SXSW Offers Plenty Of Free Fun For The Badge-Deprived

AUSTIN, TX -- Going to SXSW can be expensive.

But for those on a budget, there are a plethora of free events to be had. What’s more, with a little forethought and planning, one can even avoid paying for parking rates that jump exponentially this time of year.

SXSW -- whose Gold badge for entry is worth more than an actual ounce of gold -- offers its own set of official free events. Here's a full schedule of SXSW free events.

“Come mingle, hydrate, and catch a game at the Ten-X Street Closure,” organizers beckon for the Ten-X Hangout at the Austin Convention Center. “You won’t want to miss the second floor DJ, step and repeat, selfie station, and give-aways.”

Many of the free events are marketing tie-ins, evidence of the art-meets-commerce dynamics prevalent at the annual event. And at times, attempts to hide that fact by masking the true corporate aims with hip nomenclature yield tortured titles. To wit: the Deloitte Got Mad Skills lounge.

“Connect with fellow artists, designers, big picture thinkers, digital strategists, coders, and thought leaders in a space that Deloitte Digital custom built for you to share who you are and what you do,” the descriptor for the booth, um, lounge reads on the SXSW page.

Deloitte. Thug live forever, yo.

At least Mazda trades a service for its own in-your-face product placement, offering its Mazda Express rides to various SXSW events from its base outside the convention center at Trinity and 2nd streets.

The Second Play Stage featuring Big Phony at the Champions at the Courtyard Marriott offers those attending to “experience an intimate performance by a great artist in an unconventional setting.”

Intimate, unconventional: The SXSW versions of what “fixer-upper” or “great starter home” might truly mean in the real estate world.

But the Big Phony show shows promise as entertainment goes, as does another free concert by Suzanna Choffel, who performs “...her distinct vocals and reggae-inspired guitar technique and the boot-stomping acoustic configuration of The Dead South.”

Sounds interesting, and scheduled at the Hyatt Regency, 208 Barton Springs Rd., Tuesday evening.

Sometimes, though, it seems like SXSW folks really reach in offering free events to the big-fat-wallets-deprived. Take the “Silent Room by Simon Heijdens at Trinity and 5th streets.

Here’s what that is: “Find the essence of SXSW through its opposite. Silent Room is a fully soundproofed space in the middle of the festival. Experience absolute and complete silence, a completely unmediated state.”

Seriously, SXSW? A quiet room as a freebie?!?!

Once you’ve gotten your fill of the sounds of silence, other free concerts include one from British songwriter Roo Panes followed by the “honest Nashvillian craftsman, Car Anderson, praised for his earnest lyrics and rich vocals.”

Sometimes, though, the free listings don’t even warrant such rich description. The phrases “experience a great artist in an intimate and unusual venue” or “experience an intimate performance by a great artist in an unconventional setting” serve as linguistic placeholders in sort of describing some of the gratis performances.

They don’t do that to the badge wearers, I tell ya. They get full descriptions of each artist written with exhaustive detail.

But these are free things, folks. What do you want?

Patch happened across a free event on Monday en route to the convention center. "Have a drink!" a young lady outside the door beckoned, inviting one to the "Kernel TV Everywhere Lounge" that took place March 11-14. The setup was from Time Warner Cable, which seemed intent to promote its "Business Class" Internet package.

Inside, revelers partook of free beer and booze along with miniature pot pies that went fast each time a lady set a new tray down on the main table (they were delicious). But Patch later made the mistake of exiting briefly to get some air, only to be denied re-entry by a doorman.

After 4 p.m., only those with badges were allowed in, and Patch wasn't grandfathered in. But Patch was allowed to retrieve the phone charger from the bowels of the place that Patch loaned a college kid urgently needing his phone charged.

So that was nice of them to allow.

Another tip to remember for SXSW is to avoid actually driving there. For the truly budgeted, avoid ride-sharing or cabs, too, as they tend to hike their prices during SXSW with full cognizance of a captive, lift-needing audience.

And don’t even get us started about parking. Costs go up for that too, if you’re able to even find a place to park.

Instead, try the bus. Capital Metro offers SXSW extended service into the wee hours of the morning -- past 3 a.m. for many lines.

The cost is low too. A regular commuter bus costs only $1.25 each way. The premium bus -- those accordion-on-wheels looking things are plush and have fewer stops. Cost each way for those is $1.75 -- $3.50 round trip with a ticket that lasts 24 hours.

It's a nice idea to take the bus to SXSW. It can be fun, and it allows avoidance of traffic snarls en route. Also, the police have extended their "no refusal" period throughout the course of the event, aggressively going after intoxicated drivers.

So even those without the expensive badges can have free and safe fun with family and friends at SXSW. Because, badge? We don’t need no stinkin’ badge.

>>> Photos by Tony Cantu: Revelers along 6th Street, some looking for free things to do; Time Warner "Kernel Everything Everywhere Lounge"