Well that all depends on which portion of SXSW you're talking about. The SXSW Music Conference and Festival was launched in 1987.

In 1994, SXSW added the SXSW Film and Multimedia Conference to its lineup because of the growth of the film and tech industries in Austin. Just a year later, Multimedia grew into its own event and four years after that, in 1999, SXSW Multimedia became SXSW Interactive.

Over 23 years SXSW has grown in size and scope – from 700 SXSW Music attendees in 1987 to nearly 25,000 individuals from 50 countries for all three events in 2009. And it's now an immersive day and night experience.

In short, SXSW is the best place to be every March if you’re interested in Music, Interactive Media, or Film.

Photo of Limpopo at SXSW '94 by Martha Grenon.