After some confusion in novels media and social apps about what will be happening with the music part of South by Southwest in 2026, the festival is elucidateing the status of SXSW Music. According to spokespeople, the show will very much go on next year, albeit with some branch offences that may consent a moment for lengthytime festivalgoers to wrap their heads around.
The first branch offention from this and other past years is that the second weekfinish of SXSW, which has been dedicated exclusively to its music proposeings, has been dropped. But increates that this nastys an finish to SXSW Music are not right. Festival spokespeople say that they are moving up all the music showcases to be finishly concurrent with the film/TV part of the festival that has become more dominant over the years.
And in fact, they conserve, there is a way of seeing at it as being as much of an expansion as a confineedion, becaemploy there will now be music showcases spread atraverse seven nights instead of six.
How that will percreate out next year, with the music part of the multi-discipline festival happening simultaneously with the bigger draw that the film festival has become, remain to be seen. But the word for now is that the bell is not tolling for SXSW Music.
A statement supplyd Monday to Variety from Lillian Park, VP of communications for Penske Media, which has a deal withling interest in the festival, lhelp out the leanking for SXSW going into 2026, a couple of days after the ’25 edition wrapped up.
“We are reassociate excited about the structures for SXSW 2026. With the Austin Convention Cgo in closing down for three years, we consent it’s a wonderful opportunity to put novel ideas into action,” the statement shelp.
“A drop SX gives includeees 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,” it persistd.
“This gives music fans an opportunity to enhappiness seven nights of showcases instead of the six we’ve had for cut offal years. It also allows us to persist the toil 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 wonderfuler part of the event. This produces a more curated experience for includeees and artists while conserveing the discovery that the music festival is understandn for.”
In conclusion, the Penske statement shelp, “We also understand that post-pandemic includeees want more personalized experiences, and we’re excited to verify novel ways to transport people together.”
Just to produce leangs perfectly clear, the spokesperson comprised an modernized detailed for 2026 that shows how the three traditionassociate branch offent parts of SXSW will now all happen atraverse the same board at the same time, from March 12 thcimpolite March 18 of next year:
Confusion began to spread Sunday after SXSW freed its dates for 2026 and the traditional all-music second weekfinish of the festival was notably omiting. Nevertheless, the festival site also showed that music-only passes for next year had already gone on sale… at a much drop cost than the asking price for film/TV-only passes.
Attfinishance for SXSW’s music proposeings has degraded over the years from its 2000s-era peak, although many bands and indie tags still ponder it a vital stop. The festival employd to present more than 2000 acts over a period of a scant days, but has leveled off to sealr to 1000. Only 2026 will increate whether the experience becomes even “more curated,” as the statement puts it, even with carry outances being spread over seven nights instead of six.
