Saturday, December 11, 2010

SXSW 2011: Last Year's Promotional Video

Want a slightly better sense of what South by Southwest is all about? Last year's official promotional video offers a glimpse. Check it out.

Friday, December 10, 2010

SXSW 2011: And so it begins ...


We haven't quite stuck the proverbial fork in 2010, but we're already on the lookout for what's around the corner in 2011. Spring isn't that far away, and in Austin, that means South by Southwest. And as big as SXSW can be, getting your act together early is pretty much mandatory. The big-time music, film and interactive festival, which happens in March each year, is already starting to take shape for 2011. A good number of the musicians and films that will be featured in 2011 have been announced, and a bunch of the music panels have been set. Meanwhile, the prices for badges go up periodically. If you're considering attending SouthBy, the time to start planning is now!

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST 2011 BASICS

March 11-20
Interactive: March 11-15
Film: March 11-19
Music: March 16-20

Headquarters
500 East Cesar Chavez St.

Events during SXSW take place all over the city, mainly downtown, but the nerve center of the festival is the Convention Center. Lots of panels, the Day Stage, the Texas Guitar Show, Flatstock poster show and other fun stuff take place at the sprawling center, plus it's the place to go to handle registration and other logistics.



The rate for a coveted Platinum Badge (access to all three festivals) is now at the four figure mark: $1050. That rate is good through January 14, then it'll cost you another bean. If you're more the single-event sort, Film, Music and Interactive Badges are running from $400-675.

The Second-Hand Market:

Follow SXSW

I'll be posting SXSW-related goodies between now and the festival, starting off slowly and picking up the pace as March nears. Here are some other good places to go for festival news, information ... and gossip.


A couple of blogs covering SXSW:
  • Operation Every Band - Had to start here. These guys have set a daunting goal: Review every band playing at SXSW in 2011. That means nearly 2,000 reviews. That's a whole lotta listening. Sounds like ... fun? Best of luck!
  • Austin Chronicle's SXSW Blog - What you'd expect from the Chronicle.