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3d ago

SXSW Recasts 2027 With New Podcast Festival and Downtown Creative Village

A downtown pop-up village will replace the Convention Center footprint to accommodate restorations, with new badge tiers that target executives and local residents.

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SXSW attendees Ben Treat and Owen Whitworth play the new Invincible VS game at the arcade pop-up on Brazos Street during the South by Southwest Conference and Festival on March 13, 2026 in Austin.
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Overview

  • SXSW announced Tuesday that the festival will run March 15–21, 2027, and will add a dedicated Podcast Festival running March 17–20 that is open to all badgeholders.
  • The Paramount Theatre will be under restoration for 2027, so many major film premieres and red carpets will move to ACL Live at The Moody Theater and the Film & TV conference will relocate to The Driskill and Stephen F. Austin hotels.
  • Organizers will again stage a pop-up Creative Village across downtown Austin, bring back clubhouses and a reservations system, and expand shuttle service to link dispersed film and music venues.
  • SXSW is introducing an application-only CxO badge described as a curated premium executive experience with a locally reported price of $6,095, and a 512 Club that gives Austin ZIP-code holders special rates, perks and a downtown lounge; general badges are already on sale.
  • Organizers say PanelPicker submissions and festival applications are up about 50 percent, and the changes aim to concentrate events downtown while the Convention Center and Paramount reopen in the coming years (Paramount targeted to return in 2028 and the Convention Center projected to reopen later).