Podcasting Becomes Core SXSW Pillar With New Festival In 2027.

Podcasting is getting a bigger stage at South by Southwest next year as SXSW makes the medium one of the core pillars of its annual Austin event with the launch of a dedicated Podcast Festival.

The new SXSW Podcast Festival will run March 17-20 during SXSW 2027 and will be open to all badge holders. Organizers say it will bring podcast talent, platforms, brands, marketers and other members of the industry together in a dedicated home for the first time.

The change elevates podcasts alongside Innovation, Film & TV, Music and Comedy as a core component of SXSW, reflecting the growing role that podcasting has played at the event in recent years through live tapings and industry-focused conference sessions.

“For 2027, we’re building on what worked by creating more intentional hubs across downtown Austin, giving growing communities like podcasting a bigger platform, and making it easier for attendees to find the ideas, people and opportunities that matter to them,” SXSW Senior VP of Programming Greg Rosenbaum says in the announcement.

SXSW describes podcasting as one of its fastest-growing programming categories. While podcasts have been part of the festival for years, the creation of a standalone festival gives the medium a more prominent position within an event that draws executives and creators from across entertainment, technology, advertising and media.

It also puts more focus on the business surrounding podcasts. Rather than positioning the festival solely around creators and live shows, SXSW says the new hub will bring together talent and platforms with brands, marketers and the broader podcast industry.

The Podcast Festival will be part of a seven-day SXSW that runs March 15-21 in Austin. The festival dates will give podcasting four days of dedicated programming within the larger event.

The addition follows a broader overhaul of SXSW that began with its 2026 event. Organizers have shifted to a seven-day format and created a series of community hubs and clubhouses designed to bring various industries together while still giving individual communities their own gathering places.

Rosenbaum says the changes appear to be generating greater interest in next year’s event. SXSW says submissions for its 2027 PanelPicker and applications for the Music and Film & TV festivals are running as much as 50% ahead of last year. “2026 proved that we can evolve the event while preserving the discovery, connection and creativity that make it special,” he says.

Podcasting isn’t the only area getting a new home in 2027. SXSW will relocate its Music Clubhouse to The Thompson hotel, while Music Conference programming will be based at The Thompson and The Westin. Film & TV premieres, screenings and red carpets will temporarily move to ACL Live at The Moody Theater while the Paramount Theatre undergoes restoration.

SXSW is also making changes to its conference tracks. Culture is being renamed Lifestyle, while Sports and Gaming will again become separate tracks. The event is also introducing a premium CxO Badge aimed at C-suite executives and founders.

SXSW launched in Austin in 1987 and it has increasingly broadened beyond its roots as a music gathering to add film, technology, comedy, and podcasting as the creator economy has evolved.