What to do, see and eat in Austin – WWD

SXSW returns to Austin next week, bringing thousands to the Texas capital for 10 days of film, television, music, technology, comedy, culture, fashion and beauty. How can you make sense of it all? Below is WWD’s guide to SXSW 2023, taking place Friday through March 19th.

Where to stay & eat & what to do

One of Austin’s newest luxury hotels, The minecart at Lady Bird Lake, opened its doors last November. The hotel offers impressive views, a rooftop pool and a spa. Nido, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant and cocktail lounge, offers a menu of fine American dishes with a Texas influence. Six-time James Beard Award finalist Steve McHugh recently opened his new restaurant. lampin the one just opened Hyatt Centric Congress Ave Hotel. The all-day dining restaurant serves Texas dishes with an emphasis on local ingredients. The San Antonio chef also opened a bar, Las Bis, on the eighth floor of the hotel. Since no trip to Austin is complete without tacos, check out the lively new Taqueria Masa y Mas, just around the corner from the Alamo Lamar, one of SXSW’s premier venues. Puerto Rican chef María Mercedes Grubb runs the restaurant Ember Kitchen and Subterra Agave Barwhich opened late last year and is modeled after live fire cooking.

If you have downtime, drop by Contemporary Austin Jones Center on Congress Avenue. The museum recently unveiled Eamon Ore-Giron: Competing with Lightning and a new textile painting by artist duo Celeste. Miami’s Graffiti Museum emerges during the festival in Austin with a celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The Art of Hip Hop opens Friday at 809 E. 8th Street with a weekend of activities including concerts, live graffiti painting and customizable champion attire.

Search Film & TV

Kicking off the first weekend of film and television, SXSW Festival kicks off with a bang with the opening film “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.” Action movie stars Chris Pine, Sophia Lillis, Regé-Jean Page, Michelle Rodriguez and Justice Smith. Other movies to watch out for? Eva Longoria will make her directorial debut “flame hot”, as does Brittany Snow “Parachute.” Other animated projects include “If you were the last” with Anthony Mackie and Zoe Chao; “Bottoms‘ by Emma Seligman, the director of ‘Shiva Baby’ and co-stars of Rachel Sennott and ‘The Bear’ breakout Ayo Edebiri, and “Problem is,‘ directed by Julio Torres and starring Tilda Swinton.

On the TV front, lively Netflix series “Beef,‘, starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, will premiere on TV on Closing Night. The inaugural TV show is directed by Donald Glover “Swarm,‘ starring Chloe Bailey.

In terms of activation, Paramount+ will open The Lodge throughout the first weekend at The Clive Bar on Rainey Street for celebrations related to its programming, including 1923, Star Trek and Rise of the Pink Ladies; Create and Cultivate is back at SXSW with The Future Summit, this time with influencer Tinx as guest speaker. Prime Video pops up at the Hotel San Jose in South Congress with Prime, TX, which is “a portal to the Line Star State of your dreams.” They’re celebrating their new series, Daisy Jones and the Six, which came out on March 3rd.

The Roku City pop-up will feature a park and rooftop diner with a menu that references popular film and TV dishes like “Seinfeld” and “Inside Out.” Reservations sold out on OpenTable shortly after the announcement, but there will also be Creature Coffee and cupcakes from the Cupcake Guys.