AUSTIN, Texas — South by Southwest is heading across the pond.

What You Need To Know

  • This isn’t the first time SXSW has expanded outside the Lone Star State. SXSW Sydney launched in 2023 and is scheduled again for October 2024

  • The European edition of the festival will be modeled after the original SXSW and will occur over the course of a week in Shoreditch  —  a place “renowned as a vibrant center for creativity and technological innovation,” a news release announcing the expansion said

  • The festival will take over dozens of venues, galleries, clubs and other spaces in Shoreditch, and organizers say SXSW London will have an emphasis on creative talent from across Europe. The festival will also continue the mission of the original SXSW and focus on climate action and sustainability

  • More information about the inaugural SXSW London festival will be available in the coming months, and tickets will go on sale later this year in October

The Austin-based festival announced Wednesday that it will launch SXSW London starting in June 2025. 

This isn’t the first time SXSW has expanded outside the Lone Star State. SXSW Sydney launched in 2023 and is scheduled again for October 2024. 

The European edition of the festival will be modeled after the original SXSW and will occur over the course of a week in Shoreditch  —  a place “renowned as a vibrant center for creativity and technological innovation,” a news release announcing the expansion said. 

“SXSW London will bring its own distinctive personality, driven by London’s internationally renowned cultural life and creativity, its status as a global meeting place, and its proximity to other major creative and tech centers in Europe,” the release said. 

The festival will take over dozens of venues, galleries, clubs and other spaces in Shoreditch, and organizers say SXSW London will have an emphasis on creative talent from across Europe. The festival will also continue the mission of the original SXSW and focus on climate action and sustainability. 

London Mayor Sadiq Khan attended SXSW in 2018 and said he was excited to welcome the festival to his city next year. 

“When I was a part of SXSW in Austin in 2018, I saw first-hand the electric atmosphere of innovation SXSW creates and I can’t wait to be part of it again,” Khan said in a statement. “This is a historic opportunity for London to once again bring the world’s most exciting talent together as part of our mission to build a better and more prosperous London for everyone.”

More information about the inaugural SXSW London will be available in the coming months, and tickets will go on sale later this year in October. 

In Austin, SXSW will take place March 7-15, and more information about next year’s festival will come later this summer.