SXSW is back, and with it comes an incredible lineup of free events you won’t want to miss. From high-energy showcases to intimate day parties, we’ve rounded up the top 15 must-attend happenings. Make space in your schedule—and on your camera roll—because these events promise great music, unforgettable vibes, and plenty of photo-worthy moments.

1. Hotel Vegas & Volstead 14 Year Anniversary

📅 March 6th
📍 Hotel Vegas & Volstead
🎶 Why Go: Kick off SXSW with performances from Die Spitz, Urban Heat, J’cuuzi, and Slomo Drags, plus happy hour specials and exclusive Feels So Good merch.

2. Rolling Stone’s Future of Music

📅 March 11-14
📍 ACL Live at The Moody Theater
🎶 Why Go: A star-studded showcase featuring Benson Boone, Megan Moroney, Brittney Spencer, Ivan Cornejo, and Rema.

3. Billboard’s The Stage at SXSW

📅 March 13-15
📍 Moody Amphitheater
🎶 Why Go: Expect show-stopping performances from Koe Wetzel, Grupo Frontera, and John Summit.

4. The Full Irish Breakfast

📅 March 14
📍 The Dead Rabbit
🎶 Why Go: A hearty Irish breakfast served alongside performances from top Irish musicians.

5. KUTX Live at Scholz Garten

📅 March 12-15
📍 Scholz Garten
🎶 Why Go: Morning broadcasts and live sets featuring SXSW’s hottest acts.

** MUST SEE - CHAPARELLE AT 11 AM 

Chaparelle "Bleeding Hearts" (KUTX Pop-Up Session at ACL Fest 2024)

Chaparelle, the Texas supergroup of Zella Day, Jesse Woods, and prolific producer-composer-multi-instrumentalist Beau Bedford bring a lifetime of country music experience that, when combined, authentically encapsulates the classic midcentury sound that so many of us miss hearing on the airwaves. Based on the level of polish we’ve heard, we already see Chaparelle as a champion of twang made in and for the Lone Star State. And we’re bettin’ they’re gonna go a lot further than that after the release of their debut LP on Mom + Pop Records this year.

– Jack Anderson

READ MORE

6. South x San José

📅 March 12-16
📍 Hotel San José
🎶 Why Go: Catch Big Freedia’s Gospel Revival, Briscoe, Sonido Gallo Negro, and more.

7. Far Out Lounge Showcases

📅 March 7-12
📍 Far Out Lounge & Stage
🎶 Why Go: Themed nights featuring Goth Night, Not So Fun Wknd, Floating World Fest, and more.

8. C3 Management Official SXSW Showcase

📅 March 12
📍 Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
🎶 Why Go: An incredible lineup featuring Band of Horses, Jack’s Mannequin, Yoke Lore, and The Criticals.

9.  Marshall Day Party

📅 March 12
📍 Mohawk
🎶 Why Go: A stacked lineup featuring Fleshwater, Die Spitz, Maruja, plus pop-ups from Waterloo Records.

Get tickets here

10. Rambler’s Rhinestone Rodeo

📅 March 15
📍 High Noon
🎶 Why Go: A Texas-style showdown with Nikki Lane, Tommy Stinson, Alex Maas, and Anastasia Hera.

11. SoCo Stomp!

📅 March 12-16
📍Where: C-Boys Heart & Soul
🎶 Why Go:  Dale Watson, The Waco Brothers, Shinyribs, Nether Hour, etc.

12. The Austin Chronicle Hair of the 3-Legged Dog Day Party

📅 March 14
📍 Hotel Vegas
🎶 Why Go: Enjoy J’cuuzi, Tomar and the FCs, plus breakfast tacos and Bloody Marys.

13. SXSW Community Concerts at Lady Bird Lake

📅 March 9
📍 Lady Bird Lake
🎶 Why Go: Enjoy the scenic views while listening to Sir Woman, Geto Gala, Pedal Steel Noah, and Lesly Reynaga.

14. Antone’s 50th x Austin Blues Fest

📅 March 14
📍Antone's Nightclub
🎶 Free food, Raffles, Screen printing, Jackie Venson, Gypsy Mitchell, Peterson Brothers Band, etc.

15. 4th annual reverent few porch party

📅 March 12
📍E. 41st & Peck | Hyde Park 78751
🎶 Best kept secret of SXSW 

Four years ago, a group of friends swore off SXSW—too much industry, too many velvet ropes. But the night before it all kicked off, they caved. A last-minute front porch jam came together, and somehow, everyone was free. The amps buzzed, new artists were discovered, and 100 people filled a Hyde Park front lawn. That first year, the music spilled inside, the night unraveled into an all-out jam session—something raw, something real. A scene straight out of Austin’s past, back when music lived in backyards, garages, and basements.

Now, it's tradition.

This year, the front yard revival returns—no frills, no badges, just music the way it ought to be. A Hyde Park lawn transforms into an old-school Austin hang, with BYOB picnic-style vibes, couches on the grass, rugs underfoot, and a lineup of heavy-hitting artists throwing down from the porch.

No industry. No pretense. Just people being people, feeling something real, together.

Everyone is welcome.

Come as you are, bring what you can. Tip the artists, buy their merch, share a drink, a dish, a story. Bring a blanket, a chair, a friend—or come alone and leave with new ones. Hoot, holler, soak it in.