South by Southwest is getting a revamp for the festival’s 40th anniversary.

For the first time ever, SXSW — held March 12-18, 2026 in Austin, TX — will feature all of its programming running simultaneously across innovation, film & TV, and music for seven days, including an extra night of music.

“At South by Southwest, a big part of our mission to focus on community and connection and bringing everyone together,” Greg Rosenbaum, SXSW’s SVP of programming, tells Variety about the way dates for this year’s festival aligned.

“We’ve historically had innovation on the front half and then music on the back half, and film and TV over the course of a nine-day festival. That’s a long run,” Rosenbaum explains. “We know that if we can consolidate that energy into seven days in the downtown are

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