Unexpected Conversations & Big Ideas: Katy Arnander On SXSW London’s Year Two
SXSW London is preparing for its second edition in 2025, building on lessons learned from its inaugural event in the UK's East End. Director of Programming Katy Arnander highlighted audience engagement, operational insights, and successful 'unexpected conversations' as key takeaways. The festival aims to maintain the core spirit of SXSW Austin while incorporating London’s creative diversity, particularly through expanded visual arts and global perspectives.
- ▪SXSW London held its first edition in 2024 with over 25,000 attendees across music, screen, and conference programming.
- ▪Notable speakers in the inaugural year included Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who discussed AI's impact on music and government.
- ▪The 2025 edition will emphasize more nuanced AI discussions, focusing on real-world applications in R&D, media, and music.
- ▪The festival has a 10-year license to operate in London, signaling long-term commitment to establishing a major cultural event.
- ▪SXSW London incorporates a stronger visual arts component than its Austin counterpart, reflecting East London’s vibrant street art and YBA movement heritage.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
SXSW London 2025 SXSW London SXSW set up camp in London’s East End last year with its first-ever edition in the UK. Deadline has been covering the announcements and news for this year’s lineup. We also managed to pull the Director of Programming, Katy Arnander, away from the rigors of getting this year’s festival in shape for a deeper dive on what to expect and how the team plans to put SXSW London on the map. DEADLINE: You’re headed into your second year, what did you learn the first time out that has informed this year’s edition? KATY ARNANDER: A chunk is the programming and audience learnings, and then there are the operational learnings, which have been great.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Deadline.
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