‘Biggest event since the Olympics’: SXSW comes to Sydney

Sydneysiders will get a taste of the world’s most influential tech and innovation festival, in a major coup for NSW.

SXSW is expanding outside Austin for the first time in its 36-year history.

Legendary US innovation festival South by Southwest is expanding outside Austin, Texas for the first time, bringing its unique combination of technology, arts, music and culture to Sydney next year in what organisers say will be “bigger than the Olympics”.

In what represents a big boost for the city’s post-lockdown event landscape, Sydney will be the second location of SXSW’s 36th annual series of events, taking place from October 15 to 22, 2023, with the city to host over 1000 sessions, music gigs, screenings and parties.

President Barack Obama speaks at the opening keynote during the 2016 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas. Picture: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

The week-long event, previously only held in ­Austin, Texas has long been the choice destination for Silicon Valley tech firms to launch, with Twitter debuting there more than 10 years ago. Each year thousands of Australians flock to Texas for SXSW, to check out the latest gadgets and tech innovations alongside film premieres and bands on the cusp of hitting the big time.

Sensorium warriors perform onstage at 'Music & Visual Arts: How Far Can Merging Go' during the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals at the Austin Convention Centre.

Hugh Forrest, SXSW’s chief programming officer, told The Australian that SXSW Sydney will offer the world a chance to see the most innovative creators and future-focused music, storytelling, gaming trends and tech with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.

“So much of what has fuelled the growth and development of SXSW over the last 30-plus years is the creativity of Austin. We believe that Sydney’s similar future-focused, fast-moving culture that celebrates and cultivates creativity across many different industries makes it the perfect destination for an extension of our event,” he said.

“We’ve been exploring doing something outside North America for a while and found the right collaborators. This gives us the ability to offer a new range of programming to businesses centralised in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.”

ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said the event would be a rare chance for emerging artists to showcase their talents alongside the latest technologies.

“This is incredibly exciting news, as perhaps the largest-scale event since the Sydney 2000 Olympics, SXSW presents a real opportunity for Australia to lead the global discussion in future trends, innovation and the value of the creative economy,” she said.

“The intertwined role of music in all of these pursuits is constantly evolving, and I cannot imagine a better forum to explore the truly significant cultural and economic impact music will have over the coming decades.”

An attendee experiences ‘The Hum’ at the Make Some Noise booth during the Creative Industries Expo in Austin, Texas.

A view of the HaritoraX booth at the Creative Industries Expo during the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals in Austin.

Ms Herd described the event’s arrival as a ‘genuine game-changer for Sydney’ and the broader Asia Pacific region.

“All of that aside, it’s also going to be very, very fun.”

TEG CEO Geoff Jones serves as the event’s producer, and described SXSW as the Olympics of events for creative industries.

Hugh Forrest of SXSW. Picture: Supplied

“We are thrilled to bring this legendary festival of gaming, music, screen, tech and innovation to Sydney in 2023. I want to thank the NSW Government and Destination NSW for their support,” he said.

“Sydney will be alive with future focused activities like never seen before.”

SXSW chief programming officer Hugh Forrest said Australia has enjoyed a long affinity with the decades-old SXSW.

Adelaide was thought to be a frontrunner for an Australian iteration of the event, given it has a sister-city relationship with Austin.

“We’ve had a very strong Aust­ralian presence here for more than 20 years, and we want to keep building that bridge,” Mr Forrest said.

“SXSW is a great place to make new connections to advance your career, learn about new innovations or simply be around very creative people in a very creative city.”

Originally published as ‘Biggest event since the Olympics’: SXSW comes to Sydney