SXSW is finally over this year in Austin, Texas! I was there to organize a placemaker’s meetup and it was really great with almost 20 people showing up at some point (speakers at official sessions get a free platinum badge). While this is not the first time I’m at SXSW (I’ve been there in 2019 and 2021), a series of events meant that I wound up attending the FULL 10 DAYS festival experience, which is quite something. Free booze and parties mean that I’m pretty burnt out now and recuperating in Washington, DC before heading home.
There’s quite a lot going on this year, with the majority of interactive experiences being in the AR/VR category (last year was Web 3 and NFTs).
This year is also the first year after COVID-19 where everyone is coming back. Keeping Austin Weird is one thing, but with hundreds of thousands of people flooding into town, Austin’s briefly turned into a major world city of creatives over the festival.
I’ll try to write a report on the entire SXSW experience. There’s a lot I can share, but I’ll likely share some tips in the other articles later on!
1. The weekend interactive experience
SXSW opens on a Friday in March, and from the start the queue to registration was already pretty crazy. I came by Amtrak from Dallas so I couldn’t make use of the airport registration feature.
There are two official opening parties already over the weekend: the Interactive opening party on Friday, and the XR opening party on Saturday. The interactive light sculpture that doubles as seating is the thing that I’m most impressed with:
Unfortunately, I got my phone and wallet stolen in a club on Friday, but with my family’s help and the kindness of Austinites, I was able to get around and acquire a new phone in due course.
The official session I’m hosting is the Placemakers’ Meetup on Sunday. While I was really nervous (it’s an official SXSW event, peeps!) I prepared a few simple questions for sharing and, perhaps the smartest move I’ve done, brought my plush husky toy dog which made the connection easier (we actually threw it around)!
As an afterward, some of us went to a pre-film party and watched the premiere of Join or Die, a film about Robert Putnam’s social study on associations and democracy. (At the SXSW Film Festival, there are also Q&A sessions after each film where the film crew gets “interrogated” by the audience.)
2. The parties
SXSW is famous not just for all the sounds and lights but also for—yes you guessed it—free booze and parties.
Being the primary creative event of the year, SXSW attracts a great many sponsors vying to take a piece of cake from the startup and cultural market. Not just do some of the participating venues (especially at one particular hotel, which I will not name) provide free alcoholic drinks at certain times of the day, but there are many public showcases (some don’t even require SXSW badges) that have an open bar until the evening!
With a SXSW badge, the options are even more. There are official parties with open bars, and then there are more participating organizations that are hosting social nights with open bars. Lots of drinks over the week—and fun hanging out with people!
3. The music festival
SXSW is originally a music festival. The movie and interactive festivals came later. With a platinum badge, I eventually decided to extend my stay in Austin and stay behind for the music festival.
The happiest thing is that I’ve successfully catch onto Tangerine Dream while they’re in town! I also went to the grand techno party at the Moody Amphitheater on the closing night, and a late night jazz showcase.
I watched another film, Theater Camp, which is super hilarious. (Not going to spoil that for you.)
To round off all the stuff, there’s even a barbecue on the final Sunday—and a soft tournament!
Three takeaways from my 3rd SXSW
Here are three takeaways which I hope to elaborate more in later articles (make sure you subscribe to my website):
- Plan early—and arrive early
- Use moderation on what sessions you choose to go—and schedule rest periods
- Meet as many people as possible—and think of professional collaborations