SXSW: Essential Websites To Help Improve Your SXSW Experience

Posted on March 4, 2009 |

For all you SXSW virgins outthere, don’t fret.

I too was one last year and let me tell you, this whole week you’re about
to experience of nothing but live music, free food and booze and hobnobbing
with fellow music nerds will change your life for the better.

It may seem overwhelming right now, choosing to see one band over another,
trying to figure out the location to all those venues, finding all the good
places to eat …etc.

To make it easier for you, I’ve compiled a list of essential websites that
will enhance your SXSW experience.

I’ve broke it off into 4 categories:

Show Listings

The one site that should be on top of your list is SCHED*.

sxsw2009.sched.org

Every single official and unoffical showcases will find it’s way there.
The main attraction is of course to customize your own schedule. You can
share said schedule with your friends and keep track of all the shows
your favorite bands will be playing during the week.

Also worth checking out is Paul’s Artist Catalog which gives you a
bio on all the bands/artists coming to SXSW with links to their
Last.fm / Flickr / YouTube pages.

sxsw.tastekeeper.com

Here’s a few more:

SXSW.com
Austin360
Oh My Rockness
Austinist
Showlist Austin
Do512
Ultra8201

Blog Coverage

Where to get the news on all those day parties scheduled outside of
SXSW’s control. There’s really only one place to go and that’s @
DoneWaiting.

www.donewaiting.com/category/sxsw/

They reign supreme in that department. I very addictively check their
site at least 15 times a day just to see their latest updates.

SCHED* gets their blog on aswell.
sxswblog.sched.org

There’s also SXSW Baby! that gives you the skinny on all the SXSW
happenings be it music, films and the Interactive portion of the
festival. they’ve set up a message board aswell where you can
discuss said happenings with fellow attendees.

www.sxswbaby.com
www.sxswbaby.com/index.php/forums/

Another forum to discuss all things SXSW is @ SXSW ‘09 Insider’s guide.

sxsw.ning.com/forum

And if you subscribe to mailing lists on YahooGroups, there’s one set up for
the festival.

Unofficial SXSW Info
launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/unofficial_sxsw_info

With 1500+ members, it’s definitely a place that will keep you up to date.

Social networks

They all have their own groups and pages set up specifically for SXSW.

Facebook
My Space
Last.fm
Flickr
Twitter

Couchsurfing.com

If you’re still looking for a place to stay this late in the game, crashing
on a stranger’s couch may be your best bet.

Transportation And Weather

Austin’s Transit system
www.capmetro.org

I haven’t had the pleasure to use it myself but i’ve heard that during
the festival, it does keep late hours so it might be one way to go.

As for taxis, It’s damn near impossible to get one at 2 am when the night’s
festivities comes to a close but try it none the less. You might get lucky.

List of Cab companies

Another option at your disposal are the Bicycle Cabs which will be
everywhere you look. If you wanna give your feet a rest, want an
environmentally-friendly ride but mostly would enjoy having a human
slave pedal it’s heart out for you, give them a chance. Their riders
work for tips only, so don’t be stingy.

www.austinbicyclecabs.com

Seven Day Weather Forecast
weather.ibegin.com

I predict hot and humid weather and possibly a rainless week much
like we enjoyed last year. Expect some gnarly Texas winds aswell.

Finally, if you wanna do SXSW on the cheap, meaning going without
a badge/wristband and just try to hit as many free events as you
can, like I did last year and will do so again this year, check
out this how-to guide:

Out The Other’s Guide To SXSW On The Cheap

That’s it.

I do believe there’s more than enough here to get you going and have a pleasant SXSW experience.

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Category: Festivals, SXSW
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Comments

2 Responses to “SXSW: Essential Websites To Help Improve Your SXSW Experience”

  1. Jstew
    March 5th, 2009 @ 12:03 am

    Do512 is the best for checking out audio/video for new bands, seeing what events have the most buzz, checking out blogger recommendations, etc. They also have a bunch of party RSVP’s on there, like: http://sxsw2009.do512.com/event/2009/03/21/the-big-one-2009

  2. Kyle
    March 9th, 2009 @ 2:20 am

    if only I could afford to go..and decide on shows and the film festival too..or Sundance..damn..too much and not enough time & $ of course!..looking fwd to your podcast about it anyway!

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