SXSW Sydney promises over 85 hours of free music, family events and fun

SXSW Sydney is doubling down on its promise to deepen the city’s sense of energy in October, unveiling a wide-reaching public program that’ll turn Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour into a smorgasbord of free fun.

Because “free” really is that magical word that’s going to get people out and about these days, and the festival’s organisers seem to understand that very well. While pricey SXSW Badges are still the way go for anyone who wants to fully immerse themselves in the week of big-ticket events, tech and innovation expos, festivals and networking opportunities, visitors and locals should know that there’s so much more to do without spending a single dollarydoo.

SXSW Sydney Unlocked

SXSW Sydney Unlocked is the festival’s arm that’s completely open to the public, flowing from the main event’s program with a packed itinerary brimming with afternoon gigs, sunset DJ sets, fashion showcases, VR competitions, maybe some spots of line-dancing, and one incredible undercurrent of fun.

There are now several yearly events that are bringing an abundance of life and personality to Sydney, and it’s clear SXSW wants to be at the top of the crop. Essentially, this are the most free events packed into one week that the city has ever seen and so it’s a great opportunity for visitors, locals, families and pop culture enthusiasts to throw cost-of-living to the wind and let their proverbial hair down.

SXSW Sydney Unlocked will take place entirely within Tumbalong Park, which has turned into the hub for the festival each year, from Monday, October 13 to Sunday, October 19

Simon Cahill, co-manager of SXSW Sydney said: “We’re incredibly proud to offer a dynamic, free program that invites everyone, from families and students to workers on their lunch break, to experience the energy and ideas that define this global event. Whether you’re watching a runway show, getting hands-on with future tech at our Expo, or dancing with your kids in the park, this is a celebration of ideas and imagination, and everyone’s invited.”

So, what can I do for free at SXSW Sydney?

SXSW Sydney’s free events at Tumbalong Park will take a very wide approach to the festival’s many different pillars with a mix of statics and dynamic programming.

We’ll start with the dynamic first, with something new to check out every day of the week.

FOMA: Fabrics of Modern Australia (Monday, October 13)

After a successful pop-up at last year’s event, FOMA returns with another grand fashion-meets-culture showcase that highlight cross-cultural creativity and innovation drawn from 25 nationalities. It plays into the multi-cultural bent SXSW Sydney has obviously been taking over the past few years, championing representation while also launching a digital marketplace with access to emerging and diverse designers.

The three-hour event will turn Tumbalong Park into a runway from 5pm to 8pm.

Tenxi & Jemsii (Wednesday, October 15)

Tumbalong Park’s International Stage will light up from 5pm to 8pm with the very first Australian performance from Indonesian hip hop duo Tenxi & Jemsii, chart-toppers in their home country with their most recent success being viral hit “Garam & Madu“. Their performance will bring about a bit of a free mini-music festival for Asian creatives, including Filipino folk-pop singer Angela Ken, Chinese Tencent singer Tia Ray, and J-Pop boy band Psychic Fever

Blak to the Future: A Celebration of First Nations Creatives (Thursday, October 16)

Blak to the Future is an essential and powerful showcase of Indigenous voices, continuing Sydney’s boosted efforts at channeling the irrepressible energy that Blak artists and culture have brought to Australia’s arts scene. Wanda Film Festival and Awesome Black will present a free evening of short films from emerging First Nations filmmakers, as well as live music from SXSW Sydney showcasing artists, yet to be confirmed.

The platform will also be used as a springboard for Screen NSW’s First Nations Fellowship Program, with the inaugural recipient announced live on stage.

Also penciled in for Thursday evening is a duo of twilight gigs over at the Seymour Centre courtyard from 7pm to 10pm. The lineup has yet to be announced but the free concert is geared towards showcasing some of the country’s most exciting new musicians in a relaxed, open-air setting.

Tumbalong Honky Tonk (Friday, October 17)

Is this Darling Harbour or Nashville? You could make a case for the latter from 5pm on Friday, when the Saddle Club rock up to curate a massive line dancing lesson with high-energy live sets from country singers Max Jackson, Canadian trio The Washboard Union, teen sensation Lewis Love, and rock duo Big Wheels.

Not keen on strutting your stuff? Seymour Centre kick off another live music showcase that night as well, running from 7pm to 10pm.

The Innovation Expo & Games Showcase (Saturday, October 18)

SXSW’s Innovation Expo & Games Showcase is one of the festival’s major currents, and while it’s usually open exclusive for Badge holders, Saturday will see the doors swing open to the public for the first time. That is, elements of the major conference will shift to Tumbalong Park for the day, turning it into a hands-on playground of robotics, gaming and space tech.

This is a great day out with the family, with The Ideas Dome turning into a space-themed hub with the Australian Space Agency featuring everything from a sketch-bot that will “send your face to the moon” to the latest in robotics.

Tumbalong Park’s futuristic showcase will take place mostly in the Ideas Hub while over on the main stage you can catch Small Fry Rock from 11:30am. Grinspoon’s Phil Jamieson and Little Birdy’s Katy Steele are part of the family-friendly rock band, so this is a great opportunity to take the kids to something a with a bit more textural variety than your usual kid-friendly band. Later in the day, at 3pm, you can also catch The Rubens curating a mini-festival with some of their friends, including Folk Bitch Trio, Mariae Cassandra and more.

Twirl Tries It All (Sunday, October 19)

Families are set for a bunch of free fun in Tumbalong Park in the Sunday. The morning kicks off with Twirl Tries It All, a popular kids program geared towards encouraging confidence and finding your voice. You’ll also find a live reading by Dr Joshua Pate, and a movement workshop from Ready Set Dance.

Once the afternoon rolls around, Tumbalong Park turns into a celebration of K-Pop, presented by Hallyuverse to bring fans together of hits to really dive into the increasingly large Korean Wave that’s been taking over pop culture’s collective consciousness.

Tumbalong Park’s brand experiences

There will be a number of brands taking over Tumbalong Park to prop up free activations all week long for both adults and kids. I’ve laid them out in dot point form so you can ensure you’re not missing a beat when you head on down to Darling Harbour from Monday, October 13.

• CommBank Tour: An initiative by Commonwealth Bank to promote more financial literacy on people of all age will present informative programs centred on scams and fraud protection, digital literacy, financial fitness and small business cash flow. There will be a bunch of interactive ones and VR learning to help keeps things engaging and fun.
• L’Oreal Groupe: The beauty giant will be presenting an Innovation Station at Tumbalong Park all week, presented as a multi-sensory playground that invites guests to see, touch and interact with innovations from the house’s 36 iconic brands. This includes AI-powered personalisation and sustainable product breakthroughs.
• The Ideas Dome: The Growth Distillery is putting more effort into The Ideas Dome this year, offering even more programming with insightful, accessible conversations about the future of culture, business and beyond featuring some of New Corp Australia’s leading voices.
• KPMG Futuresphere: From October 14 to 16, KPMG will take audiences on an immersive journey into the next decade by exploring the themes of “A Better World,” “Intelligent Performance,” “Trusted Forever,” and “Frontier Today.”
• DEPT: Also set from October 14 to 16, DEPT takes over the Chinese Garden of Friendship with a round of panels, lunches, golden hour gatherings and a massive cocktail party.

SXSW Sydney Unlocked

Where: Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour
When: Sunday, October 13 to Sunday, October 19, 2025

sxswsydney.com