40 YEARS LATER
Back in 1987 we launched SXSW Music Festival right before our city was anointed as the Live Music Capital of the World®. We grew quickly, expanding our gathering to match our eclectic tastes and the excitement of the world who now looked to Austin for discovery. We featured tech companies before they became household names, we screened films from directors who would go on to win Oscars, and we continued to believe in thousands of musicians every single year before they charted or had record deals. In what feels like the blink of an eye, we’re suddenly celebrating 40 years of SXSW this March — and truly, we’re just getting started.
This year, for the first time ever, we’re bringing all our events together in the same timeframe: 7 days to showcase 40 years of legends: past, present, and future across Innovation, Film & TV, and Music. And in homage to our roots, our beloved city, and the local people and businesses in our community that helped create us, we’re expanding our Music Festival into 7 consecutive days and nights of showcases, adding an extra night in 2026. We want you to have even more chances to discover new artists and experience unforgettable breakthrough performances at iconic venues that can only happen in Austin, Texas.
Speaking of our home, everyone’s been asking us what SXSW will look like without the Austin Convention Center, and we love a good visual, so here’s a sneak peek of our pop-up SXSW village that will convene across downtown Austin.
This year, we’re rolling out three Clubhouses for Innovation, Film & TV, and Music-related industries so you can connect with luminaries in your field. Think of these spaces as your home base. Around them, programming tracks are now aligned with key buildings across downtown. From the moment you land in Austin, it’s never been easier to hop right into the event with ease. If you start to feel lost during the event, you can look to these locations as beacons to orient you and lead you to where you need to go next. Clubhouses are not only spaces where you can recharge but refer to information centers, find exclusive and unique SXSW merch drops, and bump into thought leaders that might just change your life.
The Event Schedule
Our Conferences & Festivals kick off on Thursday, March 12 with an exciting slate of Innovation Conference tracks: Brand & Marketing, Cities & Climate, Creator Economy, Culture, Startups, Sports & Gaming, Tech & AI, and Workplace. Our iconic Music Festival brings the noise with dozens of showcases in legendary Austin music venues while we roll out the red carpets and dazzling premieres at local theaters for the Film & TV Festival. All badgeholders are invited to the first Keynote and Thursday’s SXSW and SXSW EDU co-programmed Sessions. And after the sessions, the party really begins.
We begin our week of celebration with The Crossover Day Mixer: a getdown where all badgeholders are invited. For Innovation, Film & TV, and Music we’ll have our annual opening parties for those respective badgeholders (Platinum is invited to all parties) to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones. For all the latest announcements throughout the season including new speakers, screenings, and showcasing artists check out our schedule — including our first drop of SXSW 2026 Featured Sessions here.
Badge Improvements for 2026
Speaking of badgeholders: We’ve simplified badge access and reservations to improve your experience.
Each badge now comes with reservations to secure a spot in sessions, screenings, and showcases up to three weeks in advance of SXSW. Three reservations a day for Platinum Badges, and two reservations a day for Innovation, Film & TV, and Music Badges —see our badge page for more details. Another big improvement for this year - we’re releasing reservations in windows, so while Platinum will always have the most and first opportunity to use their reservations, Innovation, Film & TV, and Music Badges will also get a fresh batch of reservations made available when their window opens.
A certain portion of capacity is held for reservations, but you can still always get in a walk-up line for the conference or festival events you’re excited about, according to your badge type. Remember to check the Event Status on the Schedule or the SXSW GO app—a helpful tool to see the current status of a room or venue's remaining capacity. Finally, we’ve heard you on simplifying our lines and improving the experience for all our badgeholders, so Innovation, Film & TV, and Music Badges will no longer have secondary access to badge specific events and tracks outside their event. In place of secondary access, you can now add a Music Wristband at checkout to Innovation and Film & TV Badges, or buy limited General Admission film tickets one week before SXSW. Platinum is still the best way to experience everything and we’ve lowered our earliest prices to make each badge more accessible than ever. Please check out our FAQs at the bottom of our badge page to learn more.
We can’t wait to see you in Austin this March! In the meantime, plan your schedule and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn , TikTok , and Bluesky to learn about the latest announcements.
