Whenthe South by Southwest festivaltakes over Downtown Austin each yr , the already - bustling Texan city transform into the mecca of Stuff To Do . But SXSW can be a tricky , overwhelming biz to represent . There are concerts , movies , and live result wrangling gift from every manner of walking of sprightliness . There are high - caliber parallel bars , restaurants , and nutrient trucks that are always in high demand . How should a fest - leaver maximize his or her fest experience ? We have you covered with this category - by - category equipment failure that ’ll help oneself you plan consequently .
… if you want the best BBQ wait-to-quality ratio
Eating at the acclaimedFranklinrequires lining up at 7 am and waiting as long as it takes to watch 20 lot ( i.e. , five hours ) . Luckily , Micklethwaitcomes all-fired close in terms of quality , walk space from the fray of Downtown , and reasonable wait times . An hour is worth great center .
… if you’re not scared of pizza food comas
Pizza falls into three camps in Austin : NY style ( Home Slice , Hoboken ) , Neapolitan style ( Bufalina , Backspace ) , and the square , Detroit - style pies served byVia 313 . There are two trailers ( Violet Crownon due east 6th , Craft Prideon Rainey ) , as well as brick - and - mortars in South Austin and near the UT campus . These pizzas will destroy your evening in the very dependable way . Pro tip : call in your order before arrive .
… if you need food late
The best all - nighttime option Downtown is24 Diner . It ’s make love for its chicken and waffles ( as well as astonishingly mammoth salad ) , and intelligibly slammed once the bars faithful . Other diner choice includeMagnolia ’s quilt food , the classicStar Seeds , and the healthierKerbey Lane , but for less - traditional chow like samosa - slinging sinker shop , check out ourlate - night solid food guide .
… if you want to patronize Austin’s most famous chef
Paul Qui received the key ( ! ) to the urban center when he wonTop Chef , and ever since , mental reservation at hiseponymous mulct - dining topographic point , Qui , are intemperate to come by . If you ’re finger golden , judge snagging a backside at the bar . For a safer bet , maneuver to one of his East Side King food trailers scattered throughout the metropolis .
… if you want to really eat like an Austinite
Breakfast wetback are the best antidote to a holdover . Most coffee shops in town stock a steaming - blistering supply of tin - frustrate migas . For some of the skillful , mind toTacodeli . If you ’re in East Austin , followthis breakfast greaser crawl .
… if you need to stay hydrated
There ’s this thing calledTopo Chico . What looks like a normal bottle of sparkling water is in reality a celestial talent from a innate spring in Northern Mexico . Austinites drink it by the case - load . The comically with child bubbles give the same mouthfeel as beer , without the zip drain .
… if you’re a beer nerd
Austin ’s craft beer boom has monopolized the taps at most bars . Austin Beerworks ' Pearl Snap is the city ’s touch Pilsner , Live Oak hefeweizenis perhaps the metropolis ’s most OG craft beer ( that come with an orange ) , and the young shaver on the block isBlue Owl Brewing , which is boldly canning a line of yummy sours . For the full brewery experience , stop byReal Ale , Hops and Grain , andJester King .
… if you’re cheap
Lone Star is the interior beer of Texas . In Austin , it flows ( and taste sensation ) like water . Only carpetbagger rate PBR .
… if you’re looking for a good cocktail
Despite sport a murderers row of proficient don’t - call - them - mixologists , fancy cocktails are punishing to come in by at SXSW , due to corporal buyouts , smaller taproom capability , and prospicient waits for a drink . Newer cocktail spot likeThe Roosevelt RoomandThe Townsendshould be safe havens , obliterate parking garage bar likeSmall VictoryandGaragewill likely choose out of live music , and off - the - beaten - path watering holes on North Loop , likedrink.wellandThe Tigress , are well outside the chaos of Downtown .
… if you want to see something potentially mind-melting
Erykah Badu has n’t performed often in the last five years , so any chance to catch the pouf of neo - soul is a blessing . new off her freewheelingBut You Caint Use My Phonemixtape from last year , she ’ll be headline theVans 50th Anniversaryshow at the Mohawk , along with chillwave favorites Neon Indian , R&B innovator Kelela , and the shambling lo - fi Spanish rock ‘n’ roll outfit Hinds . Start delineate up now . ( March 16th )
… if you just want to rock
Sometimes you just require to pledge a few beers and heed to crush . Luckily , Thee Oh Sees , who headline the Panache showcase at Hotel Vegas , have plenty of jam – seriously , like over 10 record album ' worth . The San Francisco psych - rock warriors will be joined by as knotted Austin heavyweightsOBN IIIs . ( March 18th )
… if you like Dr. Dre
Many music fans were first introduced to multi - hyphenateAnderson .Paaklast year when he outshined larger name on Dr. Dre ’s invitee - filledCompton . The California - based Isaac Merrit Singer , doorknocker , and producer sound even better on his own . His latest recordMalibuis packed with fascinating , writing style - deflect moments that will be thrilling to see him regurgitate live at the Hype Hotel with his band , The Free Nationals . ( March 18th )
… if you want to expand your horizons
euphony festivals are like tasting platters : the good glide path is to try out something you ’re not familiar with . singular about world music ? check out outImran Aziz Mian Qawwal , Mai Nimani , Wahid Allan Faqir , andOverloadat SXSW ’s Music of Pakistan show window at the Victorian Room at The Driskill . ( March 16th )
… if you want to expand your hip-hop horizons
Wanna know what rap music sounds like abroad ? maneuver to the Hip - Hop from Asia showcase at Palm Door on Sixth , sport Korean tap crewIllionaire Records . ( March 17th )
… if you want to expand your krautrock horizons
Yes , you have krautrock horizons . Go seeFaustat the Hotel Vegas Patio . ( March 17th )
… if you want to test out your new earplugs
Whether you ’re a metal rabid or a total noob , the common people at long - running extreme - euphony hub MetalSucks have got you covered . The site ’s annual display case of the best in doom , thrash , and weighed down sub - musical style that have n’t even been strike yet will blow the doors off Austin ’s Dirty Dog . Expanderkicks things off on Wednesday , and lot with incredible name likeCONAN , Lord Dying , andToothgrinderfollow . British prog - metal stompersMonumentsheadline . ( March 16th , 17th )
… if you want to revel in immaturity
Jody Hill and Danny McBride , the squad behindEastbound & Down , debutVice Principals , their latest HBO creation . It ’s the story of – you venture it – two high school vice star ( McBride and Walton Goggins ) engaged in an epic exponent struggle . reckon Kenny Powers in commission of bookman ' futures . ( Premieres March 11th )
… if you want to laugh, cry, and break through the nonstop partying as a reminder you’re human
Comedian Mike Birbiglia’sSleepwalk with Mewas a hilarious , self-examining look at nap disorders . We ask the same observational bodily fluid from his later , Don’t Think Twice , chronicle what go on when America ’s biggest sketch - comedy show pick a streamlet - of - the - mill improv group ’s fundamental members . ( Premieres March 13th )
… if you want a hyper-violent roller coaster of an action movie
Hardcore Henryhijacks gaming ’s first - person shooter POV for a maniacal shoot-‘em - up . The flick does n’t make a lick of sentiency , and the begrimed visuals look ripped from the ten - oldFar Cry , but bloody , does it move . ( Premieres March 13th )
… if you want to trip on history
Orange Sunshineexplores the Brotherhood of Eternal Love , a California surfer clique that also happen to be the most full-bodied LSD- and hash - dispersion operation of the sixties . The documentary will open up your cherry , weak eye . ( Premieres March 14th )
… if you want to see your life in the movies
9 Ridestakes place inside an UberSUV , rolling out over the course of one night . Shot using two rigged iPhones , it ’s the movie for those who recall their dramatic lives are worthy of the big screen . ( Premieres March 15th )
… if you want to watch the festival’s signature brand of weird
SXSW is a rowdy festival – on the street , in the bars , and especially in the multiplexes . The proper picture show , merge with Alamo Drafthouse ’s signature drinking , will have the audience collectively rolling over with delight . The Master Cleanse , a fantastic play movie about a spiritual retreat hold up awfully incorrect , sounds like the right kind of devilish to fit the par . ( Premieres March 13th )
… if you want the reliability of a classic
J.J. Abrams ' company Bad Robot recently restoredPhantasm , Don Coscarelli ’s demented horror movie , in pristine 4 grand high-pitched - definition . All the better to see the baddie ’s silver-tongued sphere slicing and dice unsuspecting victims . Just to be clear : Abrams loves this movie so much , he cabbage a reference intoStar Wars : The Force Awakens . You ’ll sleep with why Captain Phasma is chrome as shortly as you establish yourself in a SXSW theatre . ( Premieres March 14th )
… if you want a peek at a newWalking Deadcompanion
Seth Rogen write and directedPreacher , AMC ’s profoundly disturbed supernatural comic adaptation . There may be some humor to it … but not much . The " Preacher " is a vigilante dealing with the evil of mankind . Using a gun . ( Premieres March 14th )
… if you need post-toke entertainment
Comedian and marijuana bon vivant Doug Benson joins Master Pancake , Austin ’s precede pic - interrupt team , fora live comment / verbal ravishment onLeprechaun 4 : In Space . ( March 17th )
… if you want to flex your sports knowledge
The post - game interview is a terrible avenue for brainwave . That ’s why SXSW begin its SXsports program . At"Direct from the Source : Athletes Unfiltered,“New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham , Jr. and UFC fighter genius Ronda Rousey talk about life in the athletic limelight , and the trouble of communicate with fandom . ( March 13th )
… if you want to feed yourMr. Robotaddiction
" encipher on Camera"will psychometric test the hack knowledge of Rami Malek , Christian Slater , and serial creator Sam Esmail , who all believe authenticity is the gateway to getting you hooked . ( March 13th )
… if you want to hear Anthony Bourdain rip the food world a new one
The world - go chef started the tenacious - shape culture site Roads & Kingdoms in 2015 , with hope of steer food media in a new direction . He ride downwith the site ’s editor - in - chief to give looker-on a taste of his vision . ( March 13th )
… if you want to center yourself after a week of partying hard
Andy Puddicombe is a meditation teacher and former Buddhistic monk . He takes the SXSW leg for " Why Happiness Is Hard and How to Make It Easier,“an exploration of happiness that will moderate you to a bright , hangover - less future . ( March 15th )
… if you want to get metaphysical
J.J. Abrams is back , this meter withThe Jinxfilmmaker Andrew Jarecki for a panel on … why eyes are so important . Seriously . In the geological era of social media , looking is a affair of the past times . These two emotion medical specialist discuss the topic during"The Eyes of Robots and Murderers . “(March 14th )
… if you’re in desperate need of motivation
The laminitis of SoulCycle collect to tell you why they rule on the"Creating a Movement"panel . If you do n’t feel motivated to hit the bikes after this panel , you may already be drained . ( March 15th )
… if you want to witness the future of food porn
On"Meet Nom,“Steve Chen , co - founder and CTO of YouTube , will talk about how users ' platform hack became the next dance step in foodie video ’s development . ( March 14th )
… if you want to laugh and laugh and laugh
Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer , the hotshot of Comedy Central’sBroad City , take the stageto talking about whatever the blaze they want . ( March 12th )
… if you want to see why we’re pushing the envelope
Thrillist ’s own Ben Lerer address on the future of Internet communication on"Theory of Media Evolution . “Go ! Learn ! ( March 11th )
… if you need a quick bite, a beer, and a creepy view
Bikinis Sports Bar & Grillis not theclassiestestablishment in town , and we know you will not regain this breastaurant on many other urge tilt . But during SXSW , it serves as an enterpriser - free , bar - intellectual nourishment haven , found flat in the oculus of the storm . There is n’t a faster posture - down lunch within a three - occlusion radius . Plus , girls in swimwear , if that ’s your affair .
… if you’re a barbecue pilgrim
Forty - five min in the south of Austin lies the flyspeck town of Lockhart , which shoot a line the lovely Main St and three of the good previous - shoal barbeque joints in the Department of State . It ’s a opportunity to see a slice of Texas while eating a slice of some of the best barbecue in universe . Kreuz’s , Smitty ’s , andBlack’sall have their virtue , but for its body ( and beef rib ) we ’ll recommend Black ’s .
… if you’re a hop-head
Jester Kingneeds no introduction to beer obsessives . The farmhouse brewery has earned just about every accolade we can give it , from craft some of the wackiest fermented bomber in history , to serving woodwind instrument - fired PIE worthy of a 30 - second drive . Most night , you ’ll discover a bluegrass band paired with the pint .
… if you need to be washed clean
Barton Springsis Austin ’s crown gem , and if the temperature is over 80 academic degree , a prompt swim is an absolute essential . Here’sa quick guideto this frequented attractive force .
… if you’re more into history than music or film
Austin does n’t have the same calibre of museums as Dallas or Houston , but we do feature Lyndon B. Johnson ’s recently renovatedpresidential library . Highlights admit an unsettling Vietnam wargame pretending , telephone recordings between MLK and the chairman , and a robotic , joke - telling LBJ .
… if you hate traffic
Do not , under any circumstances , prove to drive around Downtown . one-half of the street are blocked off , and even natives can easily find oneself themselves stick to in a 30 - minute traffic yap . Uber , Lyft , Car2Go ( which hasspecial fall - off valets ) , pedicabs , andB - cycle bike rentalsare all solid option to wasting an hour in traffic .
… if you hate lines
Waiting to get into venue at SXSW is unavoidable , but the most beastly of all is theFADER Fort . The RSVP - only issue is fabled for host surprise public presentation from huge artist and function up free potable . But even picking up a wristband typically take at least two hours . Expect another two hours of waiting to enter .
… if you don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on a pass
… if you have bad heartburn
tardy - night pizza stone stops are inevitable . Despite a few killer business district options , many of the slash - slinger require you bring your own side of TUMS.We ranked them all here , but if you ca n’t make it to Hoboken or Via 313 , count a food motortruck rather .
… if you want to actually see music
SXSW used to be a locus - ground ball ’s Eden , but in late age prospicient logical argument have made it unmanageable to take a hop between show , even with an official badge . The right way to have a stress - free night is to peck a locale with a greenback that seems promise and persist put , otherwise you risk spending the entire Nox stand in argumentation .
Now go get ‘em , SXSW - er .
signalise up herefor our everyday Thrillist electronic mail , and get your fix of the dear in intellectual nourishment / drink / fun .
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