Every year, Austin is descended upon by thousands of music, film, and web industry professionals, artists, and fans, all attending the annual South by Southwest Festival. Although it started as a local music festival, as it now enters its third decade, SXSW has become one of the premier industry conferences, and has gained a reputation for launching the careers of the artists involved.

SXSW is comprised of three components – music, film and interactive, but this being Austin, the music events are among the most popular, and it has become one of the most famous music festivals in the world. Dozens of local clubs are enlisted to become dedicated SXSW venues, and local residents can participate by volunteering for tours of duty at the different venues, or at the conference. Besides the talent and the local volunteers, the attendees at the music event number over 12,000 registrants. With this many people visiting downtown Austin, SXSW always heralds an exciting, vibrant time for our fair city, and locals often find themselves dining alongside people from New York, London, Tokyo and Australia – all at once.

Over the last two decades, the number of musical acts featured at the festival has grown to over 1,400, all playing during the four days of the music festival. Although impossible to see even a fraction of the offerings, many of shows are grouped with themes, featuring acts from a country such as Norway, or Japan, or featuring acts that share a label or genre. Headline acts including Morrissey, Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, and Amy Winehouse are featured alongside up-and-comers including UGK, Blonde Redhead and The Gossip. Local acts must pass muster, but SXSW stays true to its roots by featuring a great number of the best Austin has to offer.

Austin’s burgeoning film industry gets its fair share of attention at the film festival, which features panels, screenings and discussions. Focusing on independent offerings including documentaries, animation, fictional drama and comedy, the film festival hosts many world premieres. The interactive festival shows Austin at its cutting edge finest, featuring top new media and technology entrepreneurs alongside visionary artists, designers and digital creators.

One aspect of the week is the number of free, renegade concerts that take place. No need for a wristband, and often advertised only in fanzines and through word-of-mouth, many of the artists participate in these under-the-radar shows to give back to the community that helped launch them. After all, Austin is the live music capital of the world all year round, not just for SXSW!

Whether you are a local, visitor, musician, auteur or fan, SXSW week is always an exciting one in Austin. Restaurants are jumping, stores are hopping, and music can be heard throughout the city.

Ki helps people looking for Austin real estate and land. His site allows users to search the Austin MLS and provides information on current mortgage interest rates.

Austin, Texas is home to many different attractions with great food, shopping, and entertainment venues. Many think of Sixth Street as Austin's premiere hotspot, but there are several other interesting yet relatively overlooked areas in town. One of the most popular and diverse places in Austin for great food and entertainment is a strip along Guadalupe Street affectionately referred to as the Drag. From around 34th Street at the northern edge to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, great food and shopping abound, along with a few curiosities.

Austin is renowned for its live music scene, but the clubs aren't all downtown. The Hole in the Wall is one of the most renowned and stored venues in the history of Austin, with 25 years of experience bringing in both great local talent and road shows in many styles ranging from old-school country to rock and pop. With its dim lighting and homey atmosphere, the Showdown is a great bar in which you can kick back and observe the tides of burnt orange flocking to and from class. Spider House is one of Austin's most eclectic places to share a pitcher of Lone Star, the National Beer of Texas with friends, with regular influxes of live music and DJs. The decor is based most obviously from vintage gliders, chairs and tables with dozens of Christmas lights to provide illumination and the odd sculpture of a naked child urinating in a bathtub. Such expression is much more commonplace in Austin in part because of its long connection with the University of Texas.

Since the University of Texas at Austin is located directly off Guadalupe, many businesses have taken advantage of the huge influx of students. As a result, there are many great stores to check out. As far as apparel, American Apparel has recently opened a store directly across from the West Mall of the University. Other stores include Whole Earth Provision Company and Tyler's, the source for "Keep Austin Weird" shirts and assorted UT-related garb. Toy Joy on 29th and Guadalupe offers a plethora of creative gifts and eccentric toys for all types.

As far as food goes, the Drag offers more choices than many other areas in town, partially because of the diverse student body that frequents the area. Madam Mam's makes great Thai and Chinese food, while just down the road lie several venerable Austin establishments such as Burger Tex, Dirty Martin's (Home of the Kum-Bak Burger), and Veggie Heaven, a favorite for vegans and health-conscious people. Kerbey Lane Cafe is the place to go if you're looking for late-night food ranging from enchiladas to classic American fare. Don't forget to try the famous pancakes, which come is several delicious and fruity flavors. Tom's Tabooleh offers great falafel and other various Middle Eastern fare, using locally grown and organic ingredients. They also have a wide selection of fresh hummus and Greek dolmas available every day. Wheatsville Co-op is a local grocery which sells local and organic produce as well as a variety of health foods and a great deli to boot. For those in search of a tasty ice cream treat, options abound: The famous Amy's Ice Cream has many different and unusual types of creamy delights, including Guinness or Shiner Bock ice cream. So if Austin's where you want to be, don't forget to check out the Drag (it's kind of hard to miss).

Ki is a realtor working in the Austin Texas real estate market. On his site he runs a blog about Austin real estate and provides visitors a free search for Austin Homes.