SXSW 2026 Reveals Initial Music Festival Lineup: Joyner Lucas, DJ_Dave and More

The first 100 showcasing artists and 50 showcase presenters confirmed to perform at this year’s South by Southwest music festival have been unveiled. The lineup will represent genres and countries from around the world, offering attendees the opportunity to discover new global talent. The event will take place from March 12 to March 18 in Austin, TX.

Programming highlights from the first 100 Showcasing Artists for the SXSW Music Festival include masked lo-fi art-pop musician Milo Korbenski from Brighton, England, Mexico City-based post-punk project La Texana, Brooklyn-based alt-folk songwriter Hudson Freeman, Indonesian trio Grrrl Gang, and Austin-based musician Bayonne. Additional programming will showcase the electro-pop project from Roger Sellers, Irish post-punks Chalk, punk-pop buzz band The Sophs from Los Angeles, hip-hop and Bollywood-influenced rapper, producer, and songwriter Koad from the West Coast, Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter runo plum, Grammy-nominated rapper and Tully founder Joyner Lucas, and experimental electropop DJ_Dave from Los Angeles.

“SXSW has been the premiere destination for music discovery for 40 years, helping push pioneering acts like Kendrick Lamar, The White Stripes, Wet Leg, PinkPantheress, Tyler, The Creator, and Billie Eilish, to the next level,” said Brian Hobbs, VP of Music at SXSW. “By bringing the global music industry to Austin, from labels and A&R to publicists to influential journalists and critics, SXSW is a unique opportunity for showcasing artists to build their careers, enter new markets, and learn from fellow artists and industry voices. With an extra night of showcases this year, 2026 is shaping up to be better than ever for artists, industry and audiences.”

This year’s Music Festival Opening Party will be headlined by The All-American Rejects at Stubb’s Amphitheater on the first night of the festival, set to begin on March 12. The Music Opening Party will be hosted by Rivian.

SXSW Music Showcase Presenters include Billboard, NPR Music Stations, Rolling Stone, British Music Embassy, Los Angeles Times’ De Los, BMG, College of Hip Hop Knowledge, BBC Introducing, and The Line of Best Fit. First-time presenters will include Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion and Dream Con.