by Jay Antani

What began as a fringe arts festival in Austin, Texas, 30 years ago has blossomed into a premier event in the global film and music calendar. South by Southwest, better known as SXSW, which runs from March 9 to March 18 this year, is part film festival (March 9 to March 17) and part music festival (March 12 to March 18). Added to that heady mix, you’ll find a conference that covers the full gamut of entertainment and technology trends, a VR/AR exhibition, tech and gaming expos, and a plethora of panels, lounges, special events, and lots and lots of parties.

As part of its mission, SXSW has always showcased new and emerging technologies, groundbreaking new models for how art can be financed, created, distributed and consumed. So it’s no wonder that blockchain is getting a major spotlight at this year’s festival, as it promises to redefine how creatives can build and sustain their careers and how entrepreneurs can help facilitate this transition to a decentralized business model.

This year, SingularDTV will be an even bigger part of this conversation than ever before, participating in panels taking on important subjects like “Blockchain and the Impact of a Decentralized World,” and “Case Study: Tokenomics in Entertainment,” in addition to a number of celebratory functions like the Blockchain Block Party on March 11. It’s a packed calendar of blockchain-based goodness, and you can learn about it all here.

Like Tribeca and Sundance, the other festivals I’d attended, SXSW has always championed indie and experimental cinema. Unlike those, however, the Austin fest has been blazing trails into the culture of interactive tech, media and business from the start. That’s what set it apart from the others, and while Sundance and Tribeca have been catching up, SXSW continues to set the pace in this arena.

As exciting as SXSW can be, it can also get overwhelming. My own festival trips led me to adopt strategies to help navigate the size and noise, to pace myself and enjoy the experience. Here are a few to keep in mind: