See You At SXSW Sydney In
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Wednesday 8 October – South by Southwest Sydney® (SXSW Sydney) returns from Monday 13 October to Sunday 19 October, today revealing the final details of its 2025 schedule and last new additions to the program.
The Hon. Senator Tim Ayres, Minister for Industry & Innovation, will officially open the Tech & Innovation Festival on Wednesday 15 October. Senator Ayres will tour the Innovation Expo before taking to the Discovery Stage to give an address on Australian innovation and the future. On Wednesday, the Discovery Stage also sees Maincode CEO Dave Lemphers, unveiling Matilda, Australia’s first large language model; Chloe Chang from Lunar Outpost showcasing the Australian Space Agency’s moon rover, the “Roo-ver”; Australian flying car company Airspeeder co-founder Jack Withinshaw, with futurist Dr Catherine Ball acting as Guest MC. Wednesday also marks the beginning of NVIDIA’s two-day AI Day event, co-located with SXSW Sydney at ICC Sydney.
From Monday 13 October to Sunday 19 October, SXSW Sydney takes over ICC Sydney, Tumablong Park, 4 cinemas and 15 music venues to present more than 1600+ events.
SXSW Sydney’s Conference program, which includes more than 550 sessions and 1000+ speakers from across the globe, welcomes a new keynote speaker: Professor Richard Scolyer. The renowned pathologist and former Australian of the Year, recognised for his pioneering contributions to brain cancer research and advocacy, will appear on Tuesday 14 October in conversation with CEO of Emergent Global Holly Ransom.
The program further expands with keynote session The Mushroom Case Content Explosion, which sees ABC Investigative journalist Rachael Brown, BBC Australia correspondent Katy Watson, director of the Death Cap Murders documentary series Gil Marsden, and forensic pathology expert Professor David Ranson join Science Vs host Wendy Zukerman to examine the blurred boundaries between journalism and entertainment in Australia’s most media-saturated criminal cases.
Previously announced keynotes include former Chief Business Officer of Google [X] Mo Gawdat, in conversation with Dr Catherine Ball; Grammy Award-winning artist Teddy Swims; creator of Dimension 20 and new Dungeon Master of Critical Role Brennan Lee Mulligan; and revered Hollywood director Paul Feig. Other speaker highlights include Google’s first Chief Innovation Evangelist Dr Frederik G Pferdt, COO of Unstoppable Domains Sandy Carter, Vice President of Business at Perplexity Ryan Foutty, and Deputy Executive Director of the Museum of the Future Majed Al Mansoori.
The SXSW Sydney Music Festival (15-18 October), presented by Johnnie Walker Black Ruby, will set Chippendale alight with more than 150 artists from 30 countries performing 300+ gigs across 15 venues. From homegrown stars like Ninajirachi (leading this year’s ARIA Award nominations), Drifting Clouds and Sonic Reducer to international standouts like Ireland’s Le Boom, Taiwan’s The Chairs, and the UK’s Freak Slug, the SXSW Sydney Music Festival delivers a boundary-crossing mix of sounds and genres. Further Music Festival highlights include parties, showcases, mixers and events hosted by Johnnie Walker Black Ruby, American Apparel, ARIA, British Music Embassy, Rolling Stone, triple j’s PRISM and more.
The SXSW Sydney Screen Festival (13-19 October) presents a stacked program of more than 100 feature films from around the globe. Leading the charge are headline films hot off the festival circuit: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, Bugonia, Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie, Die My Love, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You and Universal Pictures’ and Blumhouse’s Black Phone 2. Director Paul Feig will deliver a keynote and accept the inaugural SXSW Sydney Screen Pioneer Award. In celebration, a retrospective at Ritz Cinemas will revisit highlights from his legendary career including Bridesmaids (with a special Q&A with Feig), The Heat, and a 14-hour Freaks & Geeks marathon. Edgar Wright (Baby Driver) has just been added to the program, taking part in a special in-conversation following a first-look preview of The Running Man starring Glen Powell, and Noah Centineo (To All The Boys franchise) will walk the red carpet at the premiere of his film, Our Hero, Balthazar.
The SXSW Sydney Games Festival puts play in the spotlight from Wednesday 15 October to Saturday 18 October. At the heart of the Games Festival is the Games Showcase which features 120 new indie titles from around the world, giving games enthusiasts the chance to playtest new and unreleased tabletop and video games. For the first time, Games Wristband holders will be able to attend a keynote session, with Brennan Lee Mulligan taking the stage on Tuesday October 14. Complete with panels, live commentary sessions and more, the SXSW Sydney Games Festival is a must for players and developers alike.
SXSW Sydney’s free public program, SXSW Sydney Unlocked, invites everyone to experience a taste of SXSW Sydney with more than 85+ hours of free programming to Tumbalong Park and surrounds from Monday 13 October to Sunday 19 October. Expect everything from live music performances and thought-provoking talks to immersive experiences designed to spark curiosity and connection.
Across the week, major events include a mini-festival, Hoops & Everything, headlined by The Rubens and featuring a line up including American indie rockers Whitney, recent recipients of four ARIA nominations Folk Bitch Trio and more; the International Stage spotlighting rising artists from across Asia including J-pop boyband PSYCHIC FEVER and viral Indonesian sensations Tenxi, Jemsii & Naykilla; Tumbalong Honky Tonk, complete with line dancing and music from Max Jackson and The Washboard Union. On Saturday 18 October, SXSW Sydney’s Innovation Expo and Games Showcase also open their doors to the public for the first time.
SXSW Sydney Unlocked comes to Kensington Street on Thursday 17 October and Friday 18 October, featuring free music from local and international artists, with venues serving up special food and drink deals throughout the event. SXSW Sydney Unlocked at Kensington Street is a part of the NSW Government’s Open Streets Program, led by Transport for NSW. Additionally, Fest By Inner West, presented by SXSW Sydney in association with Inner West Council, will bring Enmore to life with free music across seven venues showcasing Inner West legends and international buzz acts.
SXSW Sydney 2025 will dive deep into the most pressing trends shaping our world—from AI’s accelerating advancements and the future of work to quantum technologies, cybersecurity, sustainability and the ever-evolving creative industries. A must-attend event for professionals and innovators in leadership roles, SXSW Sydney runs from October 13-19, featuring 1,600 sessions and events including 400+ conference sessions, 150+ professional development sessions, 300+ music performances, 95 film screenings, 150 games and over 400 brand-led events.
Final passes are on sale now via sxswsydney.com.
