SXSW 2020 Registration Information and Updates

Blog Updates Since the March Cancellation of SXSW 2020:

March 17, 2020: Highlighting 2020 SXSW Artists, Films & Speakers

March 12, 2020: Registration Deferral Details and More

March 7, 2020: Stand with Austin – Join Us in Support of Local Businesses

March 6, 2020: City of Austin Cancels SXSW March Events

Follow SXSW social media channels – Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook – and subscribe to Event Updates for the latest SXSW news.


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.

2020 Programming Highlights

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

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.

SXSW 2020

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.

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

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.

Photo by Adam Kissick

By Jordan Roberts

02/17/2020