW Badge, you will receive a registration confirmation email. Click the link provided in that email to activate your SXSW account.
Once you’ve activated your account, upload the photo you’d like to use for your badge. All SXSW Badges include a headshot of the registrant. To upload a picture before the event, go to your SXSW Social account. Uploading your picture ahead of time helps to expedite the pickup process! Photo specs and requirements will be listed in SXSW Social on the photo upload page. Questions? Email techsupport@sxsw.com.
Connect with new colleagues and friends before, during, and after March! SXSW Social is a tool that allows you to search for other conference attendees as well as book or modify your hotel reservation.
Once your badge has been activated, you are ready to begin exploring the suite of tools for event navigation and access below.
Download SXSW GO, the official mobile app of SXSW, to build and sync your customized schedule with all your devices and network with other attendees. Plus, access Event Navigation Tools to make the most out of your SX experience and navigate events in real time come March.
SXSW GO also offers personalized event recommendations based on your location in Austin and the time of the day to help you discover even more new music, films, and sessions. For a full list of mobile app features, visit the SXSW GO page.
Stay tuned for the 2020 app release coming later this fall.
Stay tuned for the 2020 Schedule release coming later this fall.
Browse all confirmed programming for the SXSW Conference & Festivals including sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, workshops, parties, and more on the continuously updated SXSW Schedule.
Create an account or log in with your SXSW account username and password to start building your personal schedule for the March event.
Browse by major event categories listed on the homepage of the SXSW Schedule. Filter by day, venue, event, format, popular event tags or use the search bar.
After you log in, add favorite events to your schedule by clicking on the star next to each event’s name. An event that has already been added to your schedule will be denoted by a green star. Additionally, you can view all events in your schedule by clicking on My Favorites located on the Schedule homepage or in the dropdown menu under your avatar (upper right-hand corner).
The SXSW Schedule will be continuously updated as more events are confirmed and specific information becomes available. Add events of interest to your schedule now and as the details become available, changes will sync to your personal schedule.
To help enhance your SXSW experience, we’re delivering personalized event recommendations via the online Schedule and SXSW GO. These recommendations are based on a variety of factors, including other events you favorite, time, location, and popularity. If you would like daily recommendations emailed to you during the event, please subscribe here.
The full suite of Event Navigation Tools for the SXSW Schedule will be live in March 2020.
Event Status makes it easy for you to check the current status of a room or a venue’s remaining capacity.
A Green-Yellow-Red system appears on the SXSW GO app, the online SXSW Schedule, and on the digital Event Status Boards located around the ACC and other venues. This system applies to conference sessions and festival events. Admission is subject to capacity.
Green = GO
Yellow = HURRY
Red = FULL
Both the SXSW GO app and the online SXSW Schedule at schedule.sxsw.com will show room size information as small, medium, or large for any venue to help you plan your schedule.
Small = 0-249
Medium = 250-599
Large = 600+
See how many people have favorited any session, showcase, or screening with Favorited By on SXSW GO and the online Schedule. Not only will you be able to see how many people favorited an event, you can also see who.
SXXpress (South by Express) Passes allow registrants with Platinum, Interactive, Film, and Music Badges to request priority access to individual Conference sessions and parties, Music Festival Showcases, Film Festival Screenings, and Comedy Festival Showcases.
SXXpress Passes are digital and can be requested through the SXSW Schedule or SXSW GO mobile app. Passes will be distributed via email, Apple Wallet, and Android Pay. Signup is free and opens at 9am on the day before an event. You must have your physical, printed SXSW Badge before requesting SXXpress Passes – see Badge Pickup information.
You may only request a SXXpress Pass for events that you have primary access to — see the Badge Comparison Chart for details. View an overview of SXXpress Pass allotment and event eligibility by SXSW Badge type below:
Learn more about SXXpress Pass access, request periods, event lines, and more on the SXXpress Pass page.
Each year at the SXSW Conference, the multitude of high-profile topics bring a high demand for sessions across all 20 programming tracks. While sessions can quickly fill up, Encore Sessions provide additional opportunities to experience this season’s most compelling content.
During the March event, the SXSW Conference will announce Encore Sessions on SXSW News and add them to the SXSW Schedule, so you don’t miss the must-see speakers.
Check the SXSW Schedule for Encore Sessions additions during the SXSW Conference from March 13-21, 2020.
No matter what badge type you have, you’ll have access to experience sessions from all 20 Tracks at the SXSW Conference, as well as film screenings, music showcases, and special industry parties and events.
All SXSW registrants also receive complimentary access to SXSW Gaming as well as the Registrants Lounge, Flatstock Poster Show, SXSW Marketplace, Startup Spotlight, SXSW Wellness Expo, SXSW Community Service Awards, and SXSW Outdoor Stage at Lady Bird Lake concerts.
Other available networking events including BBQ Crash Course and Taco Meet Ups are sold* separately at the SXSW Cart checkout (*Subject to availability).
There are four SXSW Badge types: Platinum, Interactive, Film, and Music.
Badges are tied to three access types:
If you have a Platinum Badge, you always have primary access to all events.
If you have an Interactive, Film, or Music Badge, you have primary access to the respective Conference tracks and events of your badge type, plus secondary access to other tracks and events outside your badge type, giving you the chance to experience more of what SXSW has to offer.
A select number of events remain primary access only.
The icons on signage that match your badge type indicate which access line you join: primary or secondary.
Icons for Platinum, Interactive, Film, and Music can be seen below listed in order, left to right.
Access is also listed on your SXSW GO app and the online SXSW Schedule. SXSW representatives are on hand throughout the event to assist with lines and to answer your access questions.
See Event Status for more information on digital Event Status Boards and Green-Yellow-Red system color-coded system.
If you have a Film or Platinum Badge, and want to ensure you get a seat at the Stateside Theatre, Rollins Theatre, Atom Theater, or any Alamo Theater, show up early to get a numbered Queue Card.
After all available Queue Cards are distributed, Buffer Cards will be handed out.
While these cards do not guarantee entry to the theater, they will help badgeholders secure a seat if any Filmmaker Guest Tickets or SXXpress passes go unused at the screening.
1) SXSW Platinum and Film Badgeholders with SXXpress passes enter first.
2) Primary Access: The remaining Film and Platinum badgeholders will enter the theater.
3) Secondary Access: If seats still remain, Film Wristbands, Music Badges, and Interactive Badges will enter the theater.
4) Single Admission Tickets: If seats still remain, single admission tickets will be sold for $15 starting 15 minutes before showtime. We sell tickets most often at our larger venues: The Paramount Theatre, Atom Theater at the Austin Convention Center, and ZACH Theatre.
Plan ahead and check on the Event Status – find the current status of a room or a venue’s remaining capacity in the SXSW GO app and on digital Event Status Boards located around the ACC and other venues.
View the list of official Film Festival Venues for more venue specific information including addresses, seating capacity, and the best walking routes between theaters.
NEW BAG POLICY: The Paramount and Stateside Theatres have a new bag size limit – registrants attending any events or screenings in these venues should not bring bags over 14″ x 12″ x 6″ (35 x 30 x 15 cm). Any bag over this size will not be allowed into the venues with the exception of diaper bags (when a child is present) and medically necessary items (including breast pumps).
All bags under the size limit as well as jackets and coats are permitted and subject to inspection. SXSW Registrant bags – received at Registration badge pickup – will be allowed.
Stay tuned for 2020 Registration information including locations and hours.
The Austin Convention Center (500 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701) is the main registration location for all SXSW Badges and Wristbands pickup.
To pick up your SXSW 2020 badge, you must present a government-issued ID. To expedite the badge pickup process, upload your photo to your SXSW Social account ahead of time.
Stay tuned for 2020 Registration locations and hours.
After picking up your badge, grab your official SXSW Bag and Festival Pocket Guides outside the Registration area.
For more information on getting to the heart of SXSW from wherever you are staying in Austin, browse the Getting Around page for a comprehensive list of transportation services and other resources.
It’s never too early to book your flight to SXSW. Airline prices seem to take off faster than the planes themselves the closer you book to your travel date. Use our handy travel tool to book flights early at the best available rates to save — you have much more important things to spend your money on, like tacos and barbecue.
At travel.sxsw.com, you can find flights from a multitude of airlines to Austin from your hometown, with the option to sort by price, duration, and number of stops. The skies get busy in Austin around March, so be sure to check for flight delays before leaving for your airport.
Once you arrive in Austin, don’t wait around for a ride at the airport! After you book your flight, switch over to the car hire tab in the travel tool and have a ride waiting for you when you fly in. Browse more transportation options on the Getting Around page page.
SXSW is more than just a conference. You’ll be attending sessions, meeting potential clients, viewing films, networking at clubs, and hopping from one showcase to the next. If you’ve ever been to Austin, you know that the weather can be unpredictable — be sure to checkweather forecasts before you set off each day. That being said, Austin is a really casual city. If you want to attend panels in your pajamas, we won’t judge.
For those of you in fitness challenges counting your steps — get ready to score big this March! You’re going to be doing a lot of walking, so be comfort-conscious when selecting footwear. If you can manage it, you may want to have a change of shoes (and socks!) available. Your feet will thank you.
We strongly recommend that you pack sunscreen and a reusable water bottle. The Texas heat can be dehydrating and the air in the convention center can be quite dry, but you’ll find water stations throughout the building to refill your bottle and stay hydrated.
You don’t have to stick to it, but having a place to start will make all the difference. The process of making your schedule is a useful discovery tool for events you may not otherwise hear about. Use the SXSW Schedule or SXSW GO mobile app to build your customized schedule. Events can be filtered by conference, festivals, event type, venue, and time. Simply click the star to the left of an event’s listing to add it to your schedule. If you have any further questions, check out the Schedule Help page.
Wondering what events to schedule? Think about what you want out of your SXSW experience. Are you here to network? Are you here to learn? Or, are you just here to have the best week of your year? The sheer number of events can be daunting, but using the right filters in the scheduling tool will help you identify the events you’ll enjoy the most. Don’t be afraid to branch out – our Convergence programming events are open to more than one badge type and encourage networking between registrants from many different fields of expertise.
Use the Event Navigation Tools to help you navigate and access conference and festival events. Review our Attendee Safety page for general safety guidelines and resources.
SXSW provides unlimited networking opportunities in an eclectic, social atmosphere. Even if you arrive in Austin on your own, you’ll be saying heartfelt goodbyes at the end of the week. Get a head start on connecting with other registrants, and see if you already know anyone attending at SXSW Social.
You will have the urge to hit the ground running and try to cram as much into your first day as possible. Resist it! You will only be overwhelmed and disappointed with yourself that you don’t have the energy to go to that great evening event you had your heart set on. Experienced registrants know that SXSW is a marathon, not a sprint.
Join the world’s brightest creators March 13-22 at the 2020 SXSW Conference & Festivals in Austin, TX! Registration opens on August 1, 2019.
Learn more about the session formats for programming tracks at the SXSW Conference.
Sign up to receive the latest announcements, tips, networking invitations and more.
