SXSW SYDNEY® PLANS FRESH APPROACH FOR 2025 EVENT
MOST AFFORDABLE, FLEXIBLE OPTIONS EVER TO ALLOW A WIDE AUDIENCE TO ATTEND.
FOCUS ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, NEW SINGLE DAY PASSES & FREE EVENTS WITH BROAD APPEAL
Sydney, Australia – Tuesday, 4 March 2025 – South by Southwest Sydney® (SXSW Sydney) today unveiled plans to ensure a wider range of people are able attend, and can tailor their experience to match their interests and schedule.
Attendees will be able to choose from free events with broad appeal, Conference Day Passes, single movie screenings and Festival Wristbands, right up to all-access 7-day Passes which will be $400 less than offered in 2024 during early bird release, on sale from March 20.
- The new, limited Conference Day Pass starts at $295 for 75+ daily sessions across Tech & Innovation, Business & Leadership, Marketing & Media, Future & Sustainability, Culture & Lifestyle and Creative Industries.
- Full-week Conference and Festival access this year starts from $495, demonstrating a clear commitment to opening the event to a broader audience, and include hands-on professional development to upskill attendees.
Alongside the Conference Sessions and Festival Showcases, professional development programs have been extended, workshops, mentor sessions and networking meetups designed to foster innovation, leadership, and career growth.
- Conference led professional development will cover AI and entrepreneurship, governance, marketing, leadership and more, providing practical skills, expert insights, and meaningful connections, to tackle the big questions.
- The Tech & Innovation Festival professional development program will provide opportunities for attendees to upskill in AI, cybersecurity, data and privacy and ethical progress, including expertise from key tech partners.
- The Screen Festival will include seminars, film commentaries and matchmade mentoring to connect early- and mid-career filmmakers with industry vets. Covering technical filmmaking, funding, marketing, the festival circuit, audiences and more, it will provide insider insights, in an in-the-room and off-the-record environment.
- The Music Festival program will focus on future business, upskilling artists and professionals at all levels with a series of panels, workshops and mentor sessions on the topics of AI, new markets, careers and marketing trends.
- The Games Festival’s professional development will focus on investment and business development skills and global markets to empower indie game developers to find ongoing success commercially, as well as creatively.
SXSW Sydney is also expanding its free programming significantly with extensive brand and partner experiences already planned, alongside must-see music showcases from Wednesday to Saturday, and new for 2025, free access to the Innovation Expo on Saturday, and free family-friendly entertainment all day on Sunday—all in and around Darling Harbour.
Also new for 2025, single-session movie tickets ($25) will be available for all film screenings, alongside multi-day Festival Wristbands ($100 during early bird), for either the Screen, Music or Games Festival Showcases.
SXSW Sydney 2024 featured 1,600 sessions and events, including 400+ conference sessions, 150+ professional development sessions, 300+ music performances, 95 film screenings, 150 games, more than 400 brand-led events, while attracting over 300,000 attendees from 56 countries. SXSW Sydney 2025 promises to elevate the event experience even further, with both Conference and Festival submissions tracking 20% higher year on year, from predominantly new contributors.
Conference Submissions remain open until March 23rd, with Public Voting on potential Conference Sessions opening March 17th. For more information or to apply to submit to the Conference or Festivals, visit www.sxswsydney.com.
SXSW Sydney is delivered in Partnership with the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Plan your SXSW Sydney 2025 trip now, visit sydney.com.
SXSW SYDNEY
13 – 19 OCTOBER 2025
For SXSW Sydney media inquiries please contact:
Adrian Digiacomo at TEG
E: adrian.digiacomo@teg.com.au T: +61 434 204 401
2024 EVENT PHOTOS AVAILABLE HERE
Broadcast ready B Roll from topical 2024 sessions. See here
SXSW SYDNEY WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
DESTINATION NSW WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK
TEG WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
About SXSW Sydney®
SXSW Sydney is an annual gathering of visionaries, thought leaders and emerging talents from the Asia-Pacific region. The week-long program is stacked with more than 1,000 events and networking sessions across the key pillars of Tech & Innovation, Games, Music and Screen. The Event seamlessly integrates art and entrepreneurship with cutting-edge advancements, fostering a collaborative ecosystem where ideas are exchanged and partnerships are forged. SXSW Sydney 2025 will take place on 13–19 October, on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. SXSW SYDNEY, SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST SYDNEY and other SXSW, LLC marks used under license.
About SXSW®
South by Southwest (SXSW) dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film and television, music, education, and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music, and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, exhibitions, professional development, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2025 will take place March 7-15 in Austin. Learn more at sxsw.com.
About Destination NSW
Destination NSW is the champion and voice for the visitor economy within the NSW Government. Spearheading a whole-of-government approach to visitor economy growth, Destination NSW influences and shapes the visitor economy through strategic research, policy and thought leadership, stakeholder engagement and consultation, commercial partnerships and investment in visitor experiences, business support, marketing and events. Destination NSW is also the major investor in Business Events Sydney (BESydney) for the purpose of securing more international and domestic conventions, incentive travel reward programs, corporate events and exhibitions.
About TEG
TEG is a global leader in Live Entertainment, Ticketing and Technology and has been at the heart of the live event experience for 50 years through its touring and ticketing operations. Every day TEG connects fans to experiences and customers with brands. TEG are proud partners of some of the world’s largest and most iconic venues as well as leading global brands and events. Through TEG’s integrated operating model, the business brings the best live content, ticketing, and technology to partners with access to the best and most compelling music, sporting, and entertainment events across the globe. TEG is headquartered in Sydney, Australia and operates globally with offices across Asia, Europe and the US.
