That’s a wrap on the 2025 SXSW Conference & Festivals! THANK YOU to all of the registrants, staff, crew, volunteers, speakers, filmmakers, showcasing artists, and innovators, from our Austin community and around the globe.
For nine days, creatives stepped into different worlds across tech, film, television, music, and beyond to discover new inspiration, create cross-industry connections, and imagine what's next.
Powerful Conference keynote presentations included Signal President Meredith Whittaker; actor, writer, producer, and director Issa Rae; Colossal: Technology Company Turning Science Fiction to Science Fact with Ben Lamm and Joe Manganiello; Bluesky CEO Jay Graber; IBM CEO Arvind Krishna; music legends John Fogerty and Tom Morello; and founder of Don't Die Bryan Johnson.
Amongst the featured sessions, some of the most anticipated conversations of the year were NASA's Artemis II astronauts; CEO and Chief Futurist of Signal and Cipher, Ian Beacraft; Metallica’s Lars Ulrich with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe; U.S. House Representative Ayanna Pressley; HBO’s Emmy-winning series The Last of Us panel including Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey; and the 2025 Tech Trends Report from futurist Amy Webb; to name a few.
From Hollywood heavy-hitters to indie film legends, the Film & TV Festival rolled out the red carpet with provocative dramas, documentaries, TV pilots, shorts, and genre standouts. Nine days of screenings kicked off with the opening night film, Paul Feig's Another Simple Favor, and opening night TV premiere, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's The Studio, concluding with Daniel Minahan’s On Swift Horses as the closing night film.
At the Film & TV Awards, we honored the winners of the 2025 Jury and Special Awards which included Narrative Feature Competition winner, Slanted; Documentary Feature Competition winner, Shuffle; Independent TV Pilot Competition winner, F*ckups Anonymous; and more. Stay tuned for the 2025 Audience Awards Winners coming soon.
At the Music Festival, we turned up the sound with new, developing, and established Showcasing Artists across all genres from local to international acts. From the Radio Day Stage, we heard from Alesia Lani, Freak Slug, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Master Peace, and more. Plus, we announced the Grulke Prize winners, Samara Cyn (Developing U.S. Act), jasmine.4.t (Developing Non-U.S. Act), and John Fogerty (Career Act).
Hundreds of exhibitors from around the world gave us a glimpse of the future with cutting-edge technology at the SXSW Expo. We also celebrated the winners of the many prestigious Awards categories including SXSW Pitch and the Innovation Awards.
The SXSW Studio had many special guests including our friends from Sesame Street. Reece Feldman sat down for exclusive interviews with Taylor Tomlinson, the cast and crew of The Rivals of Amziah King, and Kyle MacLachlan. Stay tuned and subscribe to our YouTube Channel as more SX moments rollout.
2026 Presale
We look forward to seeing you again March 12–18, 2026 in Austin, TX for the 2026 SXSW Conference & Festivals.
We are excited about the plans for SXSW 2026. With the Austin Convention Center closing down for three years, we believe it’s a great opportunity to put new ideas into action.
A shorter SX gives attendees more of a chance to be here for the entire run. With the Conference, Film & TV Festival, and Music Festival all taking place concurrently over seven days, everyone will have the chance to experience the whole of SXSW.
This gives music fans an opportunity to enjoy seven nights of showcases instead of the six we’ve had for last several years. It also allows us to continue the work the Music Festival programmers have done over the last decade in paring down the numbers of showcasing artists while spreading the shows out over a greater part of the event. This creates a more curated experience for attendees and artists while retaining the discovery that the music festival is known for.
We also know that post-pandemic attendees want more personalized experiences, and we’re excited to explore new ways to bring people together. Buy next year's badge at this year’s special low rates during our SXSW 2026 Presale through March 31, 2025.
2026 Timeline
2026 Badges
Stay Connected
SXSW 2025 was filled with ample opportunity to explore, learn, discover, and leave inspired. We hope you enjoyed each exciting moment IRL, URL, and even in XR. Cozy up in your SXSW Merch and rewind SXSW 2025.
We'll keep the SX hits coming across the socialverse. Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and TikTok. 🍪
Stay tuned for updates on 2026 participation opportunities and more event information throughout the year. Explore SXSW News and subscribe to SXSW Event Updates.
On behalf of all of us at SXSW, thank you for joining us. We can't wait to see you next year!
