A Quiet Start to SXSW 2022 – Austin, Texas

Anyone who knows the downtown Austin scene realizes this is highly unusual for a Friday night on Rainey Street. It should be packed for the start of the weekend. Especially on the first night for SXSW.

This had nothing to do with the conference’s popularity this year, though there was a dip in attendance since the last in-person one in 2019. It was the extreme cold. By evening, it was in the low 40s, dropping quickly, with a brisk wind. This is colder than a typical winter in Austin. Made all that more unusual since it was March.

During SXSW, advertisements are plastered everywhere, including the back of pedicabs. What’s Tubi? It’s a streaming service owned by Fox. I guess the ad worked to build brand awareness. Since I looked it up.

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