Mid-March means something different for Austinites than it does for the rest of the world. Where people in other places think about the change in seasons or school vacation, around here, four letters will soon dominate conversations and party plans … SXSW.
This year, SXSW, the globally renowned 11-day music, film, gaming and tech conference and festival that brings visitors to Austin from around the world, will run from Friday, March 9 to Sunday, March 18. Tens of thousands of SXSW registrants will be joined by huge crowds heading into downtown to soak in the residual festivities, as everyone from global music stars to film celebrities to fashion icons to tech tycoons to eager brand marketers look to grab attention for their particular projects.
If you have never participated, it is truly a one-of-a-kind event. Plenty of people take advantage of the numerous free events that either are or aren’t officially part of SXSW, but what if you want access to SXSW’s stunning film, music or gaming programs? One choice is to fork over the $1200+ registration fees required for one of the conference badges, but if you don’t have that kind of disposable income, and you are an Austin-area resident, a great alternative is to buy a festival wristband.
SXSW sells wristbands for admission to events for its three festivals: Film, Music and Gaming. The SXSW Film Festival takes place March 9-17 and offers hundreds of screenings, including major studio premieres, indie films and documentaries, as well as short film programs. Film Festival wristbands cost $95 in advance and provide entry to all festival screenings after Film and Platinum badge holders are admitted. The SXSW Music Festival takes place March 12-18 at over 90 venues and features 2,000 showcasing acts from around the world, representing just about every genre of music that you can think of. Music Festival wristbands cost $169 in advance and provide entry to all festival showcases after Music and Platinum badge holders are admitted. SXSW Gaming 2018 takes place from March 15-17 at the Austin Convention Center and includes exhibitions, eSports tournaments, hands-on demos, awards, panels and more. Gaming wristbands are $39 for all three days or $20 for each day. New this year, Music Festival wristbands also can be used to enter Gaming events.
Although badges get priority over wristbands when it comes to admission, typically wristband holders can attend just about everything they want to, as long as they plan ahead and don’t expect to gain last-minute admission to high-profile events. And with so many things going on all the time, if one event is sold out, it is usually pretty easy to find a nearby alternative.
If you want to purchase a wristband online, note that one person can only buy two wristbands (to prevent scalping). One must be in the name of the credit cardholder, while the second must be assigned to an individual named at the time of purchase. Also, the credit card must have an Austin-area billing address.
Wristbands can be picked up at the Austin Convention Center right before SXSW. Details, including links to purchase, are on the SXSW website.
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