Fun festival with great people, but leadership lacks stability - Seasonal Associate SXSW Employee Review

There were a lot of changes happening for the 2026 season of SXSW and everyone worked extremely hard to kick what felt like a brand new festival.

The seasonal months are too short, starting in January and ending at the end of March required too quick of on boarding and navigation.

get to work with some wonderful people

High turnover due to poor leadership with no direction lead by unknowledgeable and ungrateful management Inappropriate workload, expectations and boundaries Poor benefits and compensation Stressful office environment Don't be fooled by the brand or its potential as it has a poor local reputation for many reasons other than it's subpar operation and lackluster production. Those who work here are unhappy and are often disrespectful to their peers, contractors and the local community. I recommend avoiding wasting your time and dignity.