Future Art And Culture At SXSW 2025 - Are You Ready?
FAC 2025 XR Exhibit, James Webb, Cosmos In Focus. Atlantic Productions.
It’s just under eight weeks until British Underground and the Future Art and Culture 2025 delegation arrive in Austin, Texas, and we have been working hard on our FAC programme, produced alongside Arts Council England, with partnership support from British Council.
FAC is a world-leading arts programme, which presents the latest creative tech projects from pioneering UK talent. Alongside the participants exhibiting work, we have many expert panelists, plus our third cohort of FAC Connect producers.
Read on to find out about our pre-event meetings to help you prepare for the festival, and discover our FAC programme of events in Austin, including:
FAC panel at the Remix Summit in London – Wednesday 29 Jan, 2.50pm
FAC networking event in London – Wednesday 29 Jan, 7.30-9pm
FAC online orientation – Thursday 13 Feb, 2-3pm
Introductory walking tour of Austin – Sunday 9 March, 9am
UK House launch – Saturday 8 March, 7pm
FAC panel and networking at UK House – Tuesday 11 March, 4pm
Ristband music and tech showcase, Tuesday 11 March, 8pm
FAC daily meet-ups at UK House
We'll be hosting an FAC WhatsApp group to share SXSW tips and reminders. Please get in touch if you have any questions, and forward this email to anyone who is involved in FAC 2025 we may have missed.
Pre-SXSW activities
Wednesday 29 Jan
FAC panel at the Remix Summit, London
If you're planning on attending the Remix Summit from 28-29 January, don't miss our FAC panel on the Wednesday, Future Art And Culture: New Visions, Fresh Voices, in partnership with B3 Media. The discussion will showcase the work of emerging immersive artists who will be attending SXSW this year as part of our FAC Connect bursary programme.
Wednesday 29 Jan, 7.30-9pm
FAC in-person networking event
25 Catherine St, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5AS
FAC participants are invited to the BBQ joint Bodean's in Covent Garden, London, for food, drinks and networking with your fellow SXSW participants. This informal social event has proved a popular introduction to our programme in previous years. This event follows Remix's Official Day 2 Networking Reception at Somerset House. You don't have to be at the Remix Summit to be part of the barbecue. Please email stephanie@britishunderground.net with names if you are able to attend.
Thursday 13 February, 2pm-3pm
Online orientation with Future Art and Culture partners
This is your chance to hear more about Future Art and Culture's packed programme of activities, and learn from the experts how to navigate South by Southwest and make the most of the event. We will send a Zoom link out closer to the time.
Diary dates in Austin
7pm – 8pm, Saturday 8 March
UK House Launch Party
Palm Door on 6th, 508 East 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701
Connect and network with your FAC peers at the UK House launch party. It's a unique opportunity to kick-start your SXSW experience and meet other UK and international participants.
9am – 10am, Sunday 9 March
Introductory walking tour of Austin venues – Sunday 9 March, 9am
Meet outside the Hilton Hotel, 500 East 4th Street, Austin, TX
Good for first-timers and anyone else who wants a refresher, BU's tour of the key SXSW sites in Downtown Austin is a great way to begin your day. We end at the Austin Convention Centre for anyone who needs to get their accreditation sorted.
Sunday 9 March – Tuesday 11 March
SXSW XR Experience
Fairmont Hotel, 101 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701
Explore the latest immersive art from some of the most creative minds in the world at the SXSW XR Experience, including exhibits from FAC 2025 participants.
Sunday 9 March – Tuesday 11 March
SXSW Conference
FAC will be supporting five panels as part of SXSW's official conference programme. We highly recommend scheduling them into your SXSW diary.
Disabled Not Welcome - Fighting Ableism One Click At A Time
Embracing The Complex: Designing for Kinship and Compassion
Visualizing Our Universe
From Virtual Worlds to Real Wellness: VR and Mental Health
Emotional Machines: AI, Feeling & The Human Body
Tuesday 11 March, 4pm-5pm
UK House
From the ground up – How the UK is supporting the XR and immersive sector
Attend our panel at UK House to hear industry experts discuss the future of the XR and immersive sector in the UK.
Tuesday 11 March, 5pm-6pm
FAC Immersive Takeover Networking Party
UK House
Join us for live music and refreshments, catch up with your FAC peers and meet up with international delegates.
Tuesday 11 March, 8pm
Ristband music and tech showcase, in partnership with British Underground
UK House
Ristband’s SXSW Future x Music event – a cross-section between music, technology and culture – is back in 2025 for its 4th year in a row. Expect to see Ristband’s award-winning immersive concert blending virtual reality with live music, a spatial audio installation, live bands, and DJ sets. Meanwhile online in Fortnite, Ristband’s Future x Music island will focus on music within Fortnite, featuring emerging artists and gameplay as a demonstration of ways that music can be integrated into Fortnite outside of established acts.
Daily FAC meet-up
Sunday 8 and Monday 9 March, 6pm-7 pm
UK House
We've hosted these evening meet-ups to re-group, share stories and hang-out since the beginning of the FAC programme in 2017. Come and join us.
Future Art and Culture (FAC) is a major UK showcasing and networking initiative that focuses on the intersection of art and technology. Hosted annually as part of SXSW in Austin TX, FAC is produced by British Underground and Arts Council England with partnership support from the British Council.
