South by Southwest film festival wraps up in Austin, Texas

Thursday, March 20, 2025 

Mack Budd wearing a jacket emblazoned with art for the film 'On Swift Horses', shown at the festival.
Image: Paul Budd.

On Saturday, the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival wrapped up in Austin, Texas, concluding its showcase of film, television, and music. The event drew high-profile attendees, including former First Lady Michelle Obama, her brother Craig Robinson, and actor Paul Rudd, along with many other celebrities.

One attendee, Mack Budd, 18, attended early screenings for six films and one television show. During an interview with Wikinews, he indicated his favorite event was the premiere for The Studio, a television show slated to begin airing on Apple TV on March 26, 2025.

Sources indicate the 2026 festival will be shortened by two days and will feature less music. Pre-sale badge prices will also be lower than those for this year's festival.

Sources

• Kaila Garrett. "SXSW 2026 ends music weekend, lowers presale badge prices and more" — Spectrum News 1 Austin, March 17, 2025
• Kimberly Nordyke, Ethan Millman. "SXSW Clarifies Changes to 2026 Music Conference" — The Hollywood Reporter, March 16, 2025