A second edition of SXSW London has been confirmed, running from June 1 to 6, 2026, with the organizers opening submissions for session proposals for the event’s three verticals of conference, music and screen.
Confirmation of the event, which will run once again in East London, follows this year’s inaugural edition, featuring more than 400 talks, 1,067 speakers, 562 music performances and 114 film and TV screenings.
Alongside the expert curation of the SXSW London programming, the open submissions process plays an integral role in the festival. It received an 9,868 submissions across its three verticals for the first edition.
As was the case for the 2025 edition, the winning selections for the conference program will be made available for review by the public before being considered by an advisory group and editorial team for inclusion in the festival. There were 40,000 public votes on the strand last year.
The organizers have put forward 15 strands exploring topics with resonance for the creative industries today for the conference proposals.
They include “AI and The New Human Experience”, looking at the transformative impact of AI on business, creative ecosystems and human experience; “Frontier Technologies”, exploring the latest advancements redefining industry landscapes and human potential; “Society Rewired”, unpicking how a convergence of technology, geopolitics and society is shaping a new era of global connectivity and engagement, and “London 2050”, an exploration of innovation, policy and technology shaping the future of the host city.
SXSW London is a spin-of South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, which since 1987 has brought creatives together across film, interactive media and music, and explored the impact of the convergence of technology, business and creativity through its conference program.
“Bringing SXSW to London has always been about creating a platform for convergence across technology, business and creativity. Now in our second year, that mission is more alive than ever and the SXSW London open submissions allows us to build the Festival around what is most current and vital in these sectors,” said Katy Arnander, Director of Programming for SXSW London.
Submissions for the conference programme will close on December 7, and the public will be able to view and vote on them from December 8. Submissions for music and screen will close on November 24, and December 31 respectively.
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