The President Of SXSW Had His Position Terminated

(Austin, Texas) Every year we have some of the most incredible music events take place here in Texas.

Some are based around rodeo, others are all about the music and the vibe.

South by Southwest has always been one of the top events each year, but recently there have been some changes made to the festival, and it started at the top.

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Top Official at SXSW Had Position Terminated

According to the Austin American-Statesman, the SXSW president Hugh Forrest, the man behind programming the event was relieved of his position.

He has just moved into the chief office last year, and served as the SXSW co-president since 2022, the president since 2024.

The position elimination was decided by P-MRC Holdings, LLC, and there are more layoffs that are expected.

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Changes Were in the Works Already for SXSW

The event this year just wrapped up in March, and the event will again take place in March of 2026.

While concert attendees will be excited for another event there have been changes announced already including making the event shorter and more consolidated.

Forrest Made a Lasting Change on the Festival

One of the biggest things that Forrest accomplished while helping to grow the festival was incorporating more tech.

Helping to make the event more interactive helped raise its popularity, especially from the late 2000s to the early 2010s.

While Forrest won’t be part of the event moving forward, he said he will be rooting big time for the Austin team.

It will be interesting to see the reaction from fans after the music festival takes place next year.