2 months ago
SXSW London will beryllium doubling connected down connected its ambitions to beryllium a imaginative and tech cross-pollinator successful its 2nd version successful nan UK capital’s Shoreditch vicinity this June.
Taking a leafage from its 40-year SXSW genitor arena successful Austin, nan UK spin-off unveiled an eclectic convention programme and speakers database connected Friday, bringing together large names from nan worlds of film, TV, tech, nan creator economy, euphony and sport.
Speakers will see Neon laminitis Tom Quinn, England shot prima Jill Scott, actor-producer Tye Sheridan, BFI Film Fund Director Mia Bays, Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen, creator GK Barry and Hannah Holland, CEO of integer first talent agency HLD Talent.
From nan world of tech, location will beryllium Bluesky COO Rose Wang; Victor Riparbelli, co-founder & CEO of AI video level Synthesia, and erstwhile UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who precocious joined Europe and tech-focused task capitalist Hiro Capital aft his stint arsenic Head of Global Affairs astatine Facebook, among others
The six cardinal themes shaping nan programme are: ‘AI arsenic nan New Power Structure’; ‘Living Longer, Living Better’; ‘Culture Can Save Humanity’; ‘Society Rewired’, exploring efforts to take sides antiauthoritarian values successful an era of misinformation and authoritarianism; ‘Creativity successful nan Algorithmic Age’, and ‘Futurism successful Practice’, looking astatine nan blurring of boundaries betwixt beingness and integer environment.
Speaking astatine a media meet-and-greet successful London this week, SXSW London Director of Programming Katy Arnander said nan arena was keen to carve retired its ain London personality while keeping pinch nan tone of its Austin-based genitor original.
“We haven’t transported nan afloat Austin vibe to London… we’ve decided to create our ain vibe present successful Shoreditch,” she said.
The 2nd edition, moving from June 1 to 6, will unfold successful much than 20 venues crossed Shoreditch, a vicinity of contrasts connected nan fault-lines of history and tech; gentrified listed buildings and high-density societal housing, and young master newcomers and working-class communities.
“SXSW London is centred astir nan thought of convergence, bringing together voices – moreover unexpected pairings – successful ways that seldom hap elsewhere,” said Arnander.
“This year’s schedule takes that thought moreover further. From frontier exertion and aesculapian invention to music, activism and nan creator economy, nan programme strikes a beardown equilibrium betwixt hostility and harmony, yet cultivating a abstraction for patient debate. By providing a abstraction for this collision of ideas, SXSW London is nan spot for immoderate business leader, task capitalist, aliases marketer to summation insights, observe innovative concepts, and grow their master networks.”
Alongside nan convention programme, the SXSW London Music Festival will showcase much than 200 artists, spanning emerging voices and established acts specified arsenic Tiwa Savage, ODUMODUBLVCK, Rachel Chinouriri and Circa Waves.
The SXSW London Screen Festival, nan line-up for which will beryllium announced astatine nan extremity of March, will characteristic lineup of caller movie and bid from crossed nan world. Bays and Quinn will beryllium participating wrong nan model of nan surface program.
Launched pinch a ten-year commitment, SXSW’s inaugural 2025 version welcomed much than 25,000 attendees from much than 85 countries and featured 900 speakers crossed dozens of sessions, performances and screenings.
