South by Southwest London
| South by Southwest London | |
|---|---|
 Logo since 2025. | |
 Crowd at SXSW London 2025. | |
| Genre | Conference and festival |
| Dates | June (dates vary) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Locations | London, England |
| Years active | 1 |
| Inaugurated | 2 June 2025 |
| Organized by | SXSW, LLC |
| Website | sxswlondon |
South by Southwest London (SXSW London) is a music, film and technology festival hosted in Shoreditch and Hoxton areas of London, England.[1] Its programming includes live music, keynote speeches, panel discussions and other kinds of events.[2]
Inaugurated in 2025 with a specific emphasis on artificial intelligence, SXSW London is the first European iteration of the South by Southwest festival annually hosted in Austin, Texas, United States.[3]
History
[edit]SXSW first began in Austin, Texas, United States, in 1987 as a multimedia festival with music, film and technology programming.[4] Since then, the festival has been restructured and managed by the Penske Media Corporation, with festival offshoots, like SXSW Sydney, being operated in order to help "the bottom line" following financial difficulties during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][5]
SXSW executive vice president Darin Klein stated that "The U.K. has a huge creator economy" as a reason for expanding the festival to London.[1] The first SXSW London festival was launched in 2025 and was scheduled to run from 2–7 June.[2] On the first day, London mayor Sadiq Khan delivered a kickoff speech, and guest speakers included Sir Demis Hassabis, Beeple, Katherine Ryan, Peter Kyle, Dan Clancy and Sir Tony Blair.[6][1][2] Films, such as the Eminem documentary Stans, were due to premiere at the Barbican Centre. Musical acts like Tems, Alice Glass and Mabel headlined the music programme.[2][5] Over 25 venues across East London, with hundreds of events total, were tapped for festival programming.[7] King Charles attended on 3 June 2025.[8]
The inaugural 2025 event was marred with boycotts from artists LVRA, Sam Akpro, Blood of Azra and other due to the participation of former Prime Minsters David Cameron and Tony Blair[9], alongside complaints from attendees on the event management with regards to queues, the number of sessions available to attend and the event app.[10]
In June 2026 Hasan Piker and Cenk Ugyur were scheduled to speak at SXSW London but were prevented from traveling by the UK government.[11][12] SXSW released a statement stating that the issue was "a matter for the Home Office",[13] which Piker described as "disgusting".[14] Ash Sarkar, who was due to chair the discussion, withdrew from the festival and criticised its lack of "defence of lawful free expression".[14]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Nayeri, Farah (2025-05-30). "It's Still South by Southwest, but This Time It's in London". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- 1 2 3 4 Connellan, Shannon (2025-06-02). "SXSW launches first London festival with its eye fixed on AI". Mashable. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ↑ Rayfield, Jillian (2025-05-30). "London Brings Its Own Musical Touch to South by Southwest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ↑ Bakare, Lanre (2025-05-31). "Can South by Southwest's London debut recreate Austin's star-making power?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- 1 2 Duffy, Thom (2025-06-01). "TEMS' Headlining Set & 7 Other Highlights to Watch for at Inaugural SXSW London". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ↑ "SXSW: 'The creative eyes of the world will be on London'". Metro. 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ↑ "SXSW London: Everything you can expect from festival's inaugural week". Metro. 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ↑ "The King visits SXSW London and Old Spitalfields Market in Shoreditch". www.royal.uk. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ "Multiple artists withdraw from SXSW London over unannounced panels with Tony Blair and David Cameron". DJ Mag. 2025-06-04. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ "Inaugural SXSW London suffers 'teething issues' - MediaCat UK". 2025-06-06. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ "US political commentators denied entry to UK by Home Office". BBC News. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "Why have two US commentators been banned from entering the UK?". The Guardian. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "SXSW issues statement as Hasan Piker banned from entering UK". The National. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Hasan Piker Blasts SXSW London's 'Disgusting' Response to UK Ban as Other Speaker Pulls Out in Solidarity". Yahoo News. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.