The 'Olympics for creator industries' comes to Sydney

South by Southwest will branch out of the US for the first time ever.

South by Southwest will branch out of the US for the first time ever.

The Texas “festival of creativity,” which launched in 1987, will touch down in the Harbour City next year. 

The week-long event will run from 15 to 22 October 2023, with 1,000 events, keynotes, and performances across the city. 

Festival director Colin Daniels says the new iteration of SXSW will focus on talent from those working in the Asia-Pacific region, showcasing “the largest group of inspiring international thinkers, creators, innovators and performers ever seen in Sydney at one time.”

The full lineup of performers and keynote speakers will be announced in the coming months.

It has previously hosted keynotes from the likes of Barack and Michelle Obama; tech giants Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger of Instagram and Melinda Gates; musicians Lady Gaga, Johnny Cash, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, and Lizzo; and directors Steven Spielberg, Jordan Peele and Taika Waititi. 

Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi attend the "What We Do in the Shadows" Premiere 2019 SXSW. Photo: Getty.

SXSW has become a hub for the Silicon Valley tech firms to launch, with Twitter debuting there over a decade ago. Thousands flock to the event each year to suss out the latest in tech innovations and gadgets. 

At the heart of it all (before the tech nerds swooped) is music. SXSW is the largest music festival of its kind in the world. It’s where emerging artists go to be discovered, and oodles of high-profile signings have come out of the event across the years. 

Acts like Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, The White Stripes, M.I.A, Janelle Monae, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Katy Perry and John Mayer all cut their teeth on the South By stage.

Amy Winehouse at SXSW, 2014. Photo: Getty.

“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,” ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd 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.”

Sydney’s music community desperately needs an event like this. The effects of the pandemic, and subsequent live music venue closures, coupled with the city’s controversial lockout laws, has had a devastating impact on the industry.