South by Southwest 2026 has come and gone, and before the city completely reverts back to normal, we’re sharing our favorite moments from this year’s fest!
Charley Crockett’s Show at Stubb’s BBQ
“This was the main event for me, and the artist I was most excited to see at SXSW. Crockett played to a pretty packed crowd of fans on Wednesday night. He performed a mix of old and new songs and had some talented openers, including Presley Haile and Nicky Diamonds.”
-Dan Weinstock, senior account executive
Actor Andrew Scott with City Cast Austin’s Elissa Castles and friends. (Elissa Castles/City Cast Austin)
Getting Stuck in an Elevator With Andrew Scott
“I made my way to the Omni Hotel downtown to see actor Andrew Scott (everyone's favorite priest) talk about the characters he's played so far in his career. After the talk, my friend and I hung around for a bit and then made our way to the same elevator Scott stepped into.
The attendant pressed the button for the ground level, and as the elevator made its way down, it suddenly stopped, midfloor. She announced we were stuck and quickly called for help. I'm not one for tight spaces with little air flow, so I focused on not spiraling and scanning the space to see if anyone else was feeling the panic. That's when someone said, "Isn't it Friday the 13th?" It was. Of course it was. So there we all were, trapped in an elevator between the second and third floor of the Omni Hotel with Scott, making small talk, cracking jokes, and pretending this was all normal.
There was something surreal and weirdly perfect about it all. After about 20 minutes, the elevator lurched back into motion again and everyone got off unscathed. Twenty minutes of low-grade horror and unexpected delight will probably go down in history as my favorite SXSW moment yet.”
-Elissa Castles, producer
Ashe. (Eva Ruth Moravec/City Cast Austin)
A Small Ashe Show
“The best thing I saw at SXSW was unplanned, sponsored by Sam’s Club, and involved hot dogs. On Friday, I was about to bike home when I saw a notification on my SXSW Go app about a performance and Q&A with Ashe.
I ‘discovered’ Ashe myself at last year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, when I stumbled upon her band The Favors with best friend Finneas. Ashe has a mesmerizing Marilyn Monroe-esque stage presence, silk gown wafting in the breeze and all.
At SXSW, Ashe performed solo, with a guitar accompaniment, in a small room of people enjoying Sam’s Tinis and Weenies. Her voice was so smooth, and she hit all the high notes despite suffering from allergies (who amongst us isn’t these days?). After she sang, Ashe did a short Q&A with Sam’s Club, but hung around long afterwards to talk to fans and take pictures. This is my favorite part — that festival-goers can interact like regular people with incredible musicians and stars like Ashe. I asked her what she loved about Austin.
‘Walking while I’m on tour is what grounds me,” she said. “I just love walking or running on the trail around the river.”
-Eva Ruth Moravec, executive producer
Chris Fleming, left, and Eric André. (Kelsey Bradshaw/City Cast Austin)
Laughing With Chris Fleming and Eric André
“Despite seeing a million and one movies this SXSW, my favorite event was the conversation between comedians Chris Fleming and Eric André on the second-to-last day of the festival. Laughing for an hour straight was the best way to close out SXSW. Chaotic and loud, the comedians could barely stay on topic, which was supposed to be a deep dive into Fleming’s work. No matter. I’d listen to these two literally read the phone book.
-Kelsey Bradshaw, newsletter editor
Iliza Shlesinger. (Eva Ruth Moravec/City Cast Austin)
Iliza Shlesinger’s Hilarious Texas-Based Movie
When comedian Iliza Shlesinger said her movie “Chasing Summer” was a love letter to growing up in suburban Texas and millennial nostalgia, I knew I was in the right seat.
The next two-ish hours were perfectly awkward, cringey, and hilarious, just like Shlesinger’s comedy style. In the film, the protagonist is a disaster response guru who gets dumped by her boyfriend and moves back home with her parents. Things go very badly, and it’s a blast to watch.
Although the movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Shlesinger said it truly belonged at SXSW. There’s no release date yet, but fingers crossed it gets picked up soon.
-Eva Ruth Moravec, executive producer
