AUSTIN, Texas — The 2026 South by Southwest Conference and Festival (SXSW) has officially wrapped up. Many people who traveled to Austin for the event are on their way home or have already left.
Hundreds of thousands of people attend SXSW every year. People from all over the world flock to Austin for the festival. One singer, Badonna, came all the way from Detroit to perform.
“We were down there the whole week giging it out, having a great time,” said Badonna.
This year, the event was a couple of days shorter, eliminating the second weekend. Renovations at the Austin Convention Center shook up the event, making it decentralized, featuring industry clubhouses all across the downtown area. It left some confused.
“A lot was going on that I didn’t know was going on,” said Badonna.
For others like Kenny Olson, the SXSW festivals have changed beyond the layout, growing a more online presence. According to 2025 numbers, nearly 400,000 people viewed events online.
“South by Southwest contributed to like, really helping bands be, you know, put out there. … It was a little bit of a different animal in the beginning,” said Olson.
A spokesperson for SXSW said they expect overall 2026 attendance to be similar to 2025.
“SXSW pulled off one of the most ambitious reinventions in our 40-year history. With the Austin Convention Center under a multi-year redevelopment, we implemented a new seven-day format, explored new hubs like the Clubhouses, and experimented with programming across more of the city during this transition. Our goal for 2026 was to match our attendance numbers from 2025. We are very pleased with early attendance numbers, and we expect to achieve that goal when we have final attendance in a few weeks,” said a spokesperson for the organization.
The event brings hundreds of millions of dollars to the city of Austin. SXSW is expected to release its economic report later in the year.