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SXSW Kicks Off in Austin

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SXSW, or South by Southwest, is taking place in Austin Texas this week. The first SXSW festival was held in 1987 and it has continued to grow every year. SXSW is a defining event for the city of Austin. The festival is focused on exploring emerging technologies, and includes a music festival, a film festival, and an interactive segment. Many people from all walks of life attend the festival to be inspired, have fun, and revel in the latest technology and greatest talent available. In 1987 there were 700 registrants for SXSW; that number is up to about 20,000 each year now.

Tickets and Events

The tickets for SXSW are just a tad pricier than for most festivals, and can run anywhere from $500 to $1700. There are a few different types of tickets available, as some registrants opt to only participate in the musical element, interactive, or film aspects, while others wish to have access to all of the events. The different segments of the festival run independently, with some starting and finishing earlier or later than the other segments. This year the interactive festival runs March 7-11, the film festival runs March 7-15, and the music festival runs March 11-16.

Thousands of bands play at different venues throughout the city and the world, with those taking place at faraway venues being broadcasted live within Austin. The film festival focuses on new talent, with many new films being aired at different theaters throughout Austin. The interactive festival is composed of many speakers from around the world discussing the hottest topics. This year, Edward Snowden spoke via videocast. Snowden spoke about government monitoring of the internet, and how the entrepreneurs present at SXSW may be the people in the best position to perfect encryption that would prevent against such surveillance. The controversial speech has led to much debate, which has only bolstered the interest surrounding SXSW.


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