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South by Southwest has unveiled plans for a podcast festival, new locals-only perks and temporary changes in music venues for the 2027 event that will unfold on the streets of Austin, Texas in March.
SXSW will run from
March 15-21. The inaugural Podcast Festival will be held March 17-20. Open to all SXSW badgeholders, the podcast fest will feature live tapings and industry conversations. And the SXSW EDU conference for educators will be held once again just before the main event from March 13-16.
SXSW has made changes in part because of the temporary shakeup in venues in Austin. The festival’s longtime home of the Austin Convention Center is under top-to-bottom renovation, while the stately Paramount Theatre on Congress Avenue main drag also will be out of commission next year for a restoration effort.
In 2026, SXSW was reorganized as a seven-day event that sought to integrate the various strands — film, music, TV, digital and lifestyle — into a central area of downtown Austin.
“2026 proved that we can evolve the event while preserving the discovery, connection and creativity that make it special,” said Greg Rosenbaum, SXSW’s senior VP of programming. “For 2027, we’re building on what worked by creating more intentional hubs across downtown Austin, giving growing communities like podcasting a bigger platform, and making it easier for attendees to find the ideas, people and opportunities that matter to them.”
The festival’s Music Clubhouse will relocate to The Thompson hotel, with Music Conference programming more central to the event footprint at The Thompson and The Westin hotels. With the Paramount closed, some film premieres will be held at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, which accommodates about 2,800. The Film & TV Conference hub will be relocated to the Driskill and Stephen F. Austin hotels.
This year, SXSW is introducing the CxO Badge for C-suite executives and the 512 Club to provide perks and access to local residents. Badgeholders with an Austin zip code will receive special perks leading up to the festival launch and the 512 Club will become a new downtown home base for residents at the festival.
(Pictured: Charlotte Weinman of Horsepower performs at SXSW on March 17, 2026)
