SXSW: March 10 2023

Today was the first day Bill and I attended SXSW in-person in four years. As I had remembered from previous years, this first Friday was not too crowded. Out of town attendees were still arriving, and spring break week had already started in Austin. We attended Interactive sessions during the day and headed over to the Zach Scott Theatre for two movies in the evening.

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SXSW Online: March 2022

First, a confession: this post is one year late. While preparing for SXSW 2023, I realized that I had never posted about last year’s conference. Back then, Bill and I decided to just stay home and watch online because the Omicron variant of Covid was still active. This was convenient, but not as much fun as experiencing SXSW in person. We watched some Interactive sessions and lots of movies—mostly documentaries since studio filming had shut down during the pandemic. We did venture downtown a few times to look around and listen to outdoor concerts. Here’s my notes and photos from SXSW 2022:

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SXSW Online: March 2021

Flashback to March 2020: SXSW was abruptly cancelled just a few days before the conference was scheduled to begin. This was our first indication that the COVID-19 pandemic was a serious problem. Like most people, Bill and I had no idea how much our lives would change in the coming year.

Fast-forward to March 2021: Austin’s Stage 4 restrictions prohibited large gatherings, so SXSW pivoted to a five-day online event. Bill and I had deferred our 2020 passes to 2022, allowing us to attend this year, too. The online format had some advantages: less exhausting; no long lines; fewer decisions to make; watch on demand (mostly); pause and rewind capabilities. We also liked watching the movies from home. SXSW Film had an excellent selection of documentaries this year. 

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Halloween, COVID-style

Halloween 2020 is certainly a strange one. With COVID counts going up again, there’s no big in-person events happening this weekend. Annual events like the Vida la Vida Fest and Polkapocalypse became live streams. Other popular activities, such as the German-Texas Heritage Society’s Oktoberfest, were simply cancelled. And to top it all off, there’s a full moon tonight.

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Sunflower Season

With COVID-19 still spreading throughout Texas, Bill and I have been staying close to home. This is the first time that we’ve spent an entire summer in Austin instead of escaping to cooler climates for a few weeks. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been so enchanted by the abundance of wild sunflowers in our neighborhood—I’ve never been around to appreciate them.

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