Overview
- The 40th SXSW runs March 12–18, two days shorter than 2025, with Conference, Film & TV, and Music tracks running concurrently.
- Programming centers on three downtown clubhouses—Innovation at Brazos Hall, Film & TV at 800 Congress, and Music at Downright—with tracks aligned to key buildings across downtown.
- A badge-based reservation system will manage access, with priority for Platinum holders and staggered reservation windows for other badges; some badge prices were reduced.
- The festival opens with Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters starring Demi Moore and Keke Palmer, with speakers including Steven Spielberg, Serena Williams, Andy Cohen and Jamie Lee Curtis, and performers such as Lainey Wilson, Christina Aguilera and Calvin Harris.
- Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said security plans remain largely unchanged after a recent downtown mass shooting, with a department briefing on SXSW measures expected in the coming days.