Transport
Arrive fresh in Austin.
Flight, train, bus or carpooling: compare the options side by side with your real dates. The idea is to arrive with a bit of battery left — you included.
SOUTH BYSOUTHWEST
The world's biggest music-film-tech crossroads, March 15 to 21, 2027 in Austin: a week of showcases across around a hundred venues, a film festival and an innovation conference, all at once in downtown Texas.
South by Southwest 2027
The South by Southwest festival.
In a nutshell.
South by Southwest — "SXSW," pronounced "South by" — takes place March 15 to 21, 2027 in Austin, the capital of Texas. It's not an outdoor festival but a takeover of downtown: for a week, around a hundred bars, theatres and churches become concert venues, cinemas run world premieres and the convention centre hosts a huge conference on tech and culture. Founded in 1987, SXSW has become the place where bands get discovered, where indie films find a distributor and where new digital tools are shown for the first time.
The principle is simple: three interwoven festivals. The Music strand lines up more than 2,000 concerts in a week, mostly artists nobody knows yet — the industry's biggest discovery lottery of the year. The Film & TV strand runs premieres and panels back to back. The Innovation strand (formerly Interactive) brings together speakers, startups and journalists. You move on foot between the three, badge around your neck, picking your bets for the evening.
SXSW runs at two speeds. With an official badge, you get access to the talks, screenings and priority showcase lines. Without one, a huge part of the party stays open: dozens of free stages, brand parties, surprise concerts in parking lots and record stores. With downtown under construction until 2029, the 2027 edition runs as a scattered "campus" — venues are spread out, a good pair of shoes is the first piece of gear.
South by Southwest · what's confirmed
What we know about South by Southwest 2027.
- Dates
- March 15—21, 2027, announced by the organiser.
- Confirmed
- Tickets
- Free entry.
- To reconfirm
- Line-up
- Not yet announced by the organiser.
- Upcoming
"Confirmed": read on the festival's official website. "To reconfirm": announced, but not yet rechecked by us. "Estimate" or "upcoming": not yet announced by the organiser. See the official website
South by Southwest in practice
Profile of the festival.
Capacity, atmosphere, crowd, hours and on-site budget: the full profile of South by Southwest 2027 before you get your tickets.
The concept
Three festivals in one
Music, film and digital innovation run in parallel over the same week, in the same streets. You can follow just one or move between them.
Lineup
More than 2,000 concerts
Mostly: emerging artists from around the world, spotted here before breaking through. Known headliners mostly play surprise sets.
The venue
Around a hundred venues
Sixth Street bars, theatres, churches, rooftops, the convention centre. Everything is within walking distance downtown.
Two ways in
Badge or free evenings
The official badge unlocks talks, screenings and priority lines. Many showcases and brand parties stay free and badge-free.
The role
A global launchpad
Careers have been launched at SXSW. For music, film and tech professionals, it's the year's big discovery event.
What to pack
Mid-season weather, and good shoes
Mid-March in Austin: 20 to 27°C by day, cooler at night. Lots of walking between venues, a light shower possible. Nothing more.
South by Southwest 2027 practical info
Practical info.
Dates, hours, transport and lodging: what you need to know before you go.
Dates and schedule
March 15 to 21, 2027. The Music strand mostly occupies the second half of the week; Film and Innovation start from the first weekend. The full showcase schedule comes out a few weeks ahead.
Accreditation
Several options: Platinum (access to everything), Music, Film & TV, Innovation, or an evening wristband (cheaper, concerts only). Purchase at sxsw.com, tiered pricing by purchase date. A lot of content stays free without a badge.
Payment
A typical American city: cards accepted everywhere, contactless widespread, tipping expected at bars and restaurants (18 to 20%). Bring a few dollars cash for food trucks.
Getting around
Everything is walkable downtown. For the airport and outlying venues: CapMetro buses, ride-share, or bike and scooter share. Renting a car only makes sense if you're staying far out.
Accessibility
SXSW has a dedicated access service (Access): adapted venues, sign-language interpretation at major sessions, reserved parking. Flag in advance via the website.
TransportAustin has a well-connected international airport; on the ground, the whole festival fits within walking distance downtown.
- By plane
- Austin-Bergstrom Airport (AUS), 15 minutes from the centre. From Europe, a stopover (often London, Frankfurt, Dallas or Houston). From the airport: bus 20, ride-hailing or shuttle.
- On site
- Downtown is walkable. For venues further out (East Austin, South Congress): CapMetro buses, self-service bikes and scooters, ride-hailing. SXSW also runs shuttles between the main hubs.
- By car
- Only useful if you stay on the outskirts. Parking downtown is expensive and saturated during the festival; streets around Sixth Street are closed in the evening.
- From other US cities
- Dallas and Houston are ~3h by road, San Antonio 1h15. Long-distance buses (Greyhound, FlixBus, Vonlane) and domestic flights are very frequent.
AccommodationThis is SXSW's real cost: Austin fills up and prices double during the week.
- Downtown
- Hotels within walking distance of the venues: the most practical, the most expensive, and full months ahead. Book as soon as sales open.
- Rentals
- Short-term apartments and houses in East Austin or south of the river: often the best comfort/price ratio for groups, with a 10-15 minute trip.
- A bit further out
- Staying near the airport, Round Rock or to the north, with a car: markedly cheaper, at the price of travel and parking.
- Book early
- The best options go as early as the preceding autumn. Check cancellation terms, they tighten as March approaches.
DestinationAustin is a genuine destination: live music year-round, nature in the city and Texan cuisine.
- In town
- Barton Springs (a natural pool at 20°C), Lady Bird Lake and its trails, South Congress and its boutiques, the Congress Avenue Bridge bat colony at dusk.
- Around
- The Hill Country and its roads, the caves and distilleries to the west, the Hamilton Pool waterfalls (by reservation), San Antonio and the Alamo an hour to the south.
- At the table
- Texan barbecue (Franklin, the Salt Lick), breakfast tacos and the food truck scene. In mid-March, it's already 20 to 27°C by day.
Information last updated on October 4, 2026
South by Southwest aftermovie
The vibe of the
festival.
The official video recap of the 2026 edition, published by the SXSW channel.
South by Southwest 2027 line-up
The full line-up.
Day by day.
The South by Southwest 2027 line-up hasn't been revealed yet. We'll update this page as soon as it's announced.
Line-up coming soon
The first names usually drop in autumn, several months before the festival. Come back then: the full day-by-day line-up will show up here.
Comfort, well positioned
Get organised for
South by Southwest.
At 6am, a ten-minute journey can feel very long. Pick the right home base now, and the route that leaves you enough energy for the rest.
Lodging
Places to stay around Downtown Austin.
Activities
Fill your days too.
Bars, restaurants, spots worth a visit between two shows: enough to fill the gaps in the schedule without improvising on the spot at the last minute.
A taste of it
South by Southwest
like you were there.
A showcase in a downtown venue and a stage between two concerts, during SXSW.
1 / 2
01 — South by Southwest
02 — South by SouthwestPhoto credits: Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0.
Same taste, other dates
In the same style.
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