Festival adds more venues, activities to March lineup
One of the fastest-growing festivals in the world will set up shop in Austin in March, attracting thousands of visitors to Austin's central core. From March 6–18, the South by Southwest Music and Media Conferences will brings its four festivals—Education, Interactive, Film and Music—to a slew of venues throughout downtown Austin.
The festival, which first began in 1987, has grown so much that Interactive Director Hugh Forrest said organizers have attempted to increase badge prices to help control the growing number of attendees for its now largest festival, Interactive.
"We have increased the badge prices a lot over the last few years for Interactive in hopes that it will scare some people away and calm some of the growth, but unfortunately that hasn't had quite the impact we wanted there," Forrest said, adding that SXSW collectively has also injected a sizable amount of money into Austin's economy. In 2011, the festival produced $167 million in revenue for the city of Austin.
"These figures have steadily increased over the last few years, and to put that in context, that's about half of the revenue of a Super Bowl," Forrest told a crowd at a Leadership Austin event Feb. 8. "SXSW certainly brings in a lot of hotel revenue and restaurant revenue—it generates a lot of money, and that's a good thing. I think these revenues will increase in 2012 as we grow across the board."
Several big announcements have already been made for 2012's installment of SXSW. Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen, The Onion Digital Director Baratunde Thurston and visionary Ray Kurzweil will serve as keynote speakers during the festival, among others.
SXSW will also host the second year of one of its newest festivals, SXSWedu, to provide a forum for education-related discussions, panels and events. The Hilton Austin Downtown will host SXSWedu, which will also feature keynote speeches by actor LeVar Burton and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
In all, more than 2,000 musical acts from 55 countries around the world will entertain attendees on 90 stages throughout Austin during the Music festival, which originally began in 1987 to help bring Austin's club scene out of a slump during spring break, Forrest said.
"Twenty-five years ago, the founders of the company had seen this event in New York called the New Music Seminar, and they wanted to do this in Austin, but they couldn't get anyone to support it," Forrest said. "They went around to the clubs to get their support, and they decided to do it spring break week because it's the worst week for clubs in Austin. [Now], typically these clubs make 30 [percent] to 40 [percent] to 50 percent of their yearly revenues in one week."
Attending SXSW
Badge walk-up rates
If you are just now deciding to attend SXSW, badge prices range from $300 to $1,395 and can be purchased online at https://sxsw.com/attend.
Education: $300
Film: $595
Music: $750
Interactive: $950
Gold (Interactive and Film): $1,150
Platinum (Interactive, Film and Music): $1,395
Music wristbands
While a Music badge allows access into Music panels, keynote speeches and the tradeshow, wristbands provide entry only into Music showcases after badge holders have entered. As of Feb. 10, wristbands were on sale for $175. Once the $175-level wristbands sell out, wristbands can be purchased at the regular rate of $225 at wristbands.sxsw.com.
Free events
SXSW hosts three nights of free concerts for the public at Auditorium Shores that begin March 15. While headlining acts have yet to be announced, past performers have included The Strokes, Cheap Trick, Ice Cube and Spoon. Food and drinks are also offered at each concert as well as shuttle service for badge holders from the Austin Convention Center. Updates are posted online at sxsw.com/music/shows/auditorium_shores.
SXSW Interactive's ScreenBurn Arcade, held at the Palmer Events Center, is also free and open to the public. The event, which runs from March 9–11, will serve as the host space for gaming announcements, product demos, cosplay competitions and gaming tournaments. Learn more online at sxsw.com/interactive/screenburn/arcade.
Hotels
According to festival organizers, hotel rooms for Interactive and Film dates sold out in December, and rooms offered during the Music dates sold out in February. The SXSW Housing Desk is keeping track of people who have offered to share their rooms with other attendees. The desk can be emailed at [email protected], and hotel information can be found online at sxsw.com/attend/hotels/info_and_updates.
Shuttles
Interactive and Film registrants staying at a downtown hotel can use SXSW's free shuttle service to get to festival events. A list of serviced hotels can be found at sxsw.com/shuttle_list.
Registrants who are staying at an Austin hotel that is outside of walking distance from SXSW's downtown venues can purchase a pass for unlimited travel on the R&R Hotel Shuttle. Available passes include a five-day pass for either March 9–13 or March 13–17 for $70, and a full nine-day pass for $110. Passes can be purchased online at rrlimobus.com or onsite at the Austin Convention Center.
