Credit: Cover by Zeke Barbaro / Photos via Getty Images

Lately, we’ve been at a full gallop here at the Chronicle, and the pace isn’t going to let up anytime soon. Two weeks ago, we turned the grassy lawn behind our office into the setting for the Austin Music Industry Awards, and two nights ago the Austin Music Awards roared back to life at Emo’s. Check out the list of winners, photos from the show, and the archived livestream.

Now we’re sprinting into South by Southwest and publishing our annual typically mammoth Festival preview. (An aside: The Chronicle is the official print sponsor of SXSW. As many of y’all know, the Chronicle and SXSW were founded by the same folks – and continue to share a co-owner in Nick Barbaro – but we’re independent entities.)

There are literally hundreds of events at and around SXSW – in person and virtually, across film, music, comedy, the conference, and so on – all tugging for your attention. So we try to do some of the whittling down for you. We figure our job is to point you in the direction of the coolest stuff. To that end – and largely the work of two exceptionally capable editors, Culture Editor Richard Whittaker and Music Editor Kevin Curtin – in this week’s special insert we round up 101 artists recommended by the Music department; buzzy documentaries and narrative films (some of ’em streaming before you know it); tech stories about resurrecting woolly mammoths and taking action on climate change; comedy must-sees and queer parties and unofficial shows; and so very much more.

And of course we’ll be covering the Festival online and in print as it’s ongoing. You can stay on top of all our coverage at austinchronicle.com/sxsw, or sign up for our newsletters to have all that juicy content arrive tidily in your inbox.

Happy Festing, y’all.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Credit: Photo by Gerald E. McLeod

Day Trips & Beyond: Travel columnist Gerald E. McLeod rounds up the quirkiest events happening around the state this month, including this week’s rock stacking championships in Llano (pictured).

Five Goals?! Again?! Austin FC extended its record start to the season with a 5-1 win over Inter Miami CF.

Support and Solidarity: Austin businesses host fundraising events to offer assistance to the people of Ukraine.

Jaskaran Singh Credit: Courtesy of Jeopardy!

The Answer Is … Jeopardy! National College Championship winner Jaskaran Singh talks about his strategy for winning and settling back in at UT.

For the Low, Low Price of Zero Dollars: Disney+ is coming to South by Southwest, and they’re partnering with three local favorites – Austin Fashion Week, Austin Books and Comics, and Austin Zoo – on Saturday, March 12, for a trio of free screenings, open to the public, on the lawn at the Long Center: Jungle Cruise (11:30am), Cruella (3:30pm), and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (7:30pm).

This article appears in Guide to SXSW 2022.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...