SXSW, one of the city’s biggest annual events, is just around the corner! From March 10-19, Austin will welcome tens of thousands of musicians, filmmakers, techies, entrepreneurs, social activists and other creative types—not to mention the companies and brands looking to connect and promote to this influential audience—to one of the world’s premier music, film and interactive events. And that doesn’t even count the hundreds of thousands of locals and out-of-town visitors who will head to downtown Austin to take advantage of the nine days of parties, concerts, film screenings and special events. Based on the sheer number of people it attracts, it’s no wonder that in 2016, SXSW was credited with bringing $325.3 million into the local economy.
The Austin Convention Center is headquarters of official SXSW activities. It’s the conference registration hub and hosts conference sessions, the SXSW Trade Show and the popular day stages, as well as The Flatstock Poster Show, SXSW Gaming Expo and SXSW Job Market Expo. The Long Center and Palmer Events Center are also key centers of conference programming and exhibitions. And of course, downtown area music venues, bars, restaurants and hotels—not to mention assorted stores, building lobbies and parking lots—will sprout both official and unofficial activities during SXSW’s duration.
As usual, buying a SXSW badge gets you access to some or all of the official events, depending on what type of badge you purchase. If you’re not ready to pay the steep price for full access, wristbands are available for both the film and music festivals. These get you admission to all film screening or music showcases.
Film Festival wristbands are either $95 for all nine days of SXSW Film or $65 for five days. Music Festival wristbands are $169 each, but due to their high demand, can only be purchased by Austin area residents. Music wristband purchases are limited to two total: one must be in the name of the credit cardholder, and the second must be assigned to an individual named at the time of purchase.
This year, the SXSW Gaming Expo also requires a wristband, although children 12 and under still get in for free. A three-day wristband is $49; single day admission is $25. All wristband information is at wristbands.sxsw.com.
SXSW also offers a number of events that are free and open to the public. These include the Flatstock 53 poster show, SXSW Job Market, SXSW Create, SXSW Marketplace, the concerts at the Outdoor Stage at Lady Bird Lake, as well as Outdoor Film Screenings, which were held outside of the Long Center last year. These free events only require a SXSW Guest Pass, which can be obtained through guestpass.sxsw.com
Of course, the city center is going to even more crowded than usual, so if at all possible, ditch your car and use public transportation, a bicycle or your feet. But if you insist on driving, be aware of street closures, which will include Red River from E. 5th to E. 10th, E. 6th from I-35 to Congress Ave, Trinity St. from Cesar Chavez to E. 4th, E. 3rd and E. 2nd between San Jacinto and Trinity (just west of the convention center) and E. 4th from Red River to the I-35 access road. Also, most of the Rainey St area will be closed from noon to 3am daily, as will E. 5th from the I-35 access road to Waller St. In addition, there will be additional lane closures on several neighboring streets. See the city’s full closure map for details.
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