How many attend sxsw

Normally, he looks forward to spending the early part of the day watching some music, maybe catch a keynote speech afterward and meet new people over cocktails and tacos at happy hour. The company has since hired back some of them. Our mission at Marketplace is to raise the economic intelligence of the country. Marketplace helps you understand it all, will fact-based, approachable, and unbiased reporting. Generous support from listeners and readers is what powers our nonprofit news—and your donation today will help provide this essential service.

Skip to content. Andy Uhler Mar 9, Heard on:. Listen Now. That , number doesn't include the people who came to Austin and attended unaffiliated sideshows. Editor's note: This story has been updated. The and attendance numbers provided by SXSW include all registered badge-holders, not just paid registrants. Please Sign In and use this article's on page print button to print this article. Related Content. The day event is split into three sections, interactive, film and music.

What makes SXSW special is that the festival takes over the whole city. No space is safe. Many locals actually escape the city. Participants can either pay for a badge, wristband, or, with a bit of effort, see gigs and events for free. You can purchase badges for each theme or go platinum for primary access to all three. If you choose just the interactive or film or music badge you gain secondary priority access to the other two. Film overlaps on the 11th — 20th March. Finally, music will fill the streets officially from the 14th — 20th March.

Purchase your early bird South by Southwest tickets here. You can learn more about the different types of accommodation, and prices, in our SXSW accommodation guide.

The event was broadcasted online and featured Willie Nelson as keynote and the following acts and talks. Sessions include the topics of gender, health, business, marketing, self-help, etc. Sessions mainly take place in the Austin Convention Center. We were lucky enough to see some gigs twice. SXSW was created to support artists and industry meet and discuss future partnerships.

Those who are serious about networking should invest in the SXSW badge. Badges give you access to all shows, talks, events and gigs in your chosen area or access all areas for the platinum badge , you may still need to wait in line but not to the extent of those who enjoy SXSW by stalking the free events. It looks as if you have to request around 9 am the day before the event.

Venues and gigs are sponsored by private companies and with sponsorship comes free shizzle! You will need a holiday after it. Planning for SXSW starts months before the big event. Start stalking the bands and artists your love on social media to keep an eye on who is attending. During the festival, the following official and unofficial accounts will tell you where to get food, what the lines are like and where the surprise gigs are taking place.

You might want to create a separate Twitter account to keep track of events. Our experience of was very different from that of and In the past, RSVPing was a must as stewards checked for the app tickets at the door. Again, keep an eye on those Twitter accounts to see where lines are doable, you need to be flexible at SXSW. Waiting in line is just part of the SX bloodline. Even badge holders need to stand in line at times, albeit in the primary one.

We waited for a good few hours, drinking our tins from the gas station, to try and catch Years and Years one evening. We failed to get anywhere near the front. We missed Har Mar Superstar on 6th but caught him in a tiny intimate venue the next day.

He was basically dancing on top of us, naked. The free, like actual free, days will be the BIG parties held at the notable venues:. Once the free beverages run out there are no more so get in early. The Do app is useful but difficult to use. The best way to get around it is the search for the act you wish to see and pull up the venues that they are playing at then investigate which party that would be.

Twitter is definitely the best app at your disposal and taxis apps will be required to get into the city and out. As badge holders, it has been useful for scheduling events and attempting to request SXXpress passes for popular events. There are hundreds of venues at SX and the will literally pop up anywhere.

Some of the most popular ones for free parties include:. It is in the perfect location, minute stroll along the water to the city.

Straight after the festival prices drop, we stayed in a cute garden hut house at Barnton Springs and chilled by the swimming pool. Uber, Lyft and Ride Austin all operate as taxis in Austin. It operates on an app basis like Lyft and Uber.

New to Austin is the electronic scooter system. Uber Jump , Lyft and Bird all have scooters dotted around the city. You need the app and a credit card to activate the scooter. The traffic is very understanding surprisingly. Stick to the cycle lanes when there are some.