BY SIENNA WIGHT
2024 SXSW economic impact
By the numbers
A sneak peek
The economic impact report shows South by Southwest’s greater impact on Austin.
SXSW will host hundreds of performances, premieres and panels March 12-18. The All-American Rejects will kick off the music festival at the
In 2024, the festival generated over a $370 mil- lion impact on the city’s economy. SXSW officials break this down into three components: atten- dance impact, operational impact and partner impact in an economic impact report. SXSW works with local hotels to offer lower rates to those who book their stay directly through their website. In 2024, these bookings resulted in $2.3 million in hotel occupancy tax revenue. HOT revenue helps to promote tourism and the hotel and convention industry in Austin, according to city documents. When comparing the period of March 6-15 of 2024 and 2025, visitor spending was up 1.3%, and restaurant spending was up 14%, according to Kerr. “It’s really encouraging,” she said. “It shows the steadiness of SXSW and makes me look forward to 2026.”
Attendance impact: represents the contributions that
Total impact: $377.3M
attendees, performers and business leaders make to local businesses during
SXSW Music Opening Party. Check out some of the other upcoming events. For a full list of events, visit www.sxsw.com.
their time in Austin Operational impact:
organizers spend money year-round on things such as equipment rental and employee salaries, making up the operational impact Partner impact: represents the events, marketing and brand presence of SXSW partners
Showcasing artists
$217.8M
• Aaron Page • Adrian Activo • Aitchdub • Alma Muñeca • Charley Crockett • Elijah Delgado • Era Wadi
• FAMA • Grocery Bag • La Texana • Lainey Wilson • Lola Young • Passion Pit • The Sophs • 2Charm
$98.5M
NOTE: SXSW HAS NOT RELEASED THE ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT FOR 2025 AS OF PRESS TIME. SOURCE: SXSW/COMMUNITY IMPACT
$61M
• I Love Boosters • Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice • Over Your Dead Body • Pretty Lethal • Ready or Not 2: Here I Come • They Will Kill You Film headliners
40 years of history
“Being able to perform for a global audience right here in my hometown, that’s such a great opportunity,” SAULPAUL, LOCAL MUSICIAN
SXSW was started in 1986 by Roland Swenson, Louis Jay Meyers, Louis Black and Nick Barbaro, with the first festival taking place in the spring of 1987. Just a few years before Austin was named the Live Music Capital of the World, 177 artists, 700 attendees and organizers joined together to witness what would be the first of many iterations. 1994 marked the first year film and media were added to the festival, and 2025 marked the first SXSW London, according to the SXSW website. Since the first festival in 1987, SXSW has
Keynotes
• A Conversation with Jennifer B. Wallace • Tom Sachs: Show the Work, Tell the Story • Rana el Kaliouby and Bob Safian on Why the Future of AI Must be Human Centric • Aza Raskin on Nature Speaks. Can AI Help Us Listen?
consistently highlighted local artists, including Austin-based singer, songwriter and rapper Saul- Paul. He has played SXSW as a showcasing artist several times over the past decade, most recently in 2024.
SOURCE: SXSW/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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