What’s the Big Deal About South by Southwest?
We Austinites love to complain about South by Southwest (SXSW), as hordes of outsiders crowd our favorite taco trucks and music venues. But even the grumpiest amongst our kind have to marvel at just how far it has come since it kicked off back in 1987 as a little local music get-together. These days, it’s grown into one of the biggest stages in the world for folks in the creative, tech, and film industries to show off what they’ve got.
The Early Days (1987–1993)
How it Started: A handful of folks (Roland Swenson, Nick Barbaro, and the two Louis’s: Louis Black and Louis Meyers) started the festival the year before Austin got its official moniker of “Live Music Capital of the World”.
These guys were fans of the old Alfred Hitchcock movie North by Northwest and decided to put their own spin on it. They invited mostly Texas acts to perform, with the biggest names of that first festival being Kings X and The Reverend Horton Heat.
That first year, they expected about 150 people to show up, but found themselves overwhelmed by a 700-strong throng of fans. It hasn’t slowed down since.
Branching Out (1994–2000s)
In 1994, the festival added other media ventures and rebranded the whole shebang the “SXSW Film and Multimedia Conference”.
That same year, the legendary Man in Black himself, Johnny Cash, provided the keynote address, and put on a show – opening for Beck, of all acts! – that folks will still be talking about for ages. Since then, many other amazing keynote speakers have graced the South by stages: Smokey Robinson, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, and Snoop Dogg to name a few!
During the 2007 festival, “SXSW Interactive” spun off from the other media to become the place where big tech ideas really took flight. You might have heard of a little social media platform called Twitter (now called X)? It really found its wings right here in Austin!
Plenty of stars got their big break on an Austin stage, from John Mayer in 2000 to Amy Winehouse in 2007.
A World-Class Event (2010s–2025)
In 2012, the first SXSW-connected conference outside of Austin launched in Las Vegas, Nevada. Called “SXSW V2V” the satellite event featured a jam-packed four-day mini-version of its big brother.
The festival even started catching the eye of folks in Washington, like when President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama stopped by in 2016. The FLOTUS gave the keynote address that year, as well.
In 2023, the festival became a true global phenomenon as it headed across the pacific for the very first SXSW Sydney, Australia.
The 40th Anniversary (2026): For the Big Four Oh this March, they’re shaking things up by running the Music, Film & TV, and Innovation parts all at once over seven days. This anniversary year promises to be both a kind of “get back to their roots” vibe, while also featuring globe-spanning talent, such as British culture maker DJ AG, Chilean singer-songwriter Javiera Electra, Ukraine’s eight member punk outfit Gogol Bordello will be in attendance, as well. Quite the whirlwind!
