Is it South by Southwest already? Weren’t we just at Sundance? Well, I’m happy to have SXSW come so soon after Sundance so the film festival withdrawal pangs don’t last too long. However, we also don’t have a whole lot of time to recover from Sundance, so it might be even more important to check in with our SXSW Survival Guide to make sure you get the most out of the fest and don’t kill yourself.
Fred Topel is a staff writer at CraveOnline and the man behind Best Episode Ever and The Shelf Space Awards. Follow him on Twitter at @FredTopel.
The SXSW Film Festival Survival Guide
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1. Don't Call a Cab
If you’re downtown and you can hail a cab, that’s fine, although watch out after hours, it can get vicious. But don’t bother calling a cab to your hotel. They simply won’t show up. They won’t tell you that, they’ll just leave you waiting for your “reservation.” Even if they say it’ll be an hour, which makes sense for the high volume of people at SXSW, no cabbie is going to take that fare because they don’t have to. Why would they go out of their way when they can just go back and forth downtown picking up ready fares? But they won’t tell you they’re not coming either, because they want to keep you in the hopper just in case they need a sure thing. There are only three cab companies in Austin and they all pull this.
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2. Other Transportation
If you’re staying near a city bus stop, the Austin Capital Metro bus service is fantastic. They are reliable, you know they’re going to show up and they will get you there. If you’re not staying near a bus stop and can’t arrange a ride with any local friends, than you’re best off just renting a car for the week. Parking is fine because no one else tries to drive into downtown Austin. Pedicabs cycle around the city for short distances if you don’t care to walk. Chevy has a great service where they just drive around Austin picking people up and dropping them off for free. The whole purpose is to give people the Chevy experience. Keep a look out for the Catch a Chevys.
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3. Theater Shuttles
Like Sundance, SXSW has a great shuttle service that goes around all the festival venues. You don’t even have to remember different shuttle routes like you do at Sundance. Just get yourself to downtown Austin and then take the Film shuttle to anywhere you have a screening. Just give yourself time because the shuttles can get backed up due to Austin traffic.
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4. Make Line Friends
I say this about every festival, and it is my favorite part of going to them. Use the time you’re standing in line to make new friends. Everyone is there for the same reason, to watch movies. You have that in common. People in Austin are especially friendly. I made one friend who ended up renting me her guest room for several years until she filled it permanently. Think of it as booking next year’s SXSW now.
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5. Volunteers
Like Sundance and any other festival, SXSW couldn’t happen without the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of volunteers who give their time to make the festival run. Show them respect and appreciation. Without volunteers telling the line which way to wrap around the Paramount theater, it would be anarchy.
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6. SXXpress Pass
If you really want to be sure you get into that hot premiere, you can wake up early in the morning and line up for an SXXpress pass. This is basically like a front of line pass at a theme park. It guarantees you’re getting in. However, you have to wake up pretty early to line up for the SXXpress in the morning. After a night or two in Austin, I don’t see how anyone can stand up straight at 8AM or earlier.
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7. Make a Schedule
Scheduling SXSW is pretty easy because you don’t need to worry about tickets. If you’ve bought a badge for the entire festival, you only need to allow yourself time to get in line about an hour before the film. If it’s playing at the Paramount, it doesn’t even matter if it wraps around the building. That theater’s over 1000 seats so you’ll get in. Alamo Ritz and Violet Crown theaters you should line up early because they are smaller. Topfer Theater at Zach, Stateside Theater and Vimeo theater all seat a few hundred so judge your line time accordingly. If you do get single tickets to movies.
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8. Avoid Satellite Theaters
A few years ago, SXSW expanded to theaters around Austin where their theater shuttles don’t go. Forget about these theaters. Don’t try to see anything there. If it’s not on the shuttle loop, forget it. These theaters are best for Austin locals who either live near them, or have their own cars and can drive back and forth. You could take a cab out to a Satellite Theater but you’d never get a cab to pick you up out there and take you back downtown.
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9. Don't Make Sunday Morning Plans
Every year, SXSW falls on the weekend of Daylight Savings, and every year some big film shows at midnight on Saturday or plans their press activities for Sunday morning, when we’ve all subtracted an hour on stop of staying out too late and getting up too early. We can’t get out of our press obligations, but you have no requirements. Plan on sleeping in Sunday, it’s just better that way.
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10. Go to the Alamo Drafthouse
Unfortunately, the South Lamar location is no longer a SXSW venue, so the only Alamo Drafthouse location showing films at SXSW is the Ritz. Those are smaller theaters so they’ll fill up faster, but it’s worth selecting movies showing there just to get the Alamo Drafthouse experience. Order a beer and some food, watch their pre-movie videos and understand why we so desperately need an Alamo Drafthouse in Los Angeles (and wherever else you are reading this from).
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11. Pace Yourself with the Barbecue
The food in Austin is very tempting, and you should definitely sample all the barbecue the city has to offer. Go easy on the ribs though, you’ve got a whole week to eat ‘em. We all gain a few pounds while traveling, but I once came home from Austin and none of my pants fit me anymore. They also have healthy food, so maybe only do a few special barbecue meals.
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12. Bring an Umbrella
If the rainstorms in Los Angeles are any indication, we could have another rainy time in Austin. I’ve done one SXSW in the rain and the one fatal flaw of the otherwise top notch fest is that they do not set up tents in anticipation of rain. You will be waiting in line outside for hours, particularly at the Paramount Theater where all the biggest premieres show. You’ll need to stay dry, because you also don’t want to get sick on day two or three.
