The international conference will take place in Sydney from October 15th to October 22nd…

In what’s some massive news for Australia’s music and technology industries, acclaimed North American festival South by Southwest has been announced for Australia. Set to take place in October, the first annual Asia-Pacific instalment of SXSW will be host to the likes of keynote speakers, music performances, activations, sessions and parties across the city.

If you’re not familiar with the conference, past speakers and artists who have taken to the SXSW stage include everyone from Barack Obama, Billie Eilish, Taika Waititi, Steven Spielberg and Jordan Peele. It appears that the Sydney iteration of the event will be just as explosive as its predecessors, with managing director of SXSW Sydney Colin Daniels saying in a statement, “SXSW Sydney will showcase the largest group of inspiring international thinkers, creators, innovators and performers ever seen in Sydney at one time.”

No doubt it’ll bring some welcome buzz to the city, with over 1000 sessions set to take place from October 15th to 22nd. No word yet on who will be appearing in the Sydney proceedings, but given the breadth of local talent in not only the city, but country, we’re guessing the homegrown festivities will rival that of its overseas counterparts. Check out some previous SXSW speeches and performances below to get an idea of what we’re in for, and be sure to register your interest in this year’s SXSW here.