Destinations
South by Southwest Insider’s Guide: Part I
From March 12-20, many of the nation’s most music, film and technology zealots will descend on Austin, Texas for South by Southwest. In the first installment of our three-part guide to the festival/conference, Austin-based writer Christine R. Cox gives you an insider’s view of “South by,” along a slew of useful travel tips.
Is that you, donning your slickest black threads and uber-cool, broken-in boots you bought in the ‘80s? Are you dressed for a fashion-forward NYC winter because who knows what the weather will be like in Texas and, heck, it’s not spring yet? Yep, you’re the one with iPod buds in your ears, rolling a suitcase packed with vintage shirts you’ve collected over the years, your favorite, tightest jeans, and a bottle of sunscreen left over from last summer, because you hear things can get really hot on a dime in Austin, with no fair warning.
Really, nothing else says South by Southwest (March 12 to 20) like that knowing smirk on your face.
You know your friends are jealous you’re going to, arguably, the nation’s biggest, most celebrated and hippest entertainment conference and festival. But you also know that when you get home you’ll be able to share lots of stories and ways to do ‘South by’ (that’s what the locals call it) like you’ve lived in Austin for years. Because that’s how you roll: you share, you network, you’re not an elitist and you know how to have a damned good time while taking in some of the most interesting, eclectic, cutting-edge entertainment since the invention of the jet plane.
So settle into your seat, order a whiskey straight-up (and watch the flight attendant’s face) and get your wireless set up for some in-air research. Because everything you ever needed to know about Austin and its 23-year-old music, film, and interactive festival is online, in a variety of forms.
Once that wireless is whirring, and you’re on the official SXSW website, you’ll create your own South by agenda by clicking on my.sxsw.com on the homepage. Having your own personal reference page is a smart call, as it’s a great way to organize your festival plans and make sure you make it from the “Facebook Status: It’s Complicated” discussion one day to the She & Him (the twee indie duo comprised of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) show another. Trust us, after many a night of cocktails and 1:00 AM DJ sets, you’ll appreciate the reminder of where you should be and when.
After flying into Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ranked second worldwide among airports its size, servicing 5-15 million passengers) and get the party started while you bask in a Texas-style greeting from homegrown bands peppered throughout the terminal on five different, tweaked to perfection soundstages.
Since 1999, the airport for the “Music Capitol of the World” has been entertaining travelers with live music. The showcase you’ll see is SXSW “sanctioned,” with Grammy University bands often featured. As the festival heats up, well-known performers like the Ray Benson Roadhouse band (Benson and Willie Nelson are tight buds who collaborate on music projects regularly), the jazz swing sounds of the Marshall Ford Swing Band, young violin and fiddle virtuoso Warren Hood, Cannonball Adderly’s granddaughter Akina Adderly (her father played the piano for Luther Vandross until he passed) and Austin’s sweetheart, blues vocalist Carolyn Wonderland, are a few artists that will help fest-goers celebrate their arrival at the “front door to Austin,” as the airport is now aptly called.
If you’re flustered by the overabundance of fun ahead of you, “look for the big question mark on the wall in baggage claim,” says Nancy Copelin, Music Coordinator for the airport and a music impresario. “We’ll help you get to your hotel and answer any questions at all that you have about your one of a kind time here.”
See, you’re already having fun and you haven’t even grabbed a cab.
Now, on the way to your hotel, visit unSXSW online. It was created just a few weeks ago by one of Austin’s many social media gurus, Scott Allen, so that even if you’re here without a wristband, you’ll find ways to get into some kick-ass parties to see live music by once-obscure musicians making an impressive name for themselves, preview highly-anticipated films and learn about who and what’s starting a wildfire in the technology world.
Hey, you’ve only just gotten off that plane. Imagine all the other ridiculously cool stuff you’re getting ready to experience in the city that’s workin’ hard to keep things weird and revered!
Still don’t have your ticket to South by? We hope you’ve been saving up your precious ducats, because as of right now, a badge—depending on which portion(s) of the conference you want to attend—will run you anywhere from $550-1,225. They can be purchased online at sxsw.com/attend.
Stay tuned for Part Two and Three of our robust guide to South by later this week!
—Christine R. Cox
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