After some confusion in news media and social apps about what will be happening with the music part of South by Southwest in 2026, the festival is clarifying the status of SXSW Music. According to spokespeople, the show will very much go on next year, albeit with some differences that may take a moment for longtime festivalgoers to wrap their heads around.
The first distinction from this and other past years is that the second weekend of SXSW, when music showcases and panels traditionally took place, has been dropped. But reports that this means an end to SXSW Music are not correct. Festival spokespeople say that they are moving up all the music showcases to be completely concurrent with the film/TV and interactive parts of the festival, and the entirety of SXSW will take place over a seven-day period.
In fact, the festival maintains, there is a way of looking at it as being as much of an expansion as a contraction for SXSW Music, because there will now be music showcases spread across seven nights instead of six.
How that will play out next year, with the music part of the multi-discipline festival happening simultaneously with the bigger draw that the film festival has become, remains to be seen. But the official word is that the bell is not tolling for SXSW Music.
A statement provided Monday to Variety from Lillian Park, VP of communications for SXSW, laid out the thinking for the whole of the festival going into 2026, a couple of days after the ’25 edition wrapped up.
“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,” the statement said.
“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,” it continued.
“This gives music fans an opportunity to enjoy seven nights of showcases instead of the six we’ve had for several years. 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.”
In conclusion, the SXSW statement said, “We also know that post-pandemic attendees want more personalized experiences, and we’re excited to explore new ways to bring people together.”
Just to make things perfectly clear, the spokesperson included an updated graphic for 2026 that illustrates how the three traditionally distinct parts of SXSW will now all happen across the same board at the same time, from March 12 through March 18 of next year:
Confusion began to spread Sunday after SXSW released its dates for 2026 and the traditional all-music second weekend of the festival was notably missing. Nevertheless, the festival site also showed that music-only passes for next year had already gone on sale… at a much lower cost than the asking price for film/TV-only passes.
Attendance for SXSW’s music offerings has declined over the years from its 2000s-era peak, although many bands and indie labels still consider it a vital stop. The festival used to host more than 2000 acts over a period of a few days, but has leveled off to closer to 1000. Only 2026 will tell whether the experience becomes even “more curated,” as the statement puts it, even with performances being spread over seven nights instead of six.
Penske Media, the parent company of Variety, has held a 50% interest in the festival since 2021.
