SXSW Expands Into Australia

Austin’s famed South by Southwest conference and festival is headed to Australia. The Texas-born event bring its famed celebration of the technology, film and music industries to Sydney, Australia across seven days and nights from Oct. 15-22, 2023.

SXSW Sydney will bring together the industries of music, gaming, film, television, technology and innovation much like the American version that launched in 1987.

“Every day of the year we connect people to each other, developing events and content that celebrate the inter-relatedness of current and emerging topics. We continue to push our own boundaries by evolving and expanding as we strive to deliver an experience of unexpected discovery and inspiration,” said SXSW CEO Roland Swenson in a release. “We believe that Sydney’s similar future-focused, fast-moving culture that celebrates and cultivates creativity across many different industries, artistic endeavors and entrepreneurial projects makes it the perfect destination for an extension of our event.”

SXSW Sydney will be a collaboration with Australian promoter TEG and The New South Wales (NSW) Government and Destination NSW. The new edition will serve as the official annual Asia Pacific installment of SXSW as the event builds on its more than three-decades long foundation.

“SXSW is an event without equal internationally that has launched the careers of so many creative professionals,” said TEG group CEO Geoff Jones, who will lead production for SXSW Sydney. “Through showcasing the creator industries of the Asia Pacific to the world, SXSW Sydney will establish a new SXSW touchpoint, enabling the international and cross-sector connections that deliver the most innovative products and content. I would like to welcome Colin Daniels as the managing director of SXSW Sydney and thank the NSW Government, Destination NSW, the team at SXSW for their foresight and support.”

SXSW in Austin was one of the first major live events to shut down due to the ongoing pandemic. The conference and festival returned in 2021 with virtual events before resuming in-person concerts, panels, parties and more in March.

Australia’s labels body ARIA welcomed SXSW Sydney. “This is a genuine game-changer for Sydney’s cultural outlook,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd, “but it is also an exceptional moment for the Asia Pacific region, which has long deserved a conference of this scale to acknowledge its increasingly undeniable impact on global trends and innovation. All of that aside, it’s also going to be very, very fun.”

ARIA is thrilled to welcome the world’s most iconic conference and festival, South by Southwest® (@sxswsydney), to Sydney in October 2023 as it expands beyond Austin, Texas for the very first time.https://t.co/zDL4GJqY40#SXSWSydney #SXSW

— ARIA (@ARIA_Official) June 29, 2022

SXSW signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, the companies announced in April 2021, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.

“We couldn’t be more excited and honored to work with TEG and the New South Wales Government via Destination NSW on an event that brings to Australia the professional opportunities and unexpected discoveries that make SXSW unique,” Swenson continues. “The purpose of SXSW is to help creative people achieve their goals, and Sydney is the ideal city to serve as a home for the cross-collaboration that exists within the many industries we bring together.”

Industry professionals, talent, partners and more can register their interest now at sxswsydney.com.

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