SXSW offers a variety of crews to choose from! Whether you’re a lover of music, a film junkie, or interested in the latest technology, there is a crew for you! Volunteers can select one crew to create a schedule and secure their opportunity to attend SXSW or SXSW EDU!
SXSW Volunteers – SXSW 2024 – Photo by Tico Mendoza
SXSW offers a variety of crews to choose from! Whether you’re a lover of music, a film junkie, or interested in the latest technology, there is a crew for you! Volunteers can select one crew to create a schedule and secure their opportunity to attend SXSW or SXSW EDU!
Check out the descriptions below and see what crew might be a good fit for you.
Operates: March 8-18, 2026 Inclusivity is key when you join the Accessibility Crew. Volunteers at the SXSW Accessibility Desks will provide information to help improve access to our event for attendees with disabilities.
This crew also assists with deploying closed captioning equipment, answering questions in our registration halls, and helping with our Sensory Rooms. An understanding of the Americans With Disability Act (ADA) is helpful.
Operates: March 8-18, 2026 Ambassadors help convey an array of information to attendees, staff, vendors and more as they navigate SXSW.
Volunteers may find themselves helping at one of our Info Desk or providing "roaming" helpt to patrons around the SXSW Footprint.
If you enjoy seeing the action around SXSW, showing your Texas hospitality, and being helpful…you might just love the Ambassadors Crew!
Operates: March 12-18, exact dates TBD This crew is no laughing matter...or is it? Volunteers will admit attendees into comedy venues, assist with line management, usher attendees to seats, and help clear the venue after performances during the SXSW Comedy Festival.
Operates: March 8-18, 2026 Conference Tech volunteers assist speakers with the technical set up for their conference sessions, including laptops to projectors, setting microphone audio levels, and general troubleshooting. A smile and a polite greeting are more important than any previous technical experience.
Operates: March 9-18, 2026 If your customer service skills are on point and you like supporting some of the hottest speakers from around the globe, check out the Conference Venues Crew. Volunteers interact with speakers and attendees to ensure conference spaces run smoothly and on schedule. Volunteers will scan badges, maintain orderly lines, assist speakers and attendees, and provide support for a variety of spaces within the conference venues. Some shifts will provide support for a variety of spaces within the conference venues. Some shifts will provide support with set up and breakdown, audience interactions, and assistance with judging during competitions. There is never a dull moment when you're volunteering with Conference Venues!
Operates: March 8-18, 2026 Looking to explore more of the SXSW footprint? This may be the crew for you. Event Support volunteers will find themselves helping with event set up, breakdown, checking credentials, wayfinding, or line management at a variety of venues and events for SXSW EDU and SXSW.
Operates: March 7-18, 2026 Volunteers will assist with a variety of transportation needs. You never know who or what might hop in for a lift! Most transportation runs use vans or golf carts, and occasionally travel on foot. Volunteers must be 21+ with a clean driving record to drive. Some 18+, non-driving positions are available.
Operates: March 7-18, 2026 Want to be one of the first to see all the cool exhibits at SXSW and SXSW EDU? Volunteers on the Exhibitions Crew will help direct exhibitors during the load in/out process of the many exhibitions. Additional tasks include checking attendee credentials at entrances, monitoring stages within the expos, and helping to connect exhibitors with SXSW staff.
Operates: March 12-18, 2026 A true favorite of film and TV fanatics, volunteers on this crew help support the SXSW Film & TV Festival. Volunteers will admit attendees into film theaters, assist with line management, answer attendee questions, usher attendees to seats, and help clear the theater following each screening.
Operates: March 12-18, 2026 If you're looking for a crew that leads to all the action, join the queue for Line Guides. Volunteers will navigate the event footprint in teams and assist with organizing lines at official venues and events. Customer service is an integral part of this crew, as well as a willingness to communicate using your "outdoor voice" with attendees. This role requires long periods of standing or walking.
Operates: March 12-18, 2026 Hear the next big act and feel the energy that is the SXSW Music Festival. Volunteers may assist in a variety of roles, including helping artists with their gear, supporting SXSW Stage Managers and Staff, and maintaining awareness for potential safety and operational issues in the venue. Volunteers will be assigned to a zone of 5-7 venues, which may provide a venue change throughout the festival and a chance to experience multiple venues and music genres. If this strikes the right note, this is the crew for you.
Some heavy lifting may be required (up to 50lbs), as well as the possibility of standing for long periods of time. Volunteers must be 21+.
Operates: March 8-18, 2026 Everyone needs a badge or wristband to attend SXSW and SXSW EDU, which means this is a prime place to see all the new and familiar faces attending, performing, or participating during the event! Volunteers will confirm and distribute credentials to attendees and assist with distributing event bags. Customer service is key on this public facing crew!
Operates: March 7-18, 2026 SXSW and SXSW EDU run on technology. Volunteers will assist with the setup and breakdown of technical equipment across the SXSW EDU and SXSW footprint before, during, and after the event. This crew also helps to maintain, inventory, deploy, and collect hardware used throughout the events. Having a technical background is not required. Onsite training will be provided by crew managers.
Operates: November – March
Age: 21+
Available Badges: SXSW EDU Badge + SXSW Platinum Badge
Please fill out this application form if you are interested in being a Volunteer Manager. A minimum of one year of experience as a volunteer, ideally on the crew you’re applying for, is a prerequisite for this role. Volunteer Managers are selected based on prior experience, recommendations by SXSW staff and Volunteer Managers, and an interview process.
The number of available roles each year is dependent on crew needs and vacancies.
Volunteer Managers are leaders who ensure all of our volunteers have a great experience. They collaborate and plan with SXSW staff for several months prior to the event and wrap up shortly after SXSW concludes. Duties include assisting with recruiting, scheduling, training, managing a volunteer crew onsite, and providing detailed feedback after the event. Volunteer Managers carry a special level of recognition among the volunteer crews and are role models to the volunteers they lead.
Each crew will have different responsibilities based on the crew needs and duties.
This role involves a series of meetings to prepare for the event, so pre-event availability is required. 21+ and local volunteers are preferred due to pre-event time requirements.
