SXSW London 2025

SXSW holds a special place for Here East as that is where we launched our brand 10 years ago in Austin, TX.

A decade on, as the news breaks of SXSW’s London launch, this iconic global festival will now form a cornerstone of our capital’s creative landscape.

Set to take place in East London in June next year, the exciting news of SXSW London 2025 serves as an international endorsement of the strength of London and the UK’s creative and tech sectors.

Given that this event will take place just before London Tech Week, also provides an unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate the strength of our global audience – reinforcing London’s bond with Texas and bringing innovators from across industries and oceans to our doorstep.

When looking back at our origins at SXSW in 2014, I must say that launching Here East in Austin was an easy choice. Given the unique platform SXSW provides – convening the creative, technology, music, and content sectors to discuss the ideas shaping the future – the festival exemplified all that we hoped to achieve with Here East.

As a microcosm of London’s world-leading technology, creativity and cultural ecosystem, Here East has made the journey to SXSW countless times in the years since, forging strong transatlantic connections and hosting a variety of events.

Most recently at SXSW 2024, we hosted an exclusive networking event in partnership with London & Partners, “London Calling,” showcasing our capital as a leading destination for tech, financial services, and the creative and climate industries. We convened entrepreneurs and investors to explore opportunities for collaboration and growth in the city’s unique business ecosystem.

Reflecting on our journey since 2014, the parallels between where our story began and the ecosystem we’ve now built here in East London are vividly clear – as too are the reasons why SXSW has chosen London as its next destination.

London is a fantastic place to do business. As a centre for innovation, collaboration, and creativity, this city is a world-renowned technology hub with a thriving startup ecosystem and a fast-growing creative economy that plays a large role in turbocharging the wider UK economy.

Sharing his excitement for SXSW London 2025, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said:

“I am delighted to welcome SXSW to London for the first time ever - confirming our place at the heart of Europe’s tech and creative sectors and as a global capital of culture. When I was part of SXSW in Austin in 2018, I saw first-hand the electric atmosphere of innovation SXSW creates and I can’t wait to be part of it again. This is a historic opportunity for London to once again bring the world’s most exciting talent together as part of our mission to build a better and more prosperous London for everyone.”

I’m thrilled that, a decade after our inaugural trip to Austin, we will soon welcome the world’s most exciting innovators to our home turf; showcasing the diversity and potential of our city’s unique talent and its game-changing innovation landscape.

-Gavin Poole, Here East CEO