South by Southwest (SXSW)
Posted Monday, March 12, 2007, 4:47 PM by Lonely Planet
Cannes, Sundance and Glastonbury eat your heart out. If you're anywhere near Texas at the moment and have a penchant for great independent film, good music and week-long parties, the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin is where you want to be.
As one of the most energised and progressive events on the festival calendar, SXSW acts as a showcase for undiscovered and overlooked music and film talent. During the 'week-long' event (9-18 March 2007) there are thousands of gigs, film screenings, panel discussions and industry conventions.
Austin's historic 6th Street has long been a significant stop for touring musicians - and this is where SXSW is concentrated. Closed to traffic, 6th Street turns into the progressively debaucherous festival Mecca. As evening rolls around and hangovers subside, every bar dedicates itself to a steady roll-out of bands, while the curb-sides become destinations for minute-meetings, celebrity-spotting and frenzied note-swapping.
SXSW works on a badge system. The more you pay, the higher your badge status and the better your chances for gaining entry to the band/film of your choice. Unless you have a Platinum badge be prepared to stand in a lot of lines and don't be too dismissive about the idea of sticking to one venue per night - you'll see a lot of obscure music which you might never otherwise discover. One way to get around the pricey badge fees is to volunteer. The festival offers a huge range of options to willing volunteers in exchange for festival tickets! As accommodation options are usually scant in Austin around the festival, enquire about billeting options through the festival. Austinites are generally a friendly, laid-back bunch who enjoy opening their homes to foreigners.
Make sure you investigate the various 'barbeques', parties, after-parties and after-after-parties at SXSW. It's in the wee hours of the morning, when the instruments are packed away and the projector has stopped flickering, that the show really begins.
As one of the most energised and progressive events on the festival calendar, SXSW acts as a showcase for undiscovered and overlooked music and film talent. During the 'week-long' event (9-18 March 2007) there are thousands of gigs, film screenings, panel discussions and industry conventions.
Austin's historic 6th Street has long been a significant stop for touring musicians - and this is where SXSW is concentrated. Closed to traffic, 6th Street turns into the progressively debaucherous festival Mecca. As evening rolls around and hangovers subside, every bar dedicates itself to a steady roll-out of bands, while the curb-sides become destinations for minute-meetings, celebrity-spotting and frenzied note-swapping.
SXSW works on a badge system. The more you pay, the higher your badge status and the better your chances for gaining entry to the band/film of your choice. Unless you have a Platinum badge be prepared to stand in a lot of lines and don't be too dismissive about the idea of sticking to one venue per night - you'll see a lot of obscure music which you might never otherwise discover. One way to get around the pricey badge fees is to volunteer. The festival offers a huge range of options to willing volunteers in exchange for festival tickets! As accommodation options are usually scant in Austin around the festival, enquire about billeting options through the festival. Austinites are generally a friendly, laid-back bunch who enjoy opening their homes to foreigners.
Make sure you investigate the various 'barbeques', parties, after-parties and after-after-parties at SXSW. It's in the wee hours of the morning, when the instruments are packed away and the projector has stopped flickering, that the show really begins.
- Ghita Loebenstein
Photo: Zan Rowe
Labels: Festivals and events, The Americas
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3 Comments:
Thank you for the info. I am a musician but a newbie to the SXSW scene. How do you know where to find THE parties, THE bands and THE workshops to attend? Looked all over the internet and have had little luck thus far. help!
Hi there,
From my experience half the fun of attending SXSW is just diving into the program and discovering that as you go along. For every amazing band that I found I probably heard at least 3 hideous ones! There are 1400 bands playing this year so what will appeal to you depends on your particular taste. Look on sxsw.com under 'Music' and 'Showcases' to find a daily timetable of bands. From there you can click through to find out info on each band and listen to songs. You can also search to find particular bands. If you want some idea of the bigger acts playing this year go to 'Press' and look at the press releases. For panels and workshops look under 'Conference' and there's a 'Parties' section there for the official parties. As for the unofficial ones, you'll have to keep your ear to the ground and make friends with random strangers - good luck!
I met my wife on Sixth Street.
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