Join Us for SXSW 2020: New Programming Announced

August 1, 2019 Jordan Roberts

Do you have 2020 vision? SXSW 2020, that is.

Each March in Austin, diverse groups of creatives across tech, film, and music industries converge at the SXSW Conference & Festivals. Journey into Austin’s own world’s fair of the future – the premier destination for global thought leaders working on new ideas to build a better future during 10 days of collaboration. Your SX experience also includes endless opportunities to check off New Year’s resolutions for creative and professional growth – even your Austin bucket list can get some love.

Make plans to kick off a new decade with the world’s brightest creatives this March – register for SXSW 2020.

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals.

Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is your platform to discover what’s next. From March 13-22, experience an event packed full of conference sessions, showcases, screenings, startup competitions, exhibitions, tacos (so many tacos), networking events, interactive art, awards ceremonies, mentor sessions, and beyond.

Explore badge access information, hotel booking, and the latest programming announcements below. Stay tuned to sxsw.com as we announce even more speakers, films, artists, exhibitors, finalists, career development opportunities, and much more throughout the season. Register to attend to begin your SX adventure and help us write the next chapter of SXSW.

Recently Announced Programming

Taking the stage first is psychotherapist, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, and nationally recognized journalist Lori Gottlieb as the 2020 SXSW Opening Speaker.

Keynotes, the fulcrum of each day’s SXSW Conference programming, include Gabo Arora (Convergence), St. Vincent a/k/a Annie Clark with Carrie Brownstein (Music), Erin Lee Carr (Film), Diplo (Music), Reggie Fils-Aimé (Convergence), Kim Gordon (Music), Whitney Wolfe Herd and Jon Korngold with Gayle King (Interactive), Laurene Powell Jobs (Convergence), Soo-Man Lee with Michelle Jubelier (Music), Cat Packer with Kelly Perez (Convergence), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross with Damon Lindelof (Convergence), Janelle Monáe (Convergence), Lulu Wang (Film), and Michael Moore with Roger Waters (Music).

Across the Conference’s 22 Tracks of programming, Featured Speakers include Judd Apatow, Rohit Bhargava, Bon Appétit Test Kitchen chefs, Brené Brown, T Bone Burnett, Sophia Bush, Kudzi Chikumbu, Noam Chomsky, Stephen Colbert, Anil Dash, Jack Dorsey, Jen Flanz, Camille François, Chip and Joanna Gaines, Roxane Gay, Tommy Hilfiger, Spike Jonze, Guy Laliberté, Admiral William McRaven, Julianne Moore, Jonathan Van Ness, Kwame Onwuachi, Ozzy Osbourne, Margo Price, Phoebe Robinson, Nile Rodgers, Robert Rodriguez with Cheech Marin, M. Night Shyamalan, Kim Kardashian West, Meg Whitman, Nicole Wong, Shoshana Zuboff, and so many more.

Take your career or creative pursuit to the next level with one-on-one coaching by professionals from all areas of the tech, film, and music industries. Mentor Sessions are a unique opportunity for registrants to gain advice and guidance in a particular field. Explore the list of Mentors and Round Table Sessionsround one and round two – across our Conference Tracks. Advance sign-up is required and access is limited to badge type for Interactive, Film, and Music sessions. RSVPs will launch later this February.

Plus, dive into the 600+ sessions curated from PanelPicker® by the SX community, for the SX community. Browse sessions throughout our 22 Tracks of programming and add Favorites to your SXSW Schedule.

Flipping the tape over to the Music Festival side, the third Showcasing Artists announcement along with Weekly Music Roundup releases each Thursday until the event includes Nashville country legend-in-the-making Margo Price; hip-hop baddies KenTheMan and Yung Baby Tate; 13-member hip-hop collective PNTHN; Japanese anime duo Carole & Tuesday; Austin’s own The Black Angels and chicano rock/blues/punk legends Tito and Tarantula; New Zealand dream pop outfit Yumi Zouma; the return of Soccer Mommy, in advance of her upcoming LP; rising pianist/songwriter based in Melbourne, Alice Skye; on-the-rise pop singer Caroline Rose; everyone’s favorite golden-voiced showman Har Mar Superstar; legendary British post-punk band Wire; the Charli XCX-created band and subject of a new Netflix reality series Nasty Cherry; Toronto-based, Colombian-born interdisciplinary musician and artist-curator Lido Pimienta; UK Afrobeat octet Kokoroko; and, you guessed it, more.

Rolling out the red carpet for the Film Festival, the initial 2020 lineup of Features and Episodic Premieres was announced as well as Judd Apatow‘s The King of Staten Island, starring Pete Davidson, as our Opening Night Film. Highlights from the 102 features and episodics in the release includes Bad Trip directed by Kitao Sakurai; The Lovebirds directed by Michael Showalter; In & Of Itself directed by Frank Oz; The 24th directed by Kevin Willmott; She Dies Tomorrow directed by Amy Seimetz; Zappa directed by Alex Winter; Critical Thinking directed by John Leguizamo; Clerk directed by Malcolm Ingram; A Secret Love directed by Chris Bolan; The Show directed by Mitch Jenkins; and many more. Plus, the reveal of the highly-anticipated Midnighters program – ten scary, funny, controversial, and provocative after-dark features for SXSW night owls. Also announced, Festival Favorites, Shorts, Episodic Pilots, Special Events, and Virtual Cinema Projects.

Take a deeper dive into all confirmed programming on the SXSW Schedule and add favorites to your own customized schedule. There’s still more, more more to come, so stay tuned for more Conference and Festivals programming announcements coming now through March

Programming Overview

SXSW Conference (March 13-21)
The conference program provides an opportunity for global professionals at every level to participate, network, and advance their careers. With one unified conference that spans 22 Tracks, experience compelling Keynotes, Featured Speakers, panels, sessions, book readings, podcasts, and more session formats.

SXSW Film Festival (March 13–21)
Celebrating raw innovation and emerging talent, the Film Festival has become known for the high caliber and diversity of films presented alongside its smart, enthusiastic audiences during its nine-day event footprint. Ready to premiere your own film? Submissions are now open for feature films, shorts, episodics, and VR/AR/MR projects. Learn more about application deadline periods here.

SXSW Music Festival (March 16–22)
Featuring a variety of new, developing, and established Showcasing Artists, the Music Festival brings together 2,000+ artists across all genres. Dive into a curated mix of performances across Austin with artists and industry professionals from around the globe. Want to take the stage? Showcasing Artist applications are open through October 25.

SXSW Comedy Festival (March 13-21)
Running simultaneously with the Film and Music Festivals, the Comedy Festival presents uniquely diverse programming of comedic performers, showcases, and events. Catch rising stars, established greats, and surprise guests all SXSW long.

Exhibitions (March 14–21)
Beyond the festival scope, SXSW hosts many different world-class exhibitions that connect creatives across all industries. Take your discovery a step further at the SXSW Trade Show, Flatstock, SXSW Marketplace, SXSW Wellness Expo, and more. Explore all the available exhibition opportunities to position your forward-thinking company in front of thousands of creative professionals this March.

Playing host to a variety of evening networking events, SXSW also holds numerous esteemed competitions and awards ceremonies honoring some of the tech industry’s most important innovators and cutting-edge companies. Have a game-changing tech startup? Learn more about SXSW application categories.

The Attendee Services Hub is your guide through SXSW resources from the SXSW GO mobile app to event navigation tools to help you prepare for the adventure ahead. View the 2020 Timeline for a general breakdown of our daily programming schedule.

Badge Access & Quiz

All attendees will receive primary entry to programming associated with their badge type, in addition to enjoying secondary access to most other SXSW events. There are four SXSW Badge types: Platinum, Interactive, Film, and Music. Badges are tied to three access types:

  • Primary: admitted first
  • Secondary: admitted second, after primary line
  • Convergence: one line where all badges have equal access

The Platinum Badge remains your best bet with primary access to all of SXSW. If you have an Interactive, Film, or Music Badge, you have primary access to the respective Conference tracks and events of your badge type, plus secondary access to other tracks and events outside your badge type, giving you the chance to experience more of what SXSW has to offer. Use the Badge Comparison Chart to find out what each badge gets access to.

Need help narrowing down your SXSW Badge decision? Take the Badge Quiz! Select the Conference Tracks and Festivals that most interest you to discover which badge and arrival date best fits your needs.

Book Your Hotel

Let SXSW Housing & Travel be your guide to finding the best hotel accommodation for you or your large group. SXSW Housing & Travel has been contracting the lowest rates in Austin during SXSW for over 25 years. Our team of housing specialists offer a personal booking experience and help cater to your individual needs.

SXSW rooms and rates are available exclusively to registered attendees. After you purchase your SXSW Badge you are ready to book your room!

Check the Hotel Availability page to see all available hotels from a wide selection of downtown Austin options. Next, reserve your hotel stay by following the instructions in your registration confirmation email to activate your account. You can also book a reservation by signing into the SXSW Cart directly and selecting “SXSW Hotels” from the dropdown menu.

Rooms during March go quickly, so be sure to book early! Review the Housing FAQ to learn more about our services.

Register for SXSW 2020

Register to join us March 13-22, 2020 in Austin, Texas for 10 days of unparalleled discovery, learning, and networking with creatives across interactive, film, and music industries at the SXSW Conference & Festivals!

Groups of 10 or more can save big with Group Registration rates. Currently enrolled students may apply here to purchase a SXSW Interactive, SXSW Film, or SXSW Music Badge at the special discounted price of $495.

Stay in the SX know – sign up for SXSW Event Updates and read SXSW News for announcements, deadline reminders, programming features, and beyond throughout the 2020 season.

Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest SX coverage.

Curb your anticipation for March 2020 by taking a look back at videos from previous Keynotes, film premieres, sessions, and more on the official SXSW YouTube Channel and browse Photo Galleries.

See you in March!

Dive into 2019 Music Tracks

Photo by Adam Kissick

The post Join Us for SXSW 2020: New Programming Announced appeared first on SXSW.

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