SXSW 2027: Dates, Lineup, Tickets and Travel Guide

SXSW 2027 runs March 13–21, 2027 in downtown Austin, Texas, according to the organiser's date announcement ¹. SXSW EDU opens the week on March 13–16, 2027, and the Conferences & Festivals follow on March 15–21, 2027 ¹. These dates are announced, but always re-check the official schedule before you book flights.

The week is made of several overlapping events, and each has its own dates:

• SXSW EDU: March 13–16, 2027, starting on a Saturday for the first time ¹.

• Crossover Days: March 15–16, 2027, shared between SXSW EDU and the main event ².

• Innovation Conference: March 15–20, 2027, with core tracks Monday to Friday ^{1 4}.

• Film & TV Festival & Conference: March 15–21, 2027 ¹.

• Music Festival & Conference: March 15–21, 2027, seven days and nights of showcases ¹.

• Comedy Festival: March 17–20, 2027 ¹.

• Podcast Festival: March 17–20, 2027, open to all badgeholders ².

If you searched for the previous edition, SXSW 2026 ran March 12–18, 2026, a seven-day format two days shorter than before ⁸. The 2025 edition ran March 7–15, 2025 ⁸. The festival always falls in mid-March because it grew up around the spring break week of Texas schools and universities, which is also why Austin hotels are tight at the same time.

The event began as a small music conference in March 1987, when organisers expected about 150 people and more than 700 came ¹². Film and multimedia were added in 1994, the multimedia strand later became Interactive, and by 2023 the Conferences & Festivals and SXSW EDU counted about 345,066 participants ¹².

Tip: Pick the days by badge, not by calendar. An Innovation badge is worth most from Monday March 15 to Friday March 19, 2027, while music fans get the most from the late nights through Sunday March 21, 2027 ^{4 1}.

A SXSW badge costs $625 for Music, $850 for Film & TV, $995 for Innovation and $1,495 for Platinum at the October 2026 rate on the official site ³. Prices rise in steps toward March, so the earlier you buy the less you pay ⁴. The Music badge page lists a price rise after Thursday October 29, 2026 at 11:59pm PT ¹⁶.

What each credential gets you:

• Music Wristband ($149): general access to Music Festival showcases, while badgeholders get priority entry ⁴.

• Music badge ($625): priority showcase access, the Music Clubhouse, conference sessions, Flatstock, the Comedy Festival and SXSW EDU Crossover Day ^{16 3}.

• Film & TV badge ($850): screenings, premieres and the Film & TV Conference ³.

• Innovation badge ($995): the conference tracks from Tech & AI to Startups, Health and Design ³.

• Platinum badge ($1,495): every conference and festival, all clubhouses and 3 reservations per day ³.

Badges are digital, tied to your name and cannot be used by anyone else ⁶. There are no refunds under any circumstances, including illness or travel problems, and lost credentials are not replaced ⁶. Wristbands do not cover conference sessions or keynotes ⁶. Group registration saves up to 25% and approved students and early-career attendees can save up to 50% ¹⁶.

You can still enjoy a lot without paying. In 2026 the Congress Avenue Block Party between 7th and 10th Street was free and open to the public from 11am to 7pm daily ^{7 9}. The same year brought a free Community Concert at Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake and a free RSVP show at the Moody Amphitheater in Waterloo Park ⁷. Ticketed brand concerts that need no badge also sell separately ⁷.

Tip: Buy the official badge or wristband only from the SXSW cart listed in the sources below. Unofficial "parties" around town often need a free RSVP, so register a week ahead rather than on the day.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) sits about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of downtown Austin, and CapMetro Route 20 reaches downtown in about 35 minutes for $1.25 ^{13 10}. The stop is the neon guitar bus stop on the lower level, just outside baggage claim ¹⁰. Tap-to-pay with a phone or bank card caps your fare at $2.50 per service day ¹⁰.

There is no single venue to aim for. The 2027 footprint centres on a strip of downtown between Lady Bird Lake and East 6th Street, with key points such as these ^{5 4}:

• JW Marriott, 110 East 2nd Street: keynotes and featured sessions ⁵.

• Hilton Austin, 500 East 4th Street: Innovation and featured sessions ⁵.

• Fairmont, 101 Red River Street: Innovation, the SXSW Expo and the XR Experience ⁵.

• Thompson, 506 San Jacinto Boulevard: the Music Clubhouse, three blocks from the Red River Cultural District ^{5 2}.

• ACL Live at The Moody Theater, Second Street District: film premieres, at 30.2657, -97.7470 ^{2 14}.

• Brazos Hall and 800 Congress: the Innovation and Film & TV Clubhouses ⁴.

Inside the footprint, walking is the default. The organiser runs an enhanced shuttle service free for all badgeholders, but AFS Cinema is not served by it ⁴. South of the river, Film & TV also screens at Zach Theatre, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar and the Rollins Theatre, which is where the shuttle or a short ride helps ⁴.

Drivers should expect road closures. In 2026 Congress Avenue closed from 7th to 11th Street, Red River from 5th to 10th Street and 6th Street from Brazos Street to the I-35 frontage road ⁸. City officials asked visitors to share rides, take transit, bike or walk because parking is limited ⁹.

Tip: Late at night, CapMetro Route 483 Night Owl covers the Riverside corridor toward the airport from after midnight to 4am ¹⁰. Check live times before you leave the club.

The 2027 week builds from education on the opening weekend to music on the last night, with the busiest overlap from Tuesday March 16 to Saturday March 20, 2027 ^{1 2}. Days belong to sessions and screenings, evenings to premieres and comedy, and nights to showcases.

How the days stack up in 2027 ^{1 2 4}:

1. Saturday March 13 to Sunday March 14: SXSW EDU sessions, workshops and screenings, with new programming at the JW Marriott.

2. Monday March 15 to Tuesday March 16: the Crossover Days, when Innovation, Film & TV and Music all open and the first showcases start.

3. Wednesday March 17 to Friday March 19: the peak, with Comedy and the Podcast Festival joining and Innovation tracks at full speed.

4. Saturday March 20: Innovation's last day, with Film and Music keynotes and featured sessions open to Innovation badgeholders.

5. Sunday March 21: the final Film & TV screenings and the closing night of Music showcases.

The night programme is the reason many people come. Showcases run on more than 100 stages, including long-standing clubs such as Mohawk, Antone's and Stubb's ¹⁶. The Red River Cultural District is the heart of the Music Festival, three blocks from the Music Clubhouse ². Arrive for a band, not a venue: lines form for buzz acts, and a set at 23:00 can be more crowded than a headliner at 20:00.

By day, the Innovation Conference spreads its tracks across Brand & Marketing, Startups, Tech & AI, Design, Health and more ³. For 2027 the Culture track becomes Lifestyle, and Sports and Gaming split into separate tracks ². Film premieres and red carpets move to ACL Live at The Moody Theater in 2027 while the Paramount Theatre is restored, with a return to the Paramount planned for 2028 ². Flatstock, the poster art fair, ran 10am–5pm across three days in 2026 ⁷.

Tip: Keynotes at the JW Marriott fill early, so join the walk-up line well before the doors open if you have no reservation, and sit near an aisle to leave quickly for the next session.

Austin in mid-March is mild to warm, with normal highs of 72–75°F (22–24°C) and normal lows of 52–53°F (11–12°C) over March 13–21, based on the 30-year climate normals for the city's weather station ¹¹. The whole of March brings about 2.88 inches (73 mm) of rain on average ¹¹. Records show how wide the swings can be: 96°F was recorded on March 14 and a low of 30°F on March 16 in past years ¹¹.

In practice, that means a day that starts cool at a keynote and ends warm in a crowded club. Rain is usually short, but a storm can empty an outdoor stage within minutes. Dress for both ends:

• Daytime: light layers you can carry, comfortable shoes for miles of downtown walking, sunglasses and sunscreen.

• Evening: a light jacket for open-air venues by Lady Bird Lake and on Red River after midnight.

• Rain: a compact umbrella or packable rain shell; most venues have bag-size limits, so skip large backpacks ⁶.

Crowds follow the badge overlap. The opening weekend is quieter downtown because SXSW EDU attracts educators rather than club-goers. From Monday to Saturday all communities overlap, and that is when coffee shops, rideshare pick-ups and badge walk-up lines are at their worst. Sunday is mostly film and music, and the town empties as people fly out.

For sessions and screenings without a reservation, join the walk-up line well before the start. For showcases with a name act, arrive before the previous set ends. The weather lets you wait outside comfortably most nights.

Tip: Spring in central Texas is pollen season, and many visitors notice it. Pack your usual allergy medicine if you react to tree pollen, since you will be walking outdoors between venues all day.

Staying downtown, within walking distance of East 2nd to East 6th Street, saves the most time during SXSW 2027 because keynotes, clubhouses and showcases all sit in that grid ^{5 4}. Badgeholders get an official booking link with rates up to 25% off at partner hotels, while others book the same list at the public rate ⁵. The organiser's housing desk answers questions by email at housing@sxsw.com ⁵.

Areas worth comparing:

• Downtown core (2nd Street to 6th Street): the shortest walk to keynotes, the Music Clubhouse and Red River clubs; also the most expensive and the noisiest at night.

• Rainey Street and the east edge of downtown: close to the Fairmont and Red River venues, with bar crowds of their own.

• South Congress and South Lamar: across Lady Bird Lake, near the Zach Theatre and South Lamar screening venues, and a calmer base for film-focused trips ⁴.

• East Austin: cheaper short-term rentals and quick rides into downtown, but late nights mean paying for rides home.

• Near the airport corridor: cheapest, linked by CapMetro Route 20 in about 35 minutes, but you lose the walk-back-between-sessions advantage ¹⁰.

Rooms in the core go first, often months before March, because the festival week overlaps with spring break across Texas. Book as soon as you know your badge type, and read the cancellation rules on the booking page before paying, since badges themselves are non-refundable ⁶.

Hotel lobbies double as venues. In 2027 the Four Seasons hosts the Podcast Festival, the Marriott Downtown hosts Flatstock, and the Driskill and Stephen F. Austin host the Film & TV Conference ^{5 2}. Staying at a venue hotel puts you close to sessions, but lobbies and elevators get crowded at session changeovers.

Tip: If you stay south of Lady Bird Lake, the walk across the Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk passes over a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats that summers in Austin and winters in Mexico ¹⁵. In mid-March the first spring arrivals are only starting to return.

Expect your mobile signal to slow down when thousands of people gather on Red River Street and East 6th Street on showcase nights during SXSW 2027 ². The Red River Cultural District is the centre of the Music Festival, and the Music Clubhouse sits three blocks away, so music crowds concentrate on a few blocks after dark ². Daytime is calmer, but venue lobbies at session changeovers can still be congested.

Here is what you use your phone for, hour by hour:

• Before a session: the official app or online schedule for reservations, line status and room changes ⁴.

• Between venues: maps across a footprint that runs from Lady Bird Lake to East 6th Street, plus free shuttle locations for badgeholders ⁴.

• At night: group chats, location sharing and ride-hail apps when Red River empties.

• Payments: tap-to-pay on CapMetro buses, which caps the daily fare at $2.50 ¹⁰.

There is no single figure for how much data a day at the festival takes. Use is light when you only check the schedule and maps, and heavier when you upload video from showcases or join video calls from a clubhouse. Hotel and venue Wi-Fi exists but is shared with every badgeholder in the building, so many international visitors rely on their own mobile data.

If you are flying in from abroad, a United States eSIM installed and activated before departure gives you data from the moment you land at AUS. Install it on Wi-Fi at home, keep your home SIM for calls if needed, and switch data to the eSIM after landing. Check your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked. Details of coverage and plans are on our United States eSIM page.

Tip: Download an offline map of downtown Austin and screenshot your badge confirmation and hotel address before you fly, so a weak signal on 6th Street at midnight does not leave you stuck.