South By Southwest Is Coming To London

Emerging in Austin, Texas in 1987, South by Southwest (aka SXSW) is one of the world’s most renowned cultural events in the annual calendar, combining conferences with film, interactive media and music festivals to form a huge week-long event. Launching the careers of Billie Eilish and John Mayer and facilitating the lift off of the likes of Twitter (now X) and Airbnb, it’ll return to Austin in March – but then it’s onto pastures new. South by Southwest is coming to London for its inaugural European festival in summer 2025. Here’s everything we know so far about SXSW London.

SXSW London 2025: All The Details

Idris Elba, Tems and Depak Chopra are all set to take to the stage in the first edition of SXSW London. The news follows the announcement of the Austin offshoot in May 2024, set to be the event’s first edition in Europe after expanding its global footprint to Sydney, Australia in October 2023.

‘We couldn’t be more excited to bring the SXSW experience to London,’ says Jann Baskett, co-president of SXSW. ‘Following the success of SXSW Sydney, this is an incredible new opportunity to highlight the elements that make SXSW unique in one of the most vibrant cities in Europe. We look forward to forming deeper connections with our overseas community and bringing the conversations that start in Austin all the way to London.’

As with the annual, long-running Austin festivals, SXSW London will cover music, film, tech and culture across talks, music and screenings from ‘industry leaders, disruptors and creative pioneers’. For the first time, SXSW will explore new frontiers like visual arts and fashion in the London edition.

‘SXSW London will build on Austin’s incredible legacy, presenting an event that underpins why SXSW is the go-to destination for professionals and creatives seeking meaningful connections, unexpected experiences, and ideas that can help shape the world,’ shares Randel Bryan, managing director of SXSW London.

Who Is On The Line-Up?

‘The names we’re announcing today embody the groundbreaking ideas, creative energy, and collaborative ethos that SXSW London will bring to Europe for the first time,’ says Max Alexander, CEO of SXSW London. ‘From redefining industries to spotlighting cutting-edge music scenes, this is just the beginning of what promises to be an unforgettable celebration of global creativity.’ Drumroll please…

Music

In Texas, SXSW is all about new and emerging music, and SXSW London will give that ethos a British spin. Curated by world class and cutting edge pioneers, expect underground music scenes to be spotlighted, with live showcases, industry meetups and future-forward debates, too.

Headlining the music side of the festival is Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Tems, with the rest of the line-up to be revealed. However, SXSW London has teased its official partners who will be co-curating the stages across the music festival. They are:

• Abbey Road Studios pop-up space ‘Studio Four’ exploring tech, music and creativity
• BBC Introducing
• BBC Asian Network
• Billboard
• Black Lives In Music
• Clash, Crack, Notion, TRENCH and The Line of Best Fit Magazines
• City Splash Festival
• Dankie Sounds
• HÖR Berlin
• Keep Hush
• Mahogany
• Seoul Community Radio
• Shubbak Festival
• The Blues Project

Screen

At SXSW, Screen is where film, art and music collide. Think feature films, short films, music videos, immersive works and more. Panels and talent talks will drive this section of SXSW London, as well as screenings, including the London premiere of Jenn Nkiru’s latest work The Great North, as well as a retrospective on the artist and filmmaker’s career. The rest of the line-up is still to be revealed.

Conference

The SXSW Conference is all about ideas and future thinking, straddling the intersection of tech, creativity, arts and business. Expect brilliant minds and maverick experts to showcase advancements in innovation, society, robotics and AI. The first confirmed conference headliners include:

• Alex Hirschi, founder/creator of Supercar Blondie
• Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences
• Callum “Callux” McGinley, founder and creator of The notwoways & After Party Studios
• Deepak Chopra, NYT bestselling author and alternative medicine advocate
• Idris Elba, actor, filmmaker, philanthropist, musician and founder of IE7 & The Akuna Group
• James Vowles, team principal of Williams Racing
• Jean-Michel Jarre, artist and electronic music pioneer
• Joe Wicks MBE, fitness coach, entrepreneur and author
• Katherine Ryan, comedian
• Wyclef Jean, award-winning producer and performer

Where & When Is SXSW London?

SXSW London will take place in Shoreditch from 2 to 7 June 2025, utilising dozens of venues, galleries, clubs and spaces in and around Shoreditch and east London.

Stay up to date at sxswlondon.com