SXSW Shutdown
Austin original SXSW permanently cancels Asia-Pacific event in Sydney
According to SXSW Sydney, attendance was growing but "prevailing market conditions" got in the way.
South by Southwest (SXSW) is coming up again after going Down Under. The festival has canceled its Sydney, Australia expansion for 2026, after three years of festivals.
A message posted on the festival's website cites high "momentum" but does not explain why organizers are throwing in the towel. The 2025 event welcomed 345,000 people, it said, which was 15 percent higher than the year before. Over all three years, its economic impact reached $276 million.
Although the most public-facing message does not elaborate, a publicly available press release linked at the bottom of the page probes a bit deeper. It emphasizes that organizers considered "a changing global environment that is impacting major events, festivals and cultural programs worldwide" in making the choice.
Ultimately, it blames "prevailing market conditions" and reaches the end of its analysis, instead gathering quotes thanking participants and partners.
Accounts of possible money, logistics, and public image problems are spread across Australian publications.
Business Builders, an Australian business website, newsletter, and TV show, compiled reporting from a few sources examining financial support from the New South Wales (NSW) government, costs to attendees and event hosts, and an unclear offering that apparently makes more sense to Texans who have watched the event's evolution than Australians who are starting from zero.
The Sydney Morning Herald noted that it was clearly not an event for laypeople, calling it “corporate Coachella” and snarking that it "still can’t quite shake questions of its flaccidity."
"To the tens of thousands of you who filled the halls of ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour, and surrounds over the past three years: thank you for being a part of the SXSW Sydney journey," SXSW Sydney's home page message states. "You didn't just attend an event; you came together to help us build a vibrant, global community that transformed the heart of our city every October."
The message does not give any indication that the event will restart in the future or transition somewhere else.
Meanwhile, SXSW's original Texas counterpart is gearing up for another year of festivities from March 12-18. Yesterday, January 13, organizers announced another 300 musicians on the Music Festival lineup (bringing the total so far to about 400), and we already have some information on films and conference speakers.
