SXSW Expands Internationally For First Time Ever With 2023 Sydney Edition

June 30, 2022

South by Southwest will expand outside of its Austin, Texas home base for the first time ever next year. The inaugural Australian edition of SXSW is set to take place in Sydney in October 2023, showcasing the latest in music, film, gaming, tech and innovation.

The conference will follow a similar format to the North American edition, with over 1000 performances, keynote addresses, panel sessions, screenings and more running throughout the city. SXSW Sydney will kick off on Sunday, 15th October 2023 and run for a full week.

SXSW Sydney Marks the First Time The Conference Has Taken Place Outside of North America

#SXSW is heading out of North America for the first time and will be coming to Sydney in 2023 ??? #SXSWSydney

Sign up for the latest announcements here: https://t.co/c6Dt9gkmz8 pic.twitter.com/wbSCFSO0ac

— SXSW Sydney (@sxswsydney) June 29, 2022

An Asia-Pacific iteration of SXSW is set to run annually following next year’s Australian launch. Destination NSW is organising the event in collaboration with events company TEG. Colin Daniels, Managing Director of SXSW’s Sydney iteration, said the event would bring together “the largest group of inspiring international thinkers, creators, innovators and performers ever seen in Sydney at one time.”

In his own statement, SXSW CEO and co-founder Roland Swenson said the Australian edition of the festival would bring “the professional opportunities and unexpected discoveries that make SXSW unique” to Australian shores. “Sydney is the ideal city to serve as a home for the cross-collaboration that exists within the many industries we bring together.”

South by Southwest first took place in Austin, Texas in 1987. The conference and festival has expanded considerably in both size and vision in the course of its three-and-a-half-decade existence, while remaining primarily oriented around music, film and technology.

Artists who’ve appeared as part of SXSW over the years include Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, and umpteen acts on the cusp of major success. Other SXSW speakers have included the likes of Barack Obama, Taika Waititi, Jordan Peele and many more.

Find more information about SXSW Sydney – and register your interest – here.