SXSW Secrets

Here are the top SXSW secrets for parties, RSVPs, and more

Here are the best SXSW hacks for this year's festival.

Photo by Daniel Cavazos

If you’ve never attended SXSW, the sheer magnitude of the event can be overwhelming. With 2,200 acts and over 100 venues for music alone, the entire festival is a choose-your-own adventure. Whether you gravitate toward established names or new discoveries, there’s something for everyone.

After 11 years of attending the festival, we’ve learned a thing or two festivalgoers can utilize for a more enjoyable week. Here is our advice for maximum SXSW happiness.

Prepping for the fest

Badge, wristband, or neither
There are three levels of privilege at SXSW. In most cases, badge holders have priority access, wristbands are second, and RSVP (or cash covers) come third. If you really want to catch someone like Santigold or Ryan Adams, you’ll likely need a badge for those gigs. If you’re going on the cheap, be prepared to line up very early, or opt for discovering smaller acts.

RSVPster
The unofficial day (and night) showcases at SXSW are an amazing benefit to locals who aren’t springing for a badge, but the random timing of showcase announcements and RSVPs can leave you tethered to your computer for weeks. The solution? RSVPster, a website that uses a burner email of your choice to RSVP you to as many public events as possible. Priced at just $30, this may be the best time saver of the festival.

Showlist Austin
While a number of public lists are available for unofficial day showcases, the old-school text formatting at Showlist Austin is our favorite pocket guide to day shows. Simply check the boxes of the ones you’re interested in, then print out a customized page or two for each day you attend. You’ll be thankful to have it.

Battery case and earplugs
Go to Amazon now, and order an Anker iPhone battery case ($31) and a pair of Etymotic earplugs ($13). You will be desperately sorry if you don’t. While you’re there, grab a $6 pack of rain ponchos. For $50, you’ll protect your hearing, double your battery life, and be prepared for inclement weather.

Restaurant reservations
This is an underrated but critical tip: Go to OpenTable and grab 6:30 pm dinner reservations at one restaurant per night. While other hungry festivalgoers wait in half-hour food trailer lines, you can walk right into El Naranjo, Olamaie, or Emmer & Rye for an air-conditioned, relaxing meal.

At the Austin Convention Center

Don’t sleep on the day stage
SXSW’s day stage at the convention center hosts radio simulcasts, meaning that badge holders have great access to bigger acts (albeit in a random convention hall). This year, you’ll find White Denim, Chvrches, Hinds, Låpsley, and many more.

SXXpress Pass
Did you buy a badge? Are you downtown early? If so, head to Exhibit Hall 5 at the convention center and grab a pass for the evening show you’re most excited about. Doing so allows "line skipper" privileges — critical for headliner shows.

Big show lottos
It seems like at least one arena or stadium band drops in for a surprise show each year. (We’d like Prince to come back, please.) When these shows are announced, ask at the convention center information booths about lottery tickets. To play fair, the festival often takes names for 24 hours and then sends an email to the lucky winners.

Let the big brands pamper you
If you have a Samsung smartphone, you can get tickets to shows by Public Enemy and Lil Wayne from the mobile company's booth (ask for details). If you have a Marriott Rewards card, the hotel will host shows from Mayer Hawthorne and The Avett Brothers that are free for members. YouTube is also hosting a showcase from Future. Stop by these brand booths to get hooked up.

In the field

Daily pack list
Here’s a good starting list to check before leaving the house: gum, cash, credit card, ID/license, phone charger, hand sanitizer, sunglasses, cap, comfortable shoes, sunscreen, Wet Wipes (trust us), and a light jacket.

Phone apps
The official SXSW app is a must. All panels, official day parties, and evening showcases are searchable here. Having a Twitter account and app is also vital for real-time updates on long lines, spots to avoid, and surprise appearances. Other apps that are very useful on the go include The Fader and DoStuff.

Backup plan
For every day party and showcase you plan to attend, circle at least one backup choice in case your preferred event reaches capacity. With large crowds and artist cancelations, events are often in flux, so plan accordingly.

Old-school meet-up points
At least once, you’ll kill your phone battery and lose track of your friends. To combat panic, set a couple of predetermined meal or happy hour gathering spots to reconvene with pals.

Lyft, Uber, and Mazda
Setting up Lyft and Uber accounts is helpful for SXSW — even with small surges, their pricing is usually more affordable than a cab. Mazda is also deploying some free shuttles from the convention center to official SXSW venues — grab these if you spot them.

Breaks and downtime

Food trailer park
The SouthBites food component curates a smart selection of food trucks in the lot on the Southeast corner of Cesar Chavez and Red River streets. This is an easy and quick break for lunch or a snack, but expect a minor price hike. This year’s selections include Burro, Chi’lantro, East Side King, Kerlin BBQ, and Veracruz All-Natural.

Escape the corridor
If Red River and Dirty Sixth are wearing you down, cross Congress Avenue. You’ll find a surprisingly light crowd at Congress and Warehouse District restaurants, so use these as a temporary reprieve. We recommend Second Bar and Kitchen, Swift's Attic, and La Condesa as easy wins.

Pay for a good drink — and tip
This is our favorite tip of the festival. While free well vodka or light lager is a big SXSW draw, you don’t have to down every free drink you're offered. Many venues are happy to sell you the drink you actually want, and some (Mohawk, Parish) even have pretty great whiskey and beer selections. Treat yourself — life’s too short for bad booze. Remember to tip generously, even on free drinks. These bartenders are your neighbors and friends — take good care of 'em.

Hotel lobbies are your friend
Nobody will blink if you park in the Hilton or Driskill lobby to plan your night and recharge your phone for a bit. That said, it is good karma to patronize said hotel by buying a snack or a beverage while you’re there.

food-trucks downtown sxsw music vacation festivals

Pack Your Patience

DFW declared No. 2 worst airport for flight delays and cancellations

Photo by Izyan Sultanali on Unsplash

DFW International also ranks as the second-worst airport for flight disruptions over the holiday travel season.

Ahead of the busy holiday season, North Texans should budget extra time into their travel plans before flying out of the metro's bustling Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

DFW was just declared the No. 2 worst airport in the nation for flight disruptions by consumer review platform ConsumerAffairs, which analyzed the rates of moderate and severe delays, diversions, and cancellations at the 29 biggest U.S. airports. DFW also appeared as the No. 2 worst airport where holiday travel causes the biggest disruptions.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia led the nation as the No. 1 worst airport overall — the only airport deemed more disruptive than DFW.

Unlike many other airports on the list that experience high cancellation rates, the report revealed DFW's biggest issue is its high volume of flight delays. DFW has the No. 1 highest moderate delay rate out of all the airports examined, with more than a quarter of all flights (25.18 percent) delayed by 15 minutes and up to three hours.

"It’s the kind of delay that eats into your day without necessarily blowing up your whole trip," the report's author wrote.

Nearly two percent of all flights are delayed over three hours, making DFW the fifth worst airport for severe delays. However, the study says there is a silver lining for travelers saddled with severe disruptions.

"DFW offered more scheduled backup flights to the same destination than many of the other airports on this list, giving travelers a decent shot at rebooking if a flight fell through," the report said.

These are the cancellation and diversion rates at DFW, per the report:

Cancellation rate: 2.31 percent
Diversion rate: 0.29 percent
Average same-day flights to the same destination: 3.95
Cancellations that were the last flight of the day to that destination: 24.88 percent

Flying at DFW will be even more stressful during the holidays, as 30 percent of flights will suffer from disruptions during the Thanksgiving and winter holiday travel periods — starting the Tuesday before Thanksgiving through the Monday after, and again from December 18 to January 5.

DFW has the eighth highest holiday disruption rate out of the biggest airports, and the fifth highest holiday severe delay rate. Put some padding on your itinerary, because about 2.5 percent of all flights will be delayed more than three hours during the holidays.

In ConsumerAffairs' separate list of the worst medium-sized airports, Dallas Love Field landed as the 15th worst out of 32 U.S. airports. About 22 percent of all flights at DAL experience moderate delays — the No. 1 highest rate in this category — and 1.07 percent are severely delayed.

Additionally, over 26 percent of all DAL flights will be disrupted during the holiday travel season, and two percent of flights will experience severe delays.

The top 10 worst U.S. airports for delays and cancellations are:

No. 1 – Ronald Reagan Washington National
No. 2 – Dallas Fort Worth International
No. 3 – Newark Liberty International
No. 4 – Miami International
No. 5 – Philadelphia International
No. 6 – Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
No. 7 – LaGuardia
No. 8 – Tampa International
No. 9 – Washington Dulles International
No. 10 – George Bush Intercontinental

Surprisingly, Los Angeles International Airport landed as the best major U.S. airport for avoiding travel disruptions. Phoenix Sky Harbor International (No. 2) and Seattle-Tacoma International (No. 3) round out the top three best airports for on-time travel.

The report offers the following suggestions to help anxious travelers avoid flight disruptions: look into travel insurance to protect against delays or cancellations; look for nonstop flights; or book flights with earlier departure times on an airline with multiple departures to your destination.

For flights that do get delayed or cancelled, travelers need to "act fast" to rectify their situation, says Jennifer Rykaczewski, the CEO of nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Affordable Skies.

"In the first 10 minutes, open the airline app, see whether you have already been rebooked and search for acceptable alternatives," Rykaczewski said. "Throughout the process, save any documentation of the delay or cancellation, plus receipts for meals or hotels, in case you need it for an insurance claim later."

consumeraffairs dallas love field dfw dfw airport dfw international airport flight delays flights holiday travel travel