We’re here to answer your questions about #SXSW! | Source: ShutterStock

Trending on Twitter right now is #SXSW. Do you know what it is? If not, don’t worry, because I had no idea what it was until about two years ago when my professor said he was going. Nothing like having your teacher be more in the know than you.

Until that point, I thought you were somehow supposed to pronounced that four-letter combo as a word. Ohhhhh, it stands for South By Southwest, you say?! I had heard of that! And yet, I still barely knew what that meant. Well here you go readers, because I’ve done a bit of studying up since then and want to clue you in, too.

South by Southwest is an annual event during March that takes place in Austin, Texas. It started back in 1987, and this city was picked as a way to bring people in from all over to partake in the musical scene going on in Austin. Today though, it’s not just a music event. In the ’90s, both film and “interactive” elements were added to SXSW, to further their goal of making this event a chance for creativity to be noticed and celebrated in many forms. While about 700 people turned out for that first year, now the event gets about 32,000 individuals every year.

I haven’t been, but it definitely sounds like a really cool environment. I’m getting overwhelmed just looking at today’s schedule – it goes on forever! I really don’t see how you could possibly be bored around here. From concerts to movies to comedy to digital awesomeness, it all sounds pretty cool – so no wonder it has people buzzing about on social media! This year’s festival kicked off on Friday and will continue through Sunday, so I’d say there’s a good chance that hashtag is going to be trending for the whole week considering how much is going on at this event.

As you could guess, SXSW attracts some famous faces looking to show off creative projects. For example, this year the cast of ladies from Spring Breakers showed up. It’s also the spot that has helped launch a number of different celebs’ careers in a variety of entertainment fields - from Katy Perry to Hanson to Lena Dunham (also did we mention Hanson? I’m obsessed). I recognize some of the bands slated on the schedule for this year, but I guess I’m more curious about some of these lesser-known ones and who might be making big headlines in a few months.

So now that you know what #SXSW stands for and it’s not just a mish-mosh of letters, feel free to check out who is there and what they’re up to this week. If you like what you see, maybe making a trip to Austin at some point in your life is something that you should start thinking about!

Have you heard of South By Southwest? Have you ever attended? Does it sound like something you would want to go to? Tell us in the comments!

Be careful about how loud you play your music!

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