SXSW is making its way to London
- Text by Huck
- Photography by John Rogers
Since its inception way back in 1987, South by Southwest (SXSW) has become an enduring marker on the Austin cultural calendar. Once a year (pending a global pandemic), this sprawling festival pitches up to offer attendees a carefully curated selection of film, music and technological innovation, acknowledging early on that these three pillars of culture often work hand in glove with one another.
For those UK readers who maybe don’t have the funds to fly out there and see what all the fuss is about, you’ll be glad to hear that a new London-based iteration of the festival is set to kick off in 2025, hoisting the spirit of innovation and knowledge-sharing across the pond for a new, potentially more eclectic audience to enjoy.
London isn’t the first city outside of Austin to have a taste of SXSW, as there has already been a successful Sydney-based offshoot from October of 2023, hence the decision to expand further. The plan is that the festival will occupy spaces in London’s Shoreditch and become the locus for discussions on visual culture in all its many weird and wonderful forms, with special focus on gaming, cinema and music showcases.
The US-centric aspect of the Austin leg of the festival will shift across to create a more European flavour, suggesting that the festival isn’t just about applying the same formula to different locales across the globe. The fact that they have already announced that programmer, author and regular contributor to our sister magazine Little White Lies Anna Bogutskaya has been given the role of Head of Screen, makes us excited for this new celebration of creativity.
SXSW London kicks off in June of 2025.
Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram.
Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.
Latest on Huck
The party starters fighting to revive Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival
Free the Stones! delves into the vibrant community that reignites Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival, a celebration suppressed for nearly four decades.
Written by: Laura Witucka
Hypnotic Scenes of 90s London Nightlife
Legendary photographer Eddie Otchere looks back at this epic chapter of the capital’s story in new photobook ‘Metalheadz, Blue Note London 1994–1996’
Written by: Miss Rosen
The White Pube: “Artists are skint, knackered and sharing the same 20 quid”
We caught up with the two art rebels to chat about their journey, playing the game that they hate, and why anarchism might be the solution to all of art’s (and the wider world’s) problems.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The Chinese youth movement ditching big cities for the coast
In ’Fissure of a Sweetdream’ photographer Jialin Yan documents the growing number of Chinese young people turning their backs on careerist grind in favour of a slower pace of life on Hainan Island.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The LGBT Travellers fundraising for survival
This Christmas, Traveller Pride are raising money to continue supporting LGBT Travellers (used inclusively) across the country through the festive season and on into next year, here’s how you can support them.
Written by: Percy Henderson
The fight to save Bristol’s radical heart
As the city’s Turbo Island comes under threat activists and community members are rallying round to try and stop the tide of gentrification.
Written by: Ruby Conway