Blockbuster concert performances aside, the heart and soul of the music portion of South by Southwest Conferences & Festivals is the showcases that fill all manner of venues—small, medium and large—along the Red River District, on Sixth Street and beyond in downtown Austin.

The 2018 festival, which was held March 12-18, included sets by the Canadian indie rock act Dear Rouge, Austin’s Go Fever and the Tokyo electronic pop band Yahyel, to name just a few. In 2017 festival organizers say 2,085 acts—including 544 international acts from 63 countries—worked various festival stages in downtown clubs and bars across the six-day span.

The following noncomprehensive gallery is a journey through various official SXSW small-venue events and showcases featuring emerging international artists as well as Austin-based acts. As the city plays host to a number of unofficial events not affiliated with the SXSW music festival during the six-day span, the gallery also includes several photos of Austin acts to showcase the diversity of genres that can be found across the city during the week of the SXSW music festival.