

Ask.YC: Opinions on SXSW - pius

I'm thinking of going to South By Southwest (http://sxsw.com/) this year.  Have any of you had experience with any of its festivals?  Anyone attending (or presenting there) this year?
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aaroneous
I've gone to the music portion four times (didn't go last year, might hit up
interactive this year if my schedule permits). The actual panels are pretty
sparsely attended (most people are just waking up from the night before by the
time they're over), and aren't really that great anyway.

If you're a music geek, it's like paradise. So many of the coolest, best bands
play everywhere, every night. There's more must-see shows every night than
your time will permit, so you'll have to make sacrifices. Additionally, it's
pretty much the best 4-day party I've ever been to, and if you've never been
Austin is a really rad place in general.

Even if you're in the music business, no one really gets any business
accomplished, so I wouldn't really suggest going for that reason, but you can
forge personal relationships that may help you out down the road.

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ivankirigin
Lots of good drinking. Since I was only there for fun in Austin, and couldn't
go to the actual conference, that is what we focused on.

I'm told the tech conference is so-so, the music rocks, and the drinking is
great.

What someone told me yesterday: "It's like everyone you know decided to get a
hotel in a 4 block radius, with lots of people giving away tons of free good
booze, and everyone decides drinking all day is a good idea.

