AUSTIN (KXAN) -- South by Southwest has dropped the U.S. Army and weapons manufacturing companies from its list of sponsors for its 2025 festival.
SXSW posted a message on its website stating the change.
"After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model. As a result, the US Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025," the webpage reads.
This follows a mass exodus of bands, artists and speakers who were slated for the 2024 festival. More than 80 artists and speakers dropped out of the festival just days beforehand in protest of the Army's sponsorship status, instead opting to perform at unofficial SXSW events and a pro-Palestinian rally outside of Austin City Hall.
The Hill reported the artists pulled out of the fest because of the U.S. Army’s “super sponsorship” of the event, and America’s ongoing support of Israel’s war on Hamas.
An Ireland-based rap trio Kneecap at the time called the sponsor relationship “depraved” in light of the war in Gaza, and said they could not "in good conscience" attend SXSW because the U.S. Army's "super sponsor" status. Kneecap posted a statement on X about their decision to pull out, which also listed several weapons manufacturing companies they said SXSW was platforming and said the companies were responsible for thousands of deaths of Palestinians.
The official SXSW X account said in a series of posts created in March that it, "fully respect[s] the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech."
South by Southwest says on its main sponsor page on its website that sponsors "play an integral role in igniting discovery, making new connections with registrants, and contributing directly to the SXSW community across all sectors."
"Our sponsors set out to create inviting platforms to bring registrants together to discover and share ideas while connecting with their brand on a more personal level," the page continues.
South by Southwest will be held in Austin from March 7–15, 2025. Registration opens on August 6, 2024.
Businesses and corporations interested in becoming a sponsor can apply online.
