SXSW Details Online 2021 Event (3/16-3/20), Featuring Willie Nelson as Keynote Speaker (Registration Open Now)

This March, the South by Southwest festival will be reimagined as SXSW Online, a “premier digital experience,” rather than the massive in-person event that would otherwise take place in and around Austin, Texas.

The circumstances of COVID-19 forced SXSW organizers, like so many others, to shift focus to an online experience for 2021, and this week details were announced regarding this year’s event. It will take place from March 16-21 and will feature Willie Nelson as the keynote speaker.

Announcing Keynote @WillieNelson along with Featured Speakers @IAMQUEENLATIFAH, @TheChainsmokers, @BarryJenkins, @tarajiphenson, @richardbranson and more! https://t.co/ehNJqqSiua

— SXSW (@sxsw) January 13, 2021

“No individual has had the cultural impact on, or been more synonymous with the creative vibrancy of Austin than Willie Nelson, and we are incredibly honored to have him as a SXSW Online 2021 Keynote,” said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer, in the news announcement from SXSW. “In addition to dozens of incredible Featured Speakers, today’s announcement also includes more than 200 sessions curated from our global community via PanelPicker, and is a key part of the premium content you can expect from SXSW Online 2021.”

BREAKING: Willie Nelson will be a keynote speaker at @sxsw this year for the first time in the festival's history https://t.co/tFA09acPU7

— Austin 360 (@austin360) January 13, 2021

As for what else is in store for the show, here’s additional details from festival organizers:

Featured speakers added to the lineup include Samantha Bee, Sir Richard Branson, Nicholas Britell, Dave Burd (aka Lil Dicky), The Chainsmokers, Chiquis, Laurieann Gibson, Taraji P. Henson, Barry Jenkins, Dave Jorgensen, Matthew McConaughey, Queen Latifah, LL COOL J, and more.

As for feature films included in SXSW Online, that list includes World Premieres of Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, Hysterical, Confronting a Serial Killer, The Hunt for Planet B, Luchadoras, Jakob’s Wife, Recovery, Violet and the North American Premiere of Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché.

Registration for SXSW Online is available now for $249 — those interested can click here for additional details.