Next week, thousands of artists, musicians, techies, filmmakers and fans will make their way to Austin, Texas for the annual South by Southwest festival. SXSW isn't like any other previously conceived notion of a festival; it's its own breed. It's like a confudled mass of innovation, creativity and art. Each genre, like film, music etc., is its own festival within the festival.
It sounds a bit confusing, right? As daunting as it may seem, it's really not all that bad. Once you're there, as a member of the majestic herd, everything comes easily.
The music festival hosts nearly 2,500 "official" performers playing in more than 100 venues, varying from big-name artists to unknown, first-time performers. Most time is spent wandering from venue to venue, trying to catch your favorite band or simply stumbling into something that catches your ear.
Just be sure to pack comfortable shoes and carry a backpack with you, as you'll be on your feet pretty much all day. There will be no time spent relaxing in your hotel room. The energy is too vibrant. It calls you, beckons you. It makes you sleepless, no matter the endless days of sleep deprivation.
There are shuttles that will bring you between your hotel and downtown, but beware, lines can be so horrendous that the weeklong shuttle pass isn't worth the $90. Be sure to scope it out before you make the wallet depleting purchase. But don't fret, pedicabs are always available and a fun, convenient way to get around.
To help bring organization to your chaotic days, SXSW offers an extensive scheduler with performance times and locations, which vary from bars to parks to churches. At times, navigation can become difficult, so always have a rough trajectory of where you're going with a couple back up plans in case you can't find where you want to go or the venue's full.
And most importantly, be prepared to meet people. Don't go into SXSW close-minded. Be open to new experiences, meeting new people and sharing your thoughts and ideas. SXSW is a creative collective, coming together to bring you the best of modern artistic culture and expression. Come prepared to join the mayhem and bring a piece of it back with you.
Check out the complete SXSW schedule here. SXSW will begin on March 8 and will end on March 17. Latinos Post will be covering every aspect of SXSW 2013 so be sure to come back for the latest on performers, films and events.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
