Recapping the SXSW Experience
We attended the second weekend of South by Southwest in 2023. With so much going on in Austin during the annual festival, we tried to squeeze in a mix of events in music, arts, technology, and culture.
One of our first stops was at the Lustre Pearl venue on Rainey Street. Coca-Cola took over the venue and produced a pop-up concert featuring Grammy award-winning singer Rosalia. Raising Cane’s “One Love” food truck was also part of the event providing free samples of chicken fingers to attendees.
“Following a year of unexpected, limited-edition drops and experiences, Coca-Cola® Creations is back with the launch of its boldes and edgiest flavor yet: Coca-Cola® Move, and exciting collaboration with boundary-breaking, Grammy award-winning Rosalia. Join us as we bring the transformative power of music to life pairing unique experiences with custom cocktails.”
As we were moving between events, we were able to catch the Almost Real Things Art Bus in East Austin. Almost Real Things is an Austin-based magazine providing a medium to local emerging artists. The Art Bus featured a glimpse of some of Almost Real Things projects, and housed an open bar sponsored by Topo Chico and Dulce Vida Tequila.
One of our most memorable experiences at SXSW was attending the launch of EVEN – a platform where music artists invest in each other. The event included a panel discussion with EVEN founder Mag Rodriguez and songwriter and producer Ryan Leslie.
Perhaps the most creative event we stopped by during SXSW was the Sanpellegrino takeover of the French Legation State Historic Site.
“Sanpellegrino® Italian Sparkling Drinks welcomes visitors to take a detour from the busy Austin downtown and transport yourself to Italy at the Piazza Sanpellegrino. Visitors can enjoy the vibrant and beautiful culture of Italy in the Piazza featuring a Spritz bar, bocce ball, brick oven pizza, and host’s a mercatino brought to life through Sanpellegrino in the heart of Austin, Texas during the most anticipated festival of the year.”
