This year Sydney hosted its first ever South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, where tonnes of world-class creatives and innovators showcased the cutting-edge of their industries, all on Aussie soil. And to those who are absolutely devo that they missed it, fear not! Organisers have announced the festival will be back in 2024.
This year from October 15-22, Sydney was jam-packed with industry leaders in tech, music, film, screen, games and other fields, all teasing what was at the forefront of their respective areas of work. There were conferences, talks, showcases, special screenings, parties, interactive displays, and more — it was a pretty hectic week TBH.
Some of the big names who appeared to present at SXWS Sydney include Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Mia Freedman, Chance the Rapper, Julia Zemiro, Per Saari, Troy Baker, Baz Luhrmann, and The Wiggles! And that’s not even everyone.
One of the peak moments for us was undeniably when in a conversation with Per Saari, Nicole Kidman admitted to pissing in a bush. Love when the stars make themselves relatable.
In an announcement confirming the go-ahead for next year, SXSW Sydney Chair Geoff Jones said that it would be “an understatement” to say this year was a success.
“The team pulled together a remarkable grand-scale event that brought together APAC’s creative communities in a way the region had never seen before,” said Jones.
“We are thrilled to announce the dates for SXSW Sydney 2024 in partnership with the NSW Government and look forward to opening more doors for innovators across the tech & innovation, music, screen, games and creative industries.”
Next year SXSW Sydney will take place from Monday October 14 to Sunday October 20.
Over its seven day period the futuristic festival sold almost 35,000 tickets to over 1,100 different events, and had almost 300,000 people in the city attend something.
More updates will be provided later on the exact when and where of SXSW Sydney 2024, but the team have said that applications for the session select and music, screen and games showcases will be available from the start of next year. Meaning anyone looking to secure their spot at an event can get in suuuper early!
Also for people like me who love a bit of merch to commemorate an event, next year badges will be available. Bloody ‘yuge.
South By Southwest originated in Austin in America, and has been running there yearly since 1987.
