CEO RJ Scaringe and Crunch Labs Founder Mark Rober host the ultimate autonomous robot challenge. This interactive presentation pits audience members against the robot brainchild RJ and Mark teamed up to build, testing human reactions vs machine learning. Can people compete with computers? How is Rivian approaching autonomy? Are people really that slow?!?!?? We’ll find out.

My experience: I arrived at 9AM, and the line for badge holders (without reservations) had about 15 people. They also had a non-badge line and a reserved line. By the time they let people into the venue (behind the building outside where the chargers are), the first two rows for walk-up badges were taken. The first 4 rows were for reservations only. I took an aisle seat near the middle section in row 6 and had a decent view of the stage. Seating was tightly packed, but the stage was elevated enough to see clearly, and they had two monitors so people in the far left and right sections could see the action up close if they didn’t have a view of the stage.

The “fireside chat” format involved Rivian CEO RJ talking all about the R2 and Mark Rober making analogies between his robot arm’s sensors, a human’s senses, and how they related to Rivian’s R2. It felt like one big R2 marketing practical demo with some audience participation and well-rehearsed banter between Mark and RJ. It was fun, punchy, and full of talking up the R2. Mark chose 3 people from the audience ( a young boy, a teenage girl, and an older gentleman) to help out with the human demos, which was arguably the most fun part. The humans attempted to catch a falling $100 and showcased how slow the humans’ reflexes are. The robot arm caught the money every time, immediately. The presentation/talk lasted about 30 minutes, they took about 10 minutes of audience questions, and then released the audience to walk amongst their electric vehicles, take their ebikes for a spin, grab some snacks, or snag a giveaway bag (with discounts for Crunch labs, the Rivian drive experience at SXSW, a Gus stuffed squirrel, and an industrial-looking 1L water bottle).

A new generation of women and underrepresented founders is reshaping the future of health with community-rooted solutions. Presented by Reckitt Catalyst and Entrepreneur-in-Residence Serena Williams, this session spotlights entrepreneurs who are turning lived experience into breakthrough ideas, exploring the barriers they’ve overcome, the models that enable scale, and what it really takes to build lasting, real-world change from the ground up.

My experience: Because the Rivian robot panel ended earlier than 11AM, I was able to grab my goodie bag and walk across the bridge and find the walk-up line for this session. The standby line was already ~100 people long at this point, and when they let people in, I saw that the front rows (half the space) were designated for reservations, and I immediately just grabbed the first aisle seat (towards the back). Chairs were stacked so close together that I was practically touching shoulders with the person who sat next to me. The J.W Marriott was stuffy and warm, and there was so much perfume nearby that I had to leave the panel 30 minutes in to get fresh air. This panel was less about Serena’s involvement and more about the venture she was representing.

Looking for the perfect centerpiece for your gallery wall, a concert poster of your favorite artist, or your favorite Texas-themed memorabilia? Look no further than Flatstock! This eclectic art market continues to capture the spirit of music mementos while also highlighting unique collectibles. Flatstock provides an ongoing series of opportunities to admire artwork in person and to meet the artists who created it. This Expo is free and open to the public.

My experience: The nearby hotel, Austin Marriott, held the Flatstock this year. It was easy to find and all in one room (Moontower Hall). It felt smaller than the previous time I’ve been (2024). I didn’t expect to find something I wanted, but I found something I had to buy as a gift. Worth the 10 – 60 minute walk through.

Featuring a powerful mix of established global brands and budding startups, the International Innovations Expo highlights cutting-edge businesses that are pushing boundaries to move the world forward. From groundbreaking concepts to bold new business models, exhibitors are redefining what’s possible across industries around the globe. Join the community that’s driving change on a worldwide scale.

My experience: I remember this expo taking over the entire convention floor space in 2024, and this time it was tucked into the ballroom of the Fairmont upstairs, which felt like a significant downgrade in space and number of booths. When I went around 12PM on Friday, it was mostly empty. I remember 2024, the floor was bustling, busy, and harder to move around some of the booth spaces. There were significantly fewer giveaways and incentives to step into the booth spaces and interact. I talked to two of the booths – Second Chance Materials and Design, as well as Axal. I snagged a free coffee (for all badge holders) from the far corners of Johnny Bean’s booth. It was delicious. Overall, the walkthrough was sub-30 minutes, but if you were interested in any of the booths, you could have spent longer. I’m not sure what audience some of the booths were expecting, as most didn’t bother engaging with me when I walked by.

Swing by the Odoo Lounge at SXSW to recharge, kick up your feet, and get some work done. For a chance to win a prize, visit the Odoo Lounge and see how Odoo makes companies better, one app at a time.

My experience: I wanted to check out free experiences/locations and thought this would be a fun one. The lounge was located on level 4 of the Hilton, and I had trouble finding it because it was so tiny and easy to walk past. I wasn’t in need of a chair, so I walked in and walked right back out. This lounge didn’t really offer anything of note other than a few places to sit.

Check out the SXSW Bookstore to browse the latest work authored by this year’s conference participants. Support your favorite speakers and find something you connect with to take back home. Open daily on the 6th floor of the Hilton Austin Downtown.

My experience: I wanted to see how packed Spielberg’s keynote was, so I drifted over to the Hilton Ballroom floor (which happened to also be the floor with the bookstore). The bookstore was empty. One author was there at the time for signings, and I wanted to talk to her, so I snagged her book (I Wish I’d Quit Sooner by Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett). I was interrupted by a rogue film crew who wouldn’t shut up about getting into Spielberg’s talk. They were very awkward, interrupted my conversation with Dr. Laura, and pretended to interview her, but really just talked about how to get into the panel next door. Dr. Laura was professional and fun to chat with.

Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg is joined by Sean Fennessey, Host of The Big Picture podcast, for a wide-ranging conversation about his extraordinary body of work, the future of movies and moviegoing, and his upcoming film, Disclosure Day. Across Spielberg’s 60+ year career, he has frequently returned to stories about alien races, the threat of technology to the natural world, the mystery of space, and social panic. With Disclosure Day, he once again ventures into the unknown.

Reservations for this session will open for Platinum Badges at 9am CT Thursday, March 5, and for Film & TV, Innovation, and Music Badges at 9am CT Friday, March 6. To learn more about reservations, visit our lines and reservations guide on sxsw.com.

This event is reservation-only. Walk-up access will be extremely limited.

My experience: People were sneaking in and out of the side door of the ballroom at the beginning of the talk so I thought maybe people were getting special treatment (they were probably just using the restroom). On the other side of the ballroom, it looked like ~30 people were waiting in a standby line to get in outside of the doors. While someone was sneaking in the side door, I got a quick view of Spielberg on stage. They were showing this keynote across multiple livestreams around SXSW, including the Congress Block Party I stopped at later in the hour. I had originally chosen this Friday to go to SXSW so I could camp out and get into this particular keynote, but later found out that it was reservation-only, and volunteer badges are not allowed to make reservations. Since I didn’t have a Platinum badge, I gave up hope of being a walk-up, as I wouldn’t even be in the right/first line if they had any walk-up availability.

• • • My/Mochi + Nature’s Flavors + Einstein Bars + Block Party 11-7PM
    • A Flavor-Filled Experience PRESENTED BY: Nature’s Flavors 11-7PM
    • Einstein Energy Super Snack Bars – Think You’re A Snack Genius? 11-7PM
    • Congress Avenue Block Party 11-7PM

My experience: I didn’t realize the Congress Ave Block Party was open to everyone. The access was restricted to one side of the road and wasn’t visible from very far away due to the Rivian experience near the Paramount (loads of dirt for their obstacle course) and a stage being set up on the North end. It was easy to get in, flashed my badge, had it scanned, and I was good to go. This was where the freebies were! I tried mochi, drinks, Tequila, snack bars, and more. The samples were more sample-sized than last time I was at SXSW and got full containers and whatnot. The energy bars were cut into small pieces and handed over without a plate or a napkin. This felt wrong, being handed a melting chocolate-coated bar when there wasn’t any hand sanitizer or hand washing next to the booth. The mochi were full-sized, which I appreciated, and they changed up their flavors every day, so each time I came back, I could try something different. Some booths had longer lines than others, but I never had to wait longer than a few minutes.

The Film & TV Clubhouse is located at 800 Congress Ave, just steps away from the Paramount Theatre, where some of the most exciting screenings of the Festival are set to premiere. It will serve as the home base for the film community to gather, discuss, and network. Each day, the Film & TV Clubhouse will host meetups and networking events as well as activations.

My experience: This was the most difficult clubhouses to find. The Innovation Clubhouse and Music Clubhouse had clear banners that you could see from far away, but the TV/Film Clubhouse sign was off the main road (it was in a building on the corner). Easy to get in, the place was hopping when I arrived, but I was able to find a seat easily towards the back. They started a talk (activation?) about 10 minutes after I arrived for a show called “Marshalls,” and they handed out bandanas. I was able to sit in the air-conditioning and use the restroom, but ultimately didn’t think that Clubhouse was that exciting. It was a better lounge experience than Odoo and probably a great meeting place.

Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.

My experience: I lined up around 3 hours before the start of the movie. I mistakenly thought the movie started at 5PM, but by the time I was in line, I was the 10th person in the standby line. The standby line was located at the corner of 8th and Brazos across from the Omni Hotel, and it was for Platinum and Film & TV badgeholders only. It was so far from the Paramount that we felt like we were outside of the festival area. In 2024, they had a Platinum line, Film & TV line, and other badge holders line. I showed up at least 2 hours in advance and was in the front of the other badgeholders’ line for The Idea of You premier when I had my Innovations badge. As 10th in line, waiting for 3 hours, I ended up seated almost exactly where I was when I watched that 2024 movie premiere. The person next to me, who had made a reservation, told me they didn’t wait long at all for their seat.

Per the website: New for South by Southwest 2026

Many SXSW events will offer two ways to get in — join the badge walk-up line or book a Reservation in advance. It’s never been easier to plan your schedule ahead of time and leave room for the serendipity that makes the week magic.

Reservations come with all SXSW Badges – Platinum (3 per day), Innovation, Film & TV, and Music (2 per day). When your Reservation window opens, sign in to the Schedule to reserve admittance to select conference sessions, film & tv festival screenings, music festival showcases, and comedy festival showcases.

Reservations are a great way to access programming and help you plan your day, but they only account for a portion of capacity at select events. The badge walk-up line remains the primary and most common way attendees experience sessions, showcases, and screenings. Even for popular events, the majority of seats are held for those waiting in line. Didn’t get a reservation? No worries! You can use the SXSW GO App’s status indicator to gauge demand and join fellow attendees in line.

To see which events still have open reservation capacity, go to the Reservations Available section of the online schedule.

Note: This feature is not available on the SXSW GO App at this time.

Mentor Sessions & Workshops require Reservations, but these don’t count against your daily limit.

My experience: The Paramount is just a cool theatre, but if you really want to watch a movie, then premieres and the Paramount might detract from your ability to see and hear the movie. The capacity is so high that 1000+ people laughing simultaneously (which is undoubtedly an experience) might be loud enough to cover up the next part of the dialogue. The seats are theatre seats and are not the most comfortable. The person in front of me was leaning forward (probably to see), and 10% of the screen was covered for me because his head was in my view. The movie itself was pretty fun to watch, and it’s fun to watch a movie with movie lovers who are excited to be there. Nobody is on their phone. Nobody is talking during the movie. There was a short presentation/talk before the movie where the actors, directors, etc. talked, and a Q/A after the movie, which is such a cool bonus to going to a film premiere.

Saturday 3/14

SXSW programming description: Featured Session: Jamie Lee Curtis. If Not Now, When, if Not Me, Who? Pivoting and Manifesting! 2:30PM – 3:30PM

A conversation on how I am now a boss at 67!

My experience: Jamie Lee Curtis is a practiced public speaker/storyteller. This was my favorite panel/talk, and she was amazing. She was funny, well-spoken, and a delight to listen to. 10/10 would recommend going to any Jamie Lee Curtis speaking event in the future. The ballroom where the talk was held was not the most comfortable. The chairs were stacked so close that we were touching shoulders, elbows, and thighs. I couldn’t see half the time because the stage was not high enough. People were holding up their phones, taking pictures, videos, and live-streaming for far longer than they should have been.

SXSW programming description: Swiftie Meet Up 4PM – 5PM

Whether you’ve been a fan since “Beautiful Eyes,” or you just discovered her when you were dragged to see “The Eras Tour” in theaters by a fanatical friend, you’re welcome at this Meet Up for Swifties at SXSW. Friendship bracelet trading is encouraged but not required.

My experience: The room was a bit too noisy and hard to hear others in, but this was a fun little meetup. Surprisingly, the conversation stayed centered around Taylor Swift with the little group I joined. This was a networking setup style open room (no chairs), but a few high top tables to set your things down on, and a table in the corner with bracelets to trade. I even scored some sourdough starter!