South by Southwest London

{{Short description|Film, music and tech festival in London, England}} {{Infobox recurring event | name = South by Southwest London | logo = SXSW London Logo.png | logo_caption = Logo since 2025. | image = SXSW London 2025 crowd.jpg | caption = Crowd at SXSW London 2025. | genre = Conference and festival | dates = June (dates vary) | frequency = Annual | location = London, United Kingdom | years_active = {{age|2025|2|6}} | first = 2 June 2025 | next = June 1-6, 2026 | attendance = | budget = | patron = | organized = SXSW, LLC | people = | website = {{URL|sxswlondon.com}} | current = }} '''South by Southwest London''' ('''SXSW London''') is a music, film and technology festival hosted in Shoreditch and Hoxton areas of London, England.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Nayeri |first=Farah |date=2025-05-30 |title=It’s Still South by Southwest, but This Time It’s in London |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/arts/sxsw-london-festival.html |access-date=2025-06-02 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Its programming includes live music, keynote speeches, panel discussions and other kinds of events.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Connellan |first=Shannon |date=2025-06-02 |title=SXSW launches first London festival with its eye fixed on AI |url=https://mashable.com/article/sxsw-london-launches |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Mashable |language=en}}</ref>

Inaugurated in 2025 with a specific emphasis on artificial intelligence, SXSW London is the first European iteration of the South by Southwest festival annually hosted in Austin, Texas, United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rayfield |first=Jillian |date=2025-05-30 |title=London Brings Its Own Musical Touch to South by Southwest |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/arts/music/sxsw-london-music-shoreditch.html |access-date=2025-06-02 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== History == SXSW first began in Austin, Texas, United States, in 1987 as a multimedia festival with music, film and technology programming.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bakare |first=Lanre |date=2025-05-31 |title=Can South by Southwest’s London debut recreate Austin’s star-making power? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/may/31/can-south-by-southwest-london-debut-recreate-austins-star-making-power |access-date=2025-06-02 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Since then, the festival has been restructured and managed by the Penske Media Corporation, with festival offshoots, like SXSW Sydney, being operated in order to help "the bottom line" following financial difficulties during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Duffy |first=Thom |date=2025-06-01 |title=TEMS’ Headlining Set & 7 Other Highlights to Watch for at Inaugural SXSW London |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/sxsw-london-2025-what-to-expect-from-inaugural-event/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref>

SXSW executive vice president Darin Klein stated that "The U.K. has a huge creator economy" as a reason for expanding the festival to London.<ref name=":1" /> The first SXSW London festival was launched in 2025 and was scheduled to run from 2–7 June.<ref name=":0" /> On the first day, London mayor Sadiq Khan delivered a kickoff speech, and guest speakers included Sir Demis Hassabis, Beeple, Katherine Ryan, Peter Kyle, Dan Clancy and Sir Tony Blair.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-02 |title=SXSW: 'The creative eyes of the world will be on London' |url=https://metro.co.uk/2025/06/02/sxsw-the-creative-eyes-world-will-london-23309135/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Films, such as the Eminem documentary ''Stans'', were due to premiere at the Barbican Centre. Musical acts like Tems, Alice Glass and Mabel headlined the music programme.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Over 25 venues across East London, with hundreds of events total, were tapped for festival programming.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-02 |title=SXSW London: Everything you can expect from festival's inaugural week |url=https://metro.co.uk/2025/06/02/sxsw-london-everything-can-expect-festivals-inaugural-week-capital-23286590/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==  {{South by Southwest|state=expanded}}{{reflist}}

Category:Conferences in London Category:Annual events in London Category:Music festivals in London Category:2025 establishments in the United Kingdom Category:Technology conferences Category:Computer conferences Category:Film festivals in London