SXSW 2026 Schedule Skill

Real-time SXSW 2026 schedule lookup, event search, speaker info, and recommendations for the March 12-18 conference and festivals in Austin, TX.

When to Use

• User asks about SXSW 2026 schedule, events, sessions, or speakers
• User asks "What's happening at SXSW today/tomorrow/on [date]"
• User wants SXSW recommendations, must-see events, or keynotes
• User asks about SXSW venue locations or event times
• User asks about music showcases, film screenings, or comedy events
• User asks about specific speakers or topics at SXSW
• User asks about any SXSW 2026 related queries
• User mentions SXSW, South by Southwest, or the Austin March conference

Data Sources

The skill uses a local-first approach with a pre-scraped schedule dataset:

When to Use Web Search

Supplement the local dataset with web search when:

• User asks about schedule changes, cancellations, or last-minute additions
• User asks about news, announcements, or breaking SXSW info
• The query isn't found in the local dataset
• The event date is within 48 hours (things change last minute at SXSW)

Implementation

Quick Start

node scripts/sxsw.ts info           # dataset overview
node scripts/sxsw.ts today          # today's events
node scripts/sxsw.ts recommend      # keynotes & featured sessions

Script Usage

The CLI at scripts/sxsw.ts supports these commands:

# List/filter events
node scripts/sxsw.ts events --date 2026-03-14
node scripts/sxsw.ts events --track "AI"
node scripts/sxsw.ts events --venue "JW Marriott"
node scripts/sxsw.ts events --format "keynote"
node scripts/sxsw.ts events --search "machine learning"
node scripts/sxsw.ts events --search "climate" --date 2026-03-15 --verbose

# Speaker search
node scripts/sxsw.ts speakers --search "Amy Webb"

# Browse
node scripts/sxsw.ts venues
node scripts/sxsw.ts tracks
node scripts/sxsw.ts today
node scripts/sxsw.ts tomorrow
node scripts/sxsw.ts recommend
node scripts/sxsw.ts info

Filters can be combined. Add --verbose for descriptions and speaker details. Add --limit N to cap results.

Key Dates Reference

Tips for Users

• Ask about specific dates: "What's happening Thursday March 12?"
• Ask about topics: "Any AI panels this week?"
• Ask about people: "When does Mark Rober speak?"
• Ask for recommendations: "What are the must-see keynotes?"
• Ask about venues: "What's at the Convention Center on Saturday?"
• Combine filters: "Film screenings on Friday at the Paramount?"

Response Formatting

• For "what's happening on [date]" queries: group events by time slot, show venue
• For speaker queries: show all their sessions with times and venues
• For track/topic queries: show relevant sessions sorted by date/time
• For "recommend" queries: highlight keynotes, featured sessions, and fireside chats
• Always include the direct schedule.sxsw.com event URL when referencing specific events
• When listing many events, show the most relevant first and mention total count

Austin Local Context

Since the user is likely in Austin during SXSW:

• Convention Center is at 500 E Cesar Chavez St (renamed from Convention Center Blvd)
• JW Marriott, Hilton, Fairmont are the main hotel venues — all walkable downtown
• Music showcases cluster on 6th Street, Red River Cultural District, and Rainey Street
• CapMetro is free during SXSW (Red Line rail + buses)
• Use the capmetro-skill for transit info
• Rideshare pickup/dropoff zones shift during SXSW — check sxsw.com/attend for maps

Error Handling

• If the data files cannot be loaded, report the error and suggest re-running the scraper
• If a search returns no results, suggest broadening the query or trying web search
• If the user asks about something not in the dataset, use web search to find the answer

External Endpoints

The skill scripts themselves make no network requests — they read only local JSON data files. However, the skill instructions direct the agent to use its built-in web search as a fallback when local data is insufficient (e.g., last-minute schedule changes, queries not found in the dataset).

Security & Privacy

• No API keys or credentials required
• No external network requests from the skill scripts
• No user data collected or transmitted
• All data is read-only from pre-scraped local JSON files
• Source data is publicly available at schedule.sxsw.com

Trust Statement

This skill reads a pre-scraped copy of the publicly available SXSW 2026 schedule. It makes no network requests, requires no API keys, and stores no user data. The scraped data can be refreshed by running the included scraper.