South by Southwest (SXSW) is a set of interactive, film, and music festivals and conferences that take place every spring in Austin, Texas. Originating as the Austin Battle of the Bands, SXSW officially began in 1987 and is centered around the downtown Austin Convention Center. Each of the three parts run relatively independently, with different start and end dates. SXSW is one of the largest music festivals in the United States, with more than 1,400 performers playing dozens of venues around Austin over four days in March. Though it is an industry-based event, SXSW Music links locally with events such as the annual Austin Music Awards show. SXSW is the highest money-making public event for the Austin economy, bringing in more revenue than the Austin City Limits Music Festival or the Texas Longhorn home games. blank">http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2007/03/19/TopStories/Austins.Financial.Windfall.From.South.By.Southwest.Larger.Than.Last.Year-2779781.shtml

In 1994 SXSW added Film and Interactive conferences. SXSW Film has become one of the world's premiere film festivals, focusing on new directing talent. Similarly, SXSW Interactive has attracted a strong following among Web creators and entrepreneurs.

SXSW has spawned other festival such as _North by Northeast (NXNE), an annual three-day live music festival and music conference in Toronto held the second weekend in June.