Austin's South By Southwest is one of the premiere music, film, and interactive festivals in the country. From March 7-16, tens of thousands of industry movers and shakers,
musicians, filmmakers, computer experts and fans will come to Austin.
The festival kicks off March 7 with the Film and Interactive festivals. 150 to 200 independent films screen at venues across the city. For the film schedule and detailed information, go to the SXSW film Web site.
The Interactive festival features just about anything high tech from web designers to bloggers to investors. Get information here
South By Southwest began in 1987 as a Music festival. The music starts March 12 and more than a thousand bands are performing. Find the information at the festival Web site.
The festival actually started as an Austin Battle of the Bands. It didn't add the film and Interactive portions until 1994, but both have gained worldwide respect. It's expected that the festival is the biggest annual tourist draw for the city, pumping millions into the economy.
In an effort to capture a piece of the ever-expanding video game industry, SXSW Interactive last year added ScreenBurn, a video game portion of the conference. It will last from March 8 to 11 and include free arcade and exhibit hall that will be open to the public on March 8 and 9.
The keynote speaker for the Interactive portion will be Mark Zuckerburg, the founder of the social networking website FaceBook.
The Film festival will include keynote speakers Helen Hunt and Moby. The Music portion will feature a keynote speech by former Velvet Underground singer Lou Reed. His speech will be in conjuction with the screeing of the film "Lou Reed's Berlin".
Slideshow: SXSW Celebrity Sightings
Slideshow: SXSW Music Madness
