South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) organizers are reportedly cutting back on the music portion of the annual event.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, this will result in the 2026 edition of the festival being two days shorter than this year’s, which ran March 7-15. Next year’s edition is set for March 12-18. The move eliminates the weekend traditionally dedicated to music performances and a conference for the first time in SXSW history.
The news comes just after the end of the 2025 edition, which wrapped Saturday. Participation in the music festival has reportedly been dropping since the 2010s, when the average band count peaked at around 2,000. This year’s edition reportedly saw 1,012 bands showcasing.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Penske Media for comment. Penske Media, the owner of THR, invested in SXSW in April 2021 as part of what it described as a long-term partnership with the festival.
In recent years, the film and television festival has become a bigger part of SXSW, this year drawing the likes of Michelle Obama (who recorded a podcast with her brother, college basketball coach Craig Robinson) and Chelsea Clinton. Nicole Kidman, Paul Rudd, Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, Issa Rae, Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal and Seth Rogen were among the stars on hand at the premieres of their respective film and TV projects.
Meanwhile, musical artists playing this year’s event included John Fogerty, Tom Morello, Benson Boone, Khalid, Larkin Poe, Koe Wetzel, George Birge, Ashley Cooke, Brittney Spencer, Aiko, Big Freedia and Jurassic 5 rapper Soup.
The Austin American-Statesman noted that “country breakout Megan Moroney and Latin pop up-and-comer Ivan Cornejo played fine sets, but they failed to fill the cavernous concert hall ACL Live, even with a free public RSVP.”
Local music journalist Andy Langer, a veteran of the festival since its launch in 1987, wrote in a much-shared Facebook post, “For years, it’s been impossible not to notice how parking woes, hotel prices, traffic etc. drop off considerably when SXSW Music begins. The town empties out considerably the Wednesday AM after tech/film ends.”
Meanwhile, the event will be temporarily displaced next year, as the Austin Convention Center — home to SXSW — is being renovated. It will close in April for four years, with the festival taking place at various locations around town for the next few editions.
PMC is also growing SXSW’s presence around the world. The company expanded to Australia in 2023 and heads to London for the first time in June.
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