ANOTHER FABULOUS YEAR FOR SXSW
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger
Austin, Texas may not be the largest city in Texas, but this time of the year, the stupendous sounds of South By Southwest, the greatest music and film interactive festival, rejoice throughout the Texas plains and make it larger than life to the beholder.
Photo by www.thespacelab.tv
South By Southwest is underway right now, beginning on Friday, March 7, 2014, and running through Sunday, March 16, 2014. Although it is mostly a festival made famous by its wide-ranging musical genres, the year 2014 focuses on a great deal of technology and how cyber privacy affects all of us in this new age. One of the top headliners on March 10, 2014, was the notorious Edward Snowden, who was telecast streaming live from Russia on a life-size monitor. His message that reiterated throughout the venue was that we, as citizens, all have to find a fix for the U.S. Government Surveillance policies. He called for public oversight of United States spy programs. A fugitive in Russia at this very moment due to the NSA information that he leaked out, he does not look back and does not regret anything that he did. Snowden felt that this was the appropriate platform to voice his concerns and that Constitutional rights are being violated. He was willing to take questions and left some in agreement with his theories and yet others were just not completely sure yet and may be questioning his real motives.
Much, much more has been keeping the tech-savvy satisfied during South By Southwest. Seminars such as ‘Change The World: Super Powered Science on the Web’, Physics of Computing, Digital Marketing and more is a way to catch up on what is new in our digital age and how to apply it to your particular situation. Daily entertainment includes special book signings, film premieres and interactive working sessions and even plenty of advice on design and development of web content.
The I-Tunes Festival which was incorporated into the activities, brought us the sounds of Imagine Dragons and Coldplay and there is still more hip-hop, rap, rock, electronic dance and the tunes of such greats as Capital Cities left to listen to.
Of course, surprises are always in store at festivals such as this one and this was no exception. On the first evening to kick off the musical acts, Justin Bieber showed up to do a few songs and dedicate one to his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Selena Gomez, who just happened to be waiting for him backstage. Next artist to possibly be making an appearance before the festival is over is Lady Gaga, or so we have heard.
The films shown so far are truly outstanding works from the talented of directors and actors as well. Stars such as Rosario Dawson, Emmy Rossum, Kristen Bell, Nicolas Cage, Darryl Hannah, Robert Duvall, Ethan Hawke, Juliette Lewis and many others have made appearances to promote their films and support fellow artists. Lena Dunham was the keynote speaker giving many of her fans a lot to talk about. Adding a bit of humor into the mix were pals, Zac Efron, Seth Rogen and Dave Franco who were also promoting the film ‘Neighbors’.
Big business sponsors include tech giant, AT&T along with Miller Lite, Monster Energy Drinks, Subway, American Express and some other well-known names.
From the time you wake up to the time you retire for the evening, a variety of events keep the adrenalin pumping. After 27 years, this festival has grown with the decade and provides so much to so many. You are in luck because it isn’t too late to head on over for another couple of fun-packed days at South By Southwest to have some interactive fun.
PHOTO CREDITS: Michael Loccisano/Getty Image (Image for South By Southwest), Michael Buckner/Getty Images (Image for South By Southwest) and slate.com
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