SXSW is back this week and in person for the first time in three years – KUT.org

Published March 7, 2022 at 4:02 PM CST Austin officials are welcoming back South by Southwest attendees this week for the first time in three years. The 2020 event was canceled days before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Two years later, a lot more is known about the virus. There are vaccines and conditions are improving in Travis County.Austin dropped from Stage 5 COVID threat to Stage 2 in just eight days. And as those indicators have improved, so have badge sales for South by Southwest, as fear of missing out on the first in-person conference in three years creeps in.“We will anticipate continuing to see more badge sales and some of our biggest sales are actually our walk-up sales,” said Tami Richter, vice president of event operations for SXSW. “We are looking forward to almost a normal little hustle and bustle here in Austin for South by Southwest.”The festival is still planning to enforce COVID policies it set several months ago. Attendees will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result for credentialed and free events open to the public. There is on-site testing available. Jimmy Maas / KUTAustin Public Health Authority…
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