Music fans and moviegoers who have attended past South by Southwest festivals are familiar with standing in long lines to see a showcase artist or watch the premiere of a highly anticipated film. But, more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been no lines or crowded venues in Austin, or anywhere else. Following a pandemic-forced cancellation in 2020, SXSW returned this March in an all-virtual format and featured discussions about how the music and film industries have adapted to the outbreak and plan to navigate uncertain post-pandemic waters.

Following a pandemic-forced cancellation in 2020, the annual South by Southwest conference returned this year, albeit completely virtual. Multiple panels and presentations traversed topics of institutional inclusion, healthcare equity, homelessness and climate change, with input from several Texan experts. The panel “Inspiring Faith to Climate Action” delved into how climate scientists, ministers and young evangelicals try to appeal to faith-based audiences in their efforts to convince governments to reduce actions that are causing climate change.

The COVID-19 pandemic, having disrupted many elements of society, also helped to further expose problems affecting students and educators, including the digital divide and struggles to grow the educational workforce pipeline. Experts addressed these and other issues at South by Southwest (SXSW) EDU, the education-centric portion of the annual Austin-based SXSW festival The pandemic’s emergence last spring caused the abrupt cancellation of all SXSW activities in 2020. This year, SXSW EDU and main SXSW occurred completely online, March 9-11.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many parts of civilization, U.S. educators, students and educational advocates have continued to battle for social equity in the classroom. Experts addressed these and other issues at South by Southwest (SXSW) EDU, the education-centric portion of the annual Austin-based SXSW festival. The pandemic’s emergence last spring caused the abrupt cancellation of all SXSW activities in 2020. This year, on March 9-11, SXSW EDU and main SXSW took place completely online.

By Edmond Ortiz Former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro was among a handful of presidential candidates and other politicians taking part in Conversations About America’s Future, a collaborative series devised by the Texas Tribune and CNN at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW). Castro told his interviewer, Huffington Post news editor-in-chief Lydia Polgreen, that his time as mayor of one of the nation’s biggest cities and his tenure as President Obama’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Department  prepared him for a White House run.

By Edmond Ortiz The 2019 South by Southwest (SXSW)  festival featured several San Antonians leading conversations about how best to enhance life for the aging population, tackling the opiod crisis and improving medical care for individuals. Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros discussed how people ages 55 and up can lead productive lives in growing cities.

San Antonio’s tech community came home from 2018 South by Southwest with more than 500 resumes after scaling back its high-tech sizzle and focusing on being inviting and neighborly. The previous two years, the city and the private sector host large-scale “activations” at Austin bars and inside the Austin Convention Center trade show.

Several San Antonians, past and present, helped lift the conversation at the  2018 South by Southwest festival, promoting cultural and professional diversity and exploring ways to effectively measure a city’s growth. Counteracting biases

By Edmond Ortiz San Antonians will be speaking up and representing their communities on key issues from March 9 to March 18 at the 2018 South by Southwest, the annual Austin festival that celebrates convergence of technology, music and cinema. Individuals from San Antonio nonprofits, businesses and academia are scheduled to talk about topics including diversity, health care, community organization, empowering women, minority communities, aging and entrepreneurship.

Political and technology leaders from San Antonio were out in force for the duration of the interactive portion of South by Southwest in Austin. Choose San Antonio wrapped up its Casa San Antonio activation at the Half Step bar on March 12. But before the closure, the nonprofit group hosted a day’s worth of presentations revolving around Smart City initiatives.