Our best bits of SXSW London
That’s a wrap on the first ever SXSW London. The week panned our broadly as expected: Buzz. Energy. Chaos. Ambition. Diversity. Inspiration. Crowds. Queues. And walking. So. Much. Walking…
Whatever first-year niggles there were didn’t impact UK House and the British Music Embassy, which we landed in style using all our years of Austin experience.
The huge programme included:
50+ sessions across music, fashion, tech, film, gaming, and beyond
Bold activations and product demos
Panels with purpose, diving into story, audience, AI, and artist empowerment
Standout showcases from the British Music Embassy – including rising stars like Beth McCarthy, Ellur, and Freak Slug
VIP moments like High Chai, the Ladies Who Launch Lunch with Rochelle Humes
Behind the scenes
Our team worked across an intense live schedule to keep the experience seamless, inspiring, and full of momentum. People were queueing out of the door. It was epic, and we’re already planning SXSW London 2026.
But what about the rest of the festival?
Our eyes on the ground belonged to Design Director Seb Maki, a man who loves a good quote.
These were his favourites:
"Technology should remain a tool for creatives, rather than creatives a tool for technology."
From Tony Blair’s controversial appearance to WPP’s latest LLM platform launch ‘Open Intelligence’, Ai dominated panels and discussions all week.
"Gen Ai is so good, it’s scary 😬."
Ai chat was ubiquitous across the festival. A common thread - the better it gets, the more important that human glitch in the loop becomes.
“A life worth living on a planet worth loving.”
At UK House, we heard from artist Jane Freeman uses the sound of melting glaciers to make music that moves people to tears – and about the power of art and stories to help people connect to the natural world.
"Make technology invisible so people can fully experience the moment."
Events are about the connections between people – technology can’t replace that. For us, technology is the scaffolding that does the heavy lifting, allowing the audience to exist together in the experience.
“Generation Alpha is coming.”
Kids born after 2010 mostly won’t have a debit card or even a bank account yet, but they’re already engaging with brands through platforms like Roblox and Minecraft. One-way conversations are on the way out. The future looks visual, interactive, and frictionless.
SXSW London 2026 will come around fast, and this year already set a high bar.
Photo credit: TyneSight Media
