Having taken a dive thanks to several years of lockdowns, Sydney’s performance and events scene is set to bounce back to life in style as the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival heads Down Under for 2023.
SXSW, which was originally a music festival but has since branched out into an event for media and conferences, is traditionally based in Austin Texas, though the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled and moved online thanks to the ongoing pandemic.
The news was initially broken by the Sydney Morning Herald, in what is being described as a coup for Destination NSW as they aim to reinvigorate the local events scene in Sydney.
Colin Daniels, managing director of SXSW Sydney, said: “Focusing on the creator industries in the Asia Pacific region, SXSW Sydney will celebrate what’s next in culture, tech and the regions thriving creative economy. Sydney will play host to more than 1000 experiences across the city encompassing keynote speakers, inspiring panels and summits, product demonstrations, artists performances, screenings, live gaming sessions and a myriad of networking events and parties. Sydney will be alive with future focused activities like never seen before.”
Event producer for SXSW Sydney Geoff Jones said: “Put simply, SXSW is the Olympics of events for the creator industries, and we are thrilled to bring this legendary festival of gaming, music, screen, tech and innovation to Sydney in 2023.”
The 2023 event in Sydney will mark the first time SXSW has been hosted outside of its birthplace in Austin since it began in 1987. It is currently scheduled to run in October of next year after the corresponding event in Texas in March.
Minister for Tourism and Sport Stuart Ayres said: “SXSW Sydney will provide significant benefits for the NSW visitor economy, with unparalleled networking opportunities to advance our tech and creative industries. The very best of the creative and tech industries in the Asia Pacific will be on display during SXSW Sydney, while also drawing thousands of people from around the world to enjoy our spectacular Harbour City.”
