SXSW London 2025: Everything You Need to Know

The debut South by Southwest London Festival opens its doors this week, stretching across over 25 venues in Shoreditch. The variety of venues are set to showcase the world’s best innovators in technology and innovation, culture and creativity and society and governance.

Featuring an outstanding line-up of conference speakers, musicians providing mentoring sessions and workshops, along with exclusive film premiers, this truly unique festival has fostered cult following since its launch in 1987.

SXSW is where Billie Eilish first performed, James Blunt and John Mayer got discovered and Stormzy launched his US tour. Artists and brands alike have catapulted since appearing at SXSW, not to mention keynotes from Barack Obama and Bill Gates have inspired these crowds. Oscar-winners, breakout indie sensations and chart-topping films all found fame at this festival, which sets up the backdrop for the first-ever SXSW London.

In this blog, we explore more about this iconic festival opening its doors for the first time in Europe, this week.

What is SXSW London?

An expansion of the iconic Austin-based festival that launched in 1987, SXSW has since catapulted global cultural icons into the world and helped new voices rise above the noise.

London is the chosen host city for Europe’s first SXSW Festival, and with East London being a central hub for creativity, innovation and art, it seemed like the obvious location for this festival.

London attracts international talent, and SXSW London is a global meeting place for the community to foster expression and spark ideas to shape the future and make history.

Featuring pioneering names in the worlds of film, music and technology, this unique festival is already making headlines with the line-up!

When and Where is it Happening?

Running from June 2nd-7th with literally hundreds of events happening all throughout Shoreditch, a central hub packed with music venues, galleries and co-working spaces, East London is renowned for its vibrant aesthetic and inclusive culture.

Some of the recognisable venues include the Barbican Centre, Troxy, The Truman Brewery and XOYO!

What’s On: Music, Talks, Screenings & More

Expect headline music acts, big-name speakers, film premieres, interactive tech showcases and a city-wide celebration of creativity!

There’s so much going on over the weeklong festival, with the SXSW line-up being, quite frankly, extraordinary, below we’ve highlighted a few of the acts:

Speaking at the SXSW conference includes; Azeem Azhar, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Deepak Chopra, Ian Wright, Idris Elba, Jamie Laing, Katherine Ryan, Nile Rodgers, Anita Asante, Stef Sword-Williams and Claire Williams.

Musical special guests include rapper Tinie Tempah, indie rock band The K’s, pop icon Mabel and Idris Elba is also DJing as well as speaking.

There are also film premieres happening during the week which include the following pictures: Stans (co-produced by Eminem), The Life of Chuck (featuring Tom Hiddleston, directed by Mike Flanagan) and Deep Cover (featuring Orlando Bloom, directed by Tom Kingsley).

Why SXSW is Coming to London

London is a global creative capital, a hub for diverse cultures coming together to learn from one another, which is exactly what SXSW aims to achieve.

South by Southwest 2025 brings together people, businesses and industries to spark fresh ideas, unexpected collaborations and cultural exchange. Aiming to welcome SXSW’s European neighbours and global partners with this London festival, we look forward to seeing the response post-event!