Next year’s edition of the festival will be two days shorter as SXSW's music programming will take place throughout the week.

With dwindling band numbers and a surge in Film interest, the event will present a trimmed-down schedule that eliminates a dedicated music weekend in 2026. SXSW is also offering a lifeline to cash-strapped,

Organizers say they’re programming one complete week of film, TV, and music in March 2026, as opposed to the separate segments of years past: “SXSW music is not scaling back; we are leveling up”