SXSW will not be returning to Sydney this year due to "prevailing market conditions."
The cancellation marks SXSW’s departure from Australia after launching here in 2023.
For more than 20 years, the festival was held exclusively in Dallas, Texas, before expanding internationally to Sydney and London in 2025.
This exit comes despite the NSW Government, through Destination NSW, having secured a contractual agreement with SXSW Sydney from 2023 to 2027.
"Every great story has a final page, and it is with a heavy heart that we share that SXSW Sydney has reached its closing chapter and will not be returning in 2026," the SXSW team said in a statement.
"SXSW Sydney worked closely with the NSW Government and SXSW’s global owners, Penske Media Corporation to explore potential pathways forward for the event, however, prevailing market conditions mean the Sydney edition will not be going ahead at this time.
"To the tens of thousands of you who filled the halls of ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour, and surrounds over the past three years: thank you for being a part of the SXSW Sydney journey.
"You didn't just attend an event; you came together to help us build a vibrant, global community that transformed the heart of our city every October.
"While this chapter ends here, the connections made and the ideas sparked on our stages will continue to resonate. Thank you for making these past three years unforgettable."
SXSW Sydney co-managing director Simon Cahill thanked the SXSW Sydney team on his LinkedIn.
"What we created together over the past 3 years matters - SXSW Sydney was Ambitious and it was Bold," he said.
"Together we built a global-scale platform for the Asia-Pacific. We connected technology, creativity, business and culture in ways this region had never seen before. We generated trade, tourism, investment, careers and collaborations that will continue long after the stages have been cleared.
"I firmly believe Sydney is capable of this scale of ambition and outcome. Together we achieved this, we put Sydney and our creative and innovation industries first. We need to be bold, be ambitious, to celebrate our city and our industries on the world stage."
The event had a 15% year-on-year increase in visitors last year with total attendance of more than 345,000.
It had a three-year cumulative economic impact of $276 million.
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