<\/p>\n
The 2026 South by Southwest Conference and Festival will have Boots Riley’s “I Love Boosters” as its opening night film.<\/p>\n
Provided by NEON<\/p>\n
Austin\u2019s perennial culture engine is about to turn 40. and if the 2026 lineup is any indication, this year\u2019s South by Southwest Conference and Festival will include high-wattage star power<\/a>.<\/p>\n The festival \u2014 which runs March 12-18 at venues across downtown Austin \u2014 will open with a world premiere designed to set the tone, as filmmaker Boots Riley returns with\u00a0\u201cI Love Boosters.\u201d<\/a> The heist comedy is stacked with names that signal\u00a0SXSW\u2019s continued pull as both launchpad and spectacle.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Riley\u2019s long-awaited second feature arrives with a cast that includes\u00a0Keke Palmer, Demi Moore, Eiza Gonz\u00e1lez, Alexa Demie, LaKeith Stanfield and Will Poulter. As an opening-night selection, \u201cI Love Boosters\u201d positions SXSW not just as a discovery festival but as a place where established stars test new modes with riskier, more playful material than they\u2019d bring to traditional studio releases.<\/p>\n Elle Fanning stars in the Apple TV series “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” coming to the South by Southwest Conference and Festival in March.<\/p>\n Provided by Apple TV<\/p>\n The 2026\u00a0SXSW celebrity forecast<\/p>\n While we don’t know exactly how many stars are heading to Austin, the SXSW Film lineup foreshadows a week where premieres will double as red carpets and panels will bleed into performances:<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cPerfect\u201d brings Julia Fox into the\u00a0indie spotlight with a dystopian romance that takes place in a world devastated by a water contamination incident.<\/p>\n \u201cMargo\u2019s Got Money Troubles\u201d assembles Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman, Rico Nasty and David Cronenberg for an Apple TV series about a broke new mom.<\/p>\n \u201cReady or Not 2: Here I Come\u201d ups the horror ante with Kathryn Newton, Samara Weaving, Elijah Wood and Shawn\u00a0Hatosy. \u201cReady or Not 2: Here I Come,\u201d a sequel to the 2019 horror film, is premiering at this year’s South by Southwest Conference and Festival.<\/p>\n Provided by Searchlight Pictures<\/p>\n \u201cPretty Lethal\u201d\u00a0stars Lana Condor,\u00a0Maddie Ziegler and Uma Thurman in a thriller about five stranded ballerinas.<\/p>\n \u201cForbidden Fruits\u201d mixes screen and influencer culture with\u00a0Lili Reinhart, Lola Tung, Emma Chamberlain and Gabrielle Union for a dark comedy about a cult.<\/p>\n \u201cBasic\u201d adds Leighton\u00a0Meester and Ashley Park to a young woman\u2019s downward spiral after a breakup.<\/p>\n \u201cThey Will Kill You\u201d spotlights\u00a0Zazie Beetz in a thriller-comedy where a cult seeks a sacrifice.<\/p>\n \u201cPower Ballad\u201d features Paul\u00a0Rudd and Nick Jonas in a music rivalry. SXSW Music includes Lola Young, Christina\u00a0Aguilera<\/p>\n Lola Young performs onstage during\u00a0Spotify’s 2026 Best New Artist Party at LA’s The Lot at Formosa on January 29, 2026 in West Hollywood, California.<\/p>\n Matt Winkelmeyer\/Getty Images for Spotify<\/p>\n The SXSW Music Festival will also bring big names to Austin. The Future of Music showcase features Lola Young and\u00a0Fuerza Regida, while Billboard\u2019s stage highlights Don Toliver, and the All-American Rejects play the festival kickoff party at Stubb’s BBQ.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the\u00a0SXSW-adjacent Sips and Sounds Festival leans mainstream with Christina\u00a0Aguilera, Ravyn Lenae, Grouplove, Calvin Harris and Foster the People.<\/p>\n Where to spot\u00a0celebrities\u00a0in Austin<\/p>\n Dua Lipa, right, takes a photo with La Barbecue owner Ali Clem, left, on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at La Barbecue in Austin.<\/p>\n Provided by La Barbecue<\/p>\n For all its badge-only access,\u00a0SXSW still spills into the city. South Congress Avenue remains the most reliable runway where sightings happen between coffee runs and casual strolls. Last year, Pedro Pascal was spotted along the strip and at Torchy\u2019s Tacos<\/a>. Nearby, Barton Springs Pool continues to draw visitors, famous or not, looking to disappear into something low-key.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n At night, the tourist playbook shifts toward Texas\u00a0mythmaking. Honky-tonks like the White Horse, Broken Spoke and Donn\u2019s Depot<\/a> routinely pull in artists and actors chasing a two-step. Before heading there, some make a stop at Allens Boots, where Dua Lipa was spotted shopping back in 2025, leaning into the costume of it all.<\/p>\n Food, as always in Austin, is part of the circuit. Barbecue lines at La Barbecue<\/a> and Leroy and Lewis Barbecue double as informal meet-and-greets, while\u00a0NADC Burger has also become a recurring SXSW stop<\/a>. For a more polished version of the same scene, industry regulars tend to orbit dining rooms like Uchi, Este, Hestia, J. Carver\u2019s Oyster Bar & Chophouse, The Kimberley and Sammie\u2019s Italian.<\/p>\n Related: The top 10 fine dining restaurants in Austin<\/a><\/p>\n How to attend\u00a0SXSW 2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThe conference will include panels with Jamie Lee Curtis, Larry David<\/a> and Steven Speilberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n