Escape the SXSW madness at these 10 Austin-area events and shows

South by Southwest (SXSW) got a haircut for its 2026 festival that shortened it from its typical run, but locals can still expect a similar level of mass tourism and traffic infiltrating downtown from March 12-18. Many will avoid it as much as possible, but for others, spending time in town is unavoidable. We've got several ideas on how to escape t...