The city plans to completely close or restrict more than 30 streets during the South by Southwest festival next month as part of safety planning for the event, a major economic driver for the area.
The heads of all of the city’s relevant safety and planning departments participated in an online forum Thursday that detailed the closures as well as the steps public safety entities are planning for this year’s spring festival season, which also includes the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, the MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas and the Moontower Comedy Festival, all running in addition to SXSW from early March through the third week of April.
Among the major changes this year, the free public concert series has been moved to Brush Square Park on two stages operating from March 10-15.
Festival and public safety leaders stressed the importance of the public staying aware of planned street closures, and the considerations in place for residents and businesses located in affected areas.
Here’s the road closure schedule:
Sixth Street area (Austin Police Department safety closures)
Location: Sixth Street from Brazos to I-35, Neches from Fifth to Seventh streets, Trinity from Fifth to Seventh streets and San Jacinto from Fifth to Seventh streets
Dates: Friday, March 7 – Sunday, March 16
Times: 4:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. daily
Additional potential closures in the Sixth Street area
Location: Sixth Street from Brazos to Congress, Brazos from Fifth to Seventh streets
Dates: March 7 – March 16 (as needed)
Times: Determined by APD based on pedestrian and vehicular traffic
Red River Street closure (music festival)
Location: Red River Street from Fifth to 10th streets
Dates: Monday, March 10 – Sunday, March 16
Times: 4:30 p.m. – 3:30 a.m. daily
Congress Avenue closure (Paramount Theatre premieres and activations)
Location: Congress Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets
Dates: Thursday, March 6 (starting at 6 a.m.) – Friday, March 14 (reopens at 9 a.m.)
Ninth Street closure (SXSW field office)
Location: Ninth Street from Red River to I-35
Dates: Thursday, March 6 – Sunday, March 16
Times: Full closure, 24/7
Trinity and surrounding streets closure (SXSW shuttle system)
Location: Trinity Street from Cesar Chavez to Fourth Street, plus Third Street and Second Street from San Jacinto to Trinity
Dates: Friday, March 7 – Saturday, March 15
Times: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily
Rainey Street closure (scaled-back hours)
Location: Rainey Street from Davis to River Street
Dates: Friday, March 7 – Sunday, March 16
Times: noon – 10 p.m. daily
Riverside Drive closure (new schedule for 2025)
Location: Riverside Drive from South First Street to Lee Barton Drive
Dates: 8 p.m. Thursday, March 6 (westbound lane only); full closure starting at 10 a.m Friday, March 7, reopening at 10 p.m. Sunday, March 9
SXSW organizers have outlined a range of vehicle access passes to manage road closures during the event. Residents and business owners with private parking in restricted areas will need to obtain a “Through Access to Private Parking Pass,” which allows them to access their driveways, garages or contracted off-street parking.
That pass does not permit on-street parking, and violators risk being towed. Those needing a pass can request one by emailing the SXSW access coordinator. For production crews, there are two types of production vehicle passes. One is reserved exclusively for internal SXSW staff for access to reserved bagged meters and city-permitted road closures. The second type is for festival partners, sponsors and production vendors, allowing them to use bagged meters and road closures for loading and unloading at event venues.
Artists performing at SXSW can obtain one of the 1,000 available “Official Showcasing Artist Passes,” which provide access to designated loading and unloading areas as well as reserved parking meters throughout downtown. These passes will be valid from March 10 through the early hours of March 16 to provide spaces to move equipment in and out of venues.
Austin-Travis County EMS will keep its primary medical hub on East Fifth Street, operating as a field hospital staffed with paramedics, physicians and physician assistants. Two ambulances will be available – one for hospital transports and another reserved for high-acuity emergency calls within the festival’s geofenced perimeter.
APD Lt. Christopher Juusola said the department will have a full deployment of patrol officers with the use of increased overtime staffing, while introducing a new rapid response team for the downtown area. That unit consists of 40 detectives and four sergeants who will focus on crime prevention and quality-of-life issues within the festival area.
The department’s policing strategy divides downtown into an interior perimeter, covering zones such as Sixth Street and Red River, and an exterior perimeter that includes areas like the Warehouse District, Congress Avenue and Rainey Street. Officers within the interior zone will patrol on foot, bicycles and ATVs, while exterior teams will be mobile in patrol vehicles.
Juusola said additional enforcement teams will focus on specific issues including traffic congestion, illegal parking, excessive noise levels and code compliance.
Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.
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Austin Police Department: the law enforcement entity for the City of Austin.
SXSW: Organizers of the massive annual festival that takes over the City of Austin each March. SXSW has donated to the Capital of Texas Media Foundation.
