SXSW to Scale Back 2026 Edition
The conference and festival will be cut by two days while the new Austin Convention Center is under construction, with interactive, film/TV and music programs set to run concurrently.
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Austin’s annual SXSW conference and festival is set to scale back its 2026 edition.
Next year, the event will run from March 12-18 — two days shorter than this year’s event — with its interactive, film/TV and music programs running concurrently. The news was first reported by the Austin American-Statesman.
“A shorter SX gives attendees more of a chance to be here for the entire run. With the Conference, Film & TV Festival, and Music Festival all taking place concurrently over seven days, everyone will have the chance to experience the whole of SXSW,” a spokesperson for SXSW told Billboard in a statement.
“This gives music fans an opportunity to enjoy seven nights of showcases instead of the six we’ve had for several years,” the spokesperson added. “It also allows us to continue the work the Music Festival programmers have done over the last decade in paring down the numbers of showcasing artists while spreading the shows out over a greater part of the event. This creates a more curated experience for attendees and artists while retaining the discovery that the music festival is known for.”
The just-wrapped 2025 edition of SXSW ran from March 7-15.
The reduction in days stems from the $1.6 billion redevelopment of the Austin Convention Center that is slated to kick off next month with the demolition of the current facility. The redevelopment will be funded by a hotel occupancy tax and convention center revenue.
“We are really excited about the plans for SXSW 2026. With the Austin Convention Center closing down for three years, we believe it’s a great opportunity to put new ideas into action,” added the spokesperson. “We also know that post-pandemic attendees want more personalized experiences, and we’re excited to explore new ways to bring people together.”
The new Austin Convention Center will nearly double the size of the rentable square footage of the existing facility and will prioritize accessibility, flexibility and sustainability. The new design will feature expansive open-air terraces, public plazas and more. It also aims to be the world’s first zero-carbon-certified convention center when construction is completed in late 2028. The new convention center is expected to be open and available for the 2029 festival season.
Billboard’s parent company PMC is the largest shareholder of SXSW and its brands are official media partners of SXSW.
