Project Description
. . . Jamaica Moana, SXSW Sydney 2025, Wednesday, UTS Underground / Photo – Paul McMillan . . Swapmeet . . Suichu Spica – Music Festival Opening Night Party at Johnnie Walker Black Ruby House / Photo – Jess Gleeson . Suichu Spica – Music Festival Opening Night Party at Johnnie Walker Black Ruby House / Photo – Jess Gleeson . . SUICHU SPICA, SXSW SYDNEY 2025 THURSDAY THE BARRIE / Photo – SAMUEL GRAVES . . . CLICK THE PIC TO VIEW THE NEWS
SXSW Sydney
@ ICC Theatre, Sydney,
13th-19th October 2025
(Live Review)Review by Celine May
SXSW Sydney, was an enriching and inspiring week-long event, taking place from Monday 13th October to Sunday 19th October. Accurately self described as “The premier destination for creative discovery”, it celebrated tech, tech, film, music, games, and culture. To attend, there were Platinum, Pro, Conference day passes, festival Wristbands, Expo tickets, as well as outdoor Brand Activations in Tumbalong Park that were free and available to the public. While the main location was the ICC Theatre, conference sessions, workshops, networking opportunities, exhibitions, music performances, film screenings spanned across various universities, theatres and bars in Chippendale, Broadway and Ultimo.
With hundreds of events on, it was quite overwhelming and tiring – it was impossible to tackle one-tenth but it was fantastic to have such a variety of opportunities and diversity of people. I have never experienced an event like this and I don’t believe there is quite an event like this. SXSW reflects what it means to succeed in today’s landscape.
Although attendees were divided into 4 categories of Music, Film, Gaming and Technology, everyone had access to all conferences, ranging including Tech & Innovation, Business & Leadership, Media & Marketing, Future & Sustainability, Culture & Lifestyle and Creative Industries. The schedule was nicely bundled up into a dedicated SXSW mobile app, where you could bookmark events that you were interested in and view your personalised schedule. It was challenging to review the volume of events on the size of a phone screen, but there were filter functions to help! I also oddly missed some major events with big-time keynote speakers such as Paul Feig, American film director, until I spoke with fellow attendees or saw SXSW’s social media stories.
To make the most of SXSW, it’s best to visit with purpose, preparation and planning, as well as flexibility, and attending events from other industries. Sometimes it’s experiences and learnings from other industries that support your creativity and growth the most, which is actually advice that Tyra Banks shared in her keynote talk about brand power. SXSW week was all about ideas, energy, learning and connecting. You will walk away feeling inspired in one way or another. You also also get your daily steps in, definitely.
SXSW felt like a broad but close community, consisting of creators, musicians, producers, film makers, actors, marketers, investors, start-ups, entrepreneurs, engineers, business leaders, students, and those who are simply curious and seeking to learn and connect. And a fair few who are there for the drinks and gigs of course. It offers opportunities for upskilling, networking, media and launches, brand building and career advancement, deal-making and partnerships, and discovery.
I attended a fair few sessions, mostly surrounding music, media, marketing, and audience engagement, but I also dabbled in business leadership, AI, future of business and future of innovation. A lot of sessions were forward thinking and deep dives into trends that are shaping business, technology, culture, and society. Sessions ranged from 30 mins to 3 hours… people would leave 30 mins into a session to catch another session. Some were furiously taking notes while others watched. Some sessions were in small office spaces, others in large theatres, and the size of the space or the status of the speakers didn’t indicate the value of the sessions. Some university lecturers or content creators offered more insight than CEOs and entrepreneurs. I found that the content of some conferences could be learnings that you could find online, while some others were stories. Sometimes the people you sat beside or met in the corridors had more interesting stories. The quality of sessions partly depends on your luck honestly.
Key takeaways from various conference events was the importance of authenticity, story telling, credibility, consistency, curiosity, community, and leveraging AI (to a degree). From my experience, at the crux of many of the sessions was plainly and simply, humanity. There is a lot of innovation and developments in society now, but key to success were about creating experiences and resonating.
Some of my favourite quotes (might be slightly paraphrased):
– “If your values are clear, decisions are easy” – Cassandra Bankson, Beauty content creator
– “Be clear on what your profession will look like and make content that supports that” – Shuang Hu, Actress, Producer, Content creator
– “Your business is not what you say it is, it is what your audience say it is” – Tyra Banks, TV personality, Entrepreneur and many other things
– “The comments that make you uncomfortable is what makes change” – Tyra Banks
– “Your passions are the story” – Michael Anderson, Unlisted Leaf.
– “Story telling is important. Pick stories that you would tell your friends at a dinner party” – Olivia Molly Rogers, Podcaster
From the music festival side of things, it was amazing to explore various venues and see artists from across the globe, local, international, emerging talent and well established artists such as Australia’s Kelli Holiday and The Rubens. And while we didn’t get a performance from Teddy Swims, he did host a brilliant talk about his career journey.
I suggest pacing your informational events and allowing time to roam the grounds, visit the gaming and innovation expos, catch some films and musical performances, and strike up conversations. There were various attendee types and with different intentions, though regardless of your motivations, leave time for the unplanned – make time for the casual conversations and fun.
Interestingly and notably, there was a lack of casual seating, catering, water, and other facilities. Besides a cafe or food truck here and there, you would have to walk at least 10-15 minutes for a good feed.
The free brand activations outside the ICC theatre were entertaining and surprisingly had no lengthy queues and wait times. The L’Oreal Groupe Innovation Station was most popular given the amount of freebies, free makeup and hair styling services, and skin care health checks. There was also the insightful The Ideas Dome, interactive Commbank tour, vibrant Adobe Experience Hub, American Apparel House and a few more.
SXSW passes are quite expensive so if you’re purchasing a pass rather than being extended an invitation, I encourage you to be strategic, plan ahead, journey with a curious open mind, and engage with the scheduled events and your fellow attendees.
All in all, SXSW Sydney was an exciting, invaluable, motivating and unique experience that everyone should have the opportunity to attend. It would be a pleasure to catch it next year in its 4th year.
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Follow SXSW SYDNEY
Website – Instagram – Facebook – Spotify
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 1,600 events and networking sessions across the conference, expo and the tech and innovation, games, music and screen festivals. 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 2026 will take place from March 12-18 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.
AMNPLIFY – DB
