If you’re not flush with cash or working for a company that’ll pay for one, a full SXSW Music badge is likely to be out of your reach. However, getting a wristband – the lower-cost version that still gets you into all the gigs – is surprisingly good value.
A wristband for SXSW Sydney 2024 will set you back $120, which isn’t nothing, but that’s a sane amount of money compared to the $1,000+ that a badge would cost you. Also, if you’re happy only going to the shows, and not any of the conference or industry stuff that’s also happening, then you get a whole heap of bang for your buck. There are (minor, manageable) downsides for the lite version of a badge, but the value you do get for it is pretty spectacular.
A wristband gets you into all the shows
This is the reason you’re buying one, and it does exactly what it should. The only downside is that, in theory, you will be last in the pecking order – if a Platinum or Music badge holder wants to get into a packed-out show, they will cheerfully, and infuriatingly, waltz right on in ahead of you. That risk though is, in practice, minimal. Last year, I saw maybe two shows (and I went to 50 of them!) where a wristband holder would have struggled to get in. This is not a good enough reason to not get one, basically.
There are a LOT of shows – which also means plenty of Plan Bs.
Unlike normal festivals, lots of artists at SXSW Sydney will play more than one showcase. So, if you find yourself stuck in lineup conflict hell on one day, chances are one of those acts will be playing again somewhere else the next. Similarly, given there are literally hundreds of artists playing, it’s honestly impossible to find yourself without anything at all to do. Have a flick through all those announced so far , which is probably about half the eventual total – assuming you get off your arse and actually go to stuff, you will get your money’s worth, and then some.
The quality of the artists vs the size of the venues they play in is truly on a money-can’t-buy level
A general rule of thumb is that every artist you’ll see at SXSW Sydney is playing in a venue at least one level smaller than you’d normally see them in. When it gets to the more established artists, you really feel the difference. Last year, I saw Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers at The Lansdowne – just a month later, they’d sold out the Metro. Teenage Joans played Civic Underground, Ben Lee played the Pleasures Playhouse, Barkaa played The Lord Gladstone… you get the point. For $120, you get to see incredible artists, but you also get to see them up close. That’s one of the really rare (and for me, priceless) things about a SXSW Sydney wristband.
No, you’re not going to see the biggest artists in the world. You will, however, see those on their way to becoming one.
If you look at it on a price basis alone, $120 stacks up really well against a standard festival – but what you’re paying for at a normal fest is the glittering, already-famous names at the top of the bill. That’s not going to happen at SXSW Sydney. The point of the thing is to discover what’s next, who’s coming up, who’s about to break – if you are into that, a wristband is your best friend. Teenage Dads, Phoebe Go, Radio Free Alice, Blusher, The Terrys, and Telenova have all had a really strong 2024 since I saw them at SXSW Sydney last year – since I’m a total dork about new music, being able to see many of these acts for my first time was a highlight of the year for me.
The unexpected joys of running across something you didn’t expect
This is the jackpot, when you end up going to something almost by accident and it absolutely blows you away. International acts I knew nothing about beforehand like Hindia, EKKSTACY, Flyana Boss, or Grrrl Gang were all artists I fully stumbled over and were some of the highlights of the whole festival for me.
What you don’t get? Conference stuff, basically.
The actual conference that sits around and above the Music festival is actually amazing. The speakers are fascinating, varied, and incredibly smart. In the original SXSW in Austin, I’ve seen Stevie Nicks and Lou Reed in conversation and I watched Dave Grohl give his epic keynote while last year in Sydney, Chance The Rapper’s keynote interview was riveting to hear. That stuff’s amazing, but it’s the bit that drives the cost of the badge. Yes, you’ll miss out on these sorts of things with just a wristband. But no, it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. All told, in terms of what’s on offer and what you get access to – assuming you’re a massive new music nerd looking for a good time – it’s the sort of bargain that these ridiculously expensive times rarely offer us.
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SXSW Sydney 2024 wristbands are on sale now at sxswsydney.com