AUSTIN, Texas — Months after over 80 bands and musicians dropped out of SXSW 2024 in protest of the festival’s connection to the U.S. defense industry, SXSW has quietly declared it will no longer be sponsored by weapons manufacturers.

What You Need To Know

  • SXSW 2025 will not be sponsored by the U.S. Army or companies that engage in weapons manufacturing, according to a statement in the FAQ section on the festival's website
  • The news comes months after over 80 bands and musicians dropped out of the festival in protest

  • The Austin for Palestine Coalition and artists celebrated the decision on social media

  • SXSW received criticism before and during the 2024 festival for its ties to the U.S. Army and military contractors including Raytheon, Collins Aerospace and BAE Systems

The Austin For Palestine Coalition celebrated the news in a post on X, formerly Twitter, calling it “a tremendous win accomplished by the hard work of activists and the principled artists who withdrew their labor, in protest of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza.”

SXSW received criticism before and during the 2024 festival for its ties to the U.S. Army and military contractors such as Raytheon, Collins Aerospace and BAE Systems.

SXSW was not loud about announcing the news, which was at the bottom of an FAQ tab on the festival’s website in a section that reads, “Will the US Army be a sponsor of SXSW 2025?”

“After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model. As a result, the US Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025,” the answer reads. 

Squirrel Flower, one of the artists who pulled out of the festival, posted a link to the news in a post on X with the caption “to those who said pulling out wouldn’t change anything.”

In early March, as the list of artists boycotting the festival grew, Gov. Greg Abbott responded in a post on X, saying “Bye. Don’t come back.”

SXSW responded with a thread, saying the festival “does not agree with Governor Abbott” and it “fully respect[s] the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech.”