What's New
BY RadioToday Network June 4, 2026
What's New January 14, 2026
SXSW Sydney cancelled for 2026 and beyond
Image by Jen Seyderhelm.
It a further blow to arts and media conferences and events, SXSW Sydney will not be held in 2026, with the event’s website indicating that 2025 was the last one ever.
That’s despite a 15% year on year increase in attendance.
The 2025 iteration included a podcast day which featured the likes of Ryan Jon Dunn, Lu and Jarch (Luisa Dal Din and Jack Archdale), Myf Warhurst, Rosie Waterland, Osman Faruqi, Jan Fran and Antoinette Lattouf.
The conference also covered technology, advertising, games, film and music with performances in the evening to wrap up the days events.
The SXSW team said “Every great story has a final page, and it is with a heavy heart that we share that SXSW Sydney has reached its closing chapter and will not be returning in 2026.
It’s bittersweet to be saying goodbye while the momentum is so high. We’re still celebrating the success of this past year — one that saw total attendance of more than 345,000 (representing a 15% year-on-year increase), and cemented a three-year cumulative economic impact of $276 million.
To the tens of thousands of you who filled the halls of ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour, and surrounds over the past three years: thank you for being a part of the SXSW Sydney journey. You didn’t just attend an event; you came together to help us build a vibrant, global community that transformed the heart of our city every October.
While this chapter ends here, the connections made and the ideas sparked on our stages will continue to resonate. Thank you for making these past three years unforgettable.”
The event, run by TEG Pty Ltd with Simon Cahill and Jono Whyman as Co-Managing Directors in Australia, originated in Texas in 1987. It has been held in Sydney in 2023, 24 and 25.
Ryan Jon Dunn and Toni Lodge, along with Craig Bruce who moderated Ryan’s SXSW Sydney 2025 session, have been announced as part of the Radiodays Europe 2026 lineup of speakers. More information on that event in March can be found here.
Disclosure: This report mentions companies that may be advertisers in this publication.
Not at all surprised this has been cancelled, along with everything else.
There’s just no money around. It’s also the same old usual suspects… speaking at all the sessions, trying to remain relevant. It was also a bit of a rort, paying $2k+ for a ticket to catch up with all the people you already know. Glad to see the back of it.