South by Southwest has dropped the first wave of 100 artists for SXSW 2026 — music, film, and tech programming will run concurrently across Downtown Austin March 12–18.
Oklahoma-bred Aughts pop-punk act All-American Rejects will kick off the Music Festival Opening Party at Stubb’s Amphitheater on Thursday, March 12; the band arrives off a new EP and a splashy House Party Tour.
The showcase slate mixes international up-and-comers (Irish post-punk outfit Chalk, Mexico City’s La Texana, Copenhagen psych producer Fine, Indonesia’s socially conscious pop-rock trio Grrrl Gang) with L.A. experimental live-coding act DJ_Dave, Grammy-nominated rapper Joyner Lucas, and Portland breakouts like Nug.
SXSW is also leaning into partnerships this year: Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion is an official presenter, and Dream Con (a gaming/anime/music event focused on Black creators) will host an official showcase alongside local series R&B Block Party.
Texan and Austin talent shows up strong — names announced include Houston’s Aaron Page, Dallas songwriter Joshua Ray Walker, and a raft of local acts such as Bayonne, buffalo_farm, Just Jim, J Soulja, Calder Allen, Julie Nolen, Next of Kin, Bubba Lucky, and Gus Baldwin & The Sketch.
Selected names from the first wave:
- All-American Rejects
- Joyner Lucas
- Kalush Orchestra
- Chalk (Belfast, UK)
- La Texana (Mexico City)
- Fine (Copenhagen)
- Grrrl Gang (Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
- DJ_Dave
- Nug
- Aaron Page
- Joshua Ray Walker
- Bayonne
- buffalo_farm
- Just Jim
- J Soulja
- Calder Allen
- Julie Nolen
- Next of Kin
- Bubba Lucky
- Gus Baldwin & The Sketch
This is just the opening salvo — SXSW typically rolls out multiple waves, so expect more artist additions, showcases, and schedule details as March approaches.