SXSW Is Recreating Downtown Austin in VR

Last spring, South by Southwest was canceled on March 5—just five days before the event was slated to begin. It was early in the pandemic, and there was hardly time for would-be attendees to cancel their travel arrangements. This year, in a new landscape of all-virtual events, SXSW is aiming to bring the same kind of viral innovation and immersive experience to its all-online version that attendees have come to expect from the event. To do that, the organizers worked with social XR events studio VRrOOm to create a fantastical VR rendition of two iconic areas of downtown Austin, Texas: Congress Avenue and the Red River Cultural District. Using a PC, PCVR or Oculus Quest headset, attendees can walk down Austin's streets and into venues for events, panels, meetups, special events and films. The real streets and venues, however, will remain empty. Attendees will be able to explore Austin's historic Red River Cultural District through the VR platform. The Red River Cultural District is home to some of Austin's oldest and most iconic venues, which have been shuttered and without staff for nearly a year now. Several have closed for good. Through the SXSW VR portal, festival-goers will have the opportunity to donate to Banding Together ATX, a charity that formed to support the live music community during the pandemic, Red River Cultural District's executive director Cody Cowan told Adweek in an email. Adapting from last year Last year was the first time in 34 years that SXSW didn't take place in Austin, and this year will be the second. The conglomeration of festivals brings together marketers, artists, musicians, brands, tech geniuses, organizers and politicians over 10 days in the Texas capital, with programming that's separated into interactive, film and music. Live shows and panels will take place within the virtual venues. For this year's all-virtual event, the lineup includes iconic names like Willie Nelson, Stacey Abrams, Pete Buttigieg, Ava DuVernay and Mick Fleetwood. White Claw, Showtime and High Grade Hemp Seed are some of this year's brand sponsors. Virtual events have become par for the course since SXSW was canceled last year. For this year's event, the festival is aiming to rewrite the rules of online conferences and gatherings, bringing Austin to life "in a spectacular way," Blake Kammerdiener, SXSW XR and film programmer, said in a statement. While SXSW is "gutted" not to be using Austin's music venues in person this year, the virtual space aims to honor the city and its music scene, he added. "Stop by the Paramount Theatre to snap a picture on the red carpet with your friends or head on over to the Red River Cultural District for a party," Kammerdiener said. "Be sure to find virtual Theon Cross rocking his tuba or stop by the Contemporary’s rooftop bar to catch a live session.” To see more SXSW content, click here.

SXSW

SXSW Will Build a Virtual Downtown Austin for Attendees to Experience in VR

Participants can attend panels, meetups and events through the platform

Kathryn Lundstrom

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Kathryn Lundstrom