SXSW is upon us — and it’s expensive. Don’t worry, though! You can still experience all the festival has to offer for the low, low price of $0. It just takes a little bit of planning (and the help of your fave newsletter crew, à la Hey Austin 🤗).
We caught up with Austinite Lisa Hernandez for all the best free SXSW tips. Her creds? She’s been attending SXSW for at least 16 years and has refined her free-finding skills. “If you're spending one penny at South by, you're doing it wrong,” says Hernandez. Here are three things we learned:
👫 Discord Is Your New Best Friend
The Discord app is going to be one of your best real-time resources for the festival. The crowd sharing will be endless, from where to find free food, where a badge is not required, where a “secret” performance has just been announced, and so much more.
“I usually just Uber into the middle of it all, and then open discord and I'm like, let's go,” she says. Hernandez likes to send a blast on Discord asking festival-goers what’s the latest move, and what people are up to, and says she often gets a stream of replies. Be sure to keep your notifications on (and bring a portable charger) so you don’t miss anything important.
✅ RSVP to Everything
Don’t judge an event by its event page! Hernandez says you should RSVP for any and every event anyway, because appearances are deceiving and the event could turn out to be way better in person than online.
“It's just nuts how some of the most mundane sounding events at South by end up being the most fun,” she says. Hernandez says she always RSVPs for Fast Company (which fills up early), and any of the international houses for their incredible food spreads.
👣 Consider Traveling Solo
While rolling with a big crew may feel fun and glamorous, Hernandez says it can actually slow you down and affect your ability to get free experiences.
“If you have a group of people, it's much harder to navigate the crowds. It's much harder to schmooze your way into an event if you don't have a badge,” she says. Hernandez says when she’s traveling solo, or with just one other friend, she’s able to move around quickly.
