South by Southwest (SXSW) returned live this year! The 35-year-old festival infuses on average $16-plus million of consumer spending into the Austin music scene over the course of nine days. The festival returned in March after its cancellation in 2020 and virtual show in 2021. Both the cancellation and virtual show were prompted by health and safety concerns due to the pandemic.
Founded in 1987, SXSW has grown from a small collection of concerts centered around downtown Austin’s Sixth Street to one of the most important media and industry exhibitions in the world. In 2019, the year before the pandemic, SXSW generated more than $355 million in economic impact for the city.
Tom Noon, president and CEO of Visit Austin, said he was excited to see the in-person return of SXSW. “SXSW is one of the top economic drivers for so many of our local businesses, live music venues, restaurants and hotels.”
