If you are throwing a SXSW day party, showcase or brand event, plan on booking your sound months ahead and on double our standard price. For our SXSW week window, March 15 to 21, 2027, the Let’s Rumble package is $2,000 and the Earthquake package is $3,200, before sales tax and any mileage. Those are the two packages offered online for that week.
Here is how to think about it, what to decide first, and what tends to go wrong.
SXSW week pricing, plainly
| Package | Standard price | SXSW week price | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let’s Rumble | $1,000 | $2,000 | Up to about 1,000 people |
| Earthquake | $1,600 | $3,200 | Up to about 2,000 people, maximum low end |
Each includes delivery within 15 minutes of downtown Austin, setup and breakdown. Sales tax is added in Texas (8.25% in Austin and most surrounding cities). Mileage beyond the included zone is $2 per mile one way, added to the balance.
Smaller packages are not offered through online checkout that week. A SXSW job is rarely a plain job, and we would rather scope it with you than sell you a package that does not fit the stage, the room or the schedule.
Day party, showcase or activation: what each needs
A day party usually means outdoor or semi-outdoor, several acts, quick changeovers and a crowd that arrives in waves. Sound has to be loud enough to carry in daylight and clean enough that the third act does not sound worse than the first. A sound engineer earns their rate here, since back-to-back acts need someone mixing, not just plugging in. Read our short explainer on what a front-of-house sound engineer does.
A showcase is usually in a room, and the room comes with rules. Some venues have their own system. Ask what is in house and what you must bring before you pay for a rig you do not need.
A brand activation often needs lower, more controlled sound over a longer day, sometimes in more than one zone. This is the kind of job that needs a quote, not a package. See our page on brand activation audio.
Questions to settle before you book
- Date, load-in time and doors. A busy week means tight load-in windows. Know yours.
- Where it is. Address, indoor or outdoor, and whether there is a stage.
- How many acts and what kind. A DJ and a live band need different things. See live band sound rental.
- Power and neighbors. Ask the venue what power is available. Ask what local sound limits apply, and get the answer from the venue or the city, not from a rumor.
- Who runs it. Decide whether an engineer is part of your budget.
Why you should not wait
The premium dates are the ones with the most demand and the fewest open slots. Online booking needs at least 2 days of notice, but that is the floor, not the plan. If your event is a known fixture, such as an annual day party, book as soon as you know your date.
Compare this with how our F1 weekend works. We use the same structure for F1 weekend sound in October, so if you are booking for both, the logic is the same.
What the rig is
Our packages use Turbosound Floodlight tops and horn-loaded subs, the same rig we run for festivals and large outdoor jobs. If you want the full story of why it carries so well in the open air, see our Floodlight explainer.
How to book
Check open dates and book on our booking page. The 50% deposit locks your date and is non-refundable. If you need to change the date, we will move your deposit to another open date. The remaining 50% is due on the day of the event. For a dedicated page on this, see SXSW sound system rental.
SXSW sound is booked months out. Not the week of.
Quick
answers.
When is your SXSW week pricing in effect?
For 2027, our SXSW week pricing runs March 15 to 21. Check the date you need on the booking page and it will show the price for that day.
How much does a sound system cost for a SXSW day party?
During that week, Let's Rumble is $2,000 and Earthquake is $3,200 before sales tax and mileage. That is double the standard price of $1,000 and $1,600.
Can I book a small PA for a SXSW brand activation?
Smaller packages are not offered through online booking for that week. Send us the details and we will quote the job, which is the better route for activations anyway.
Do I need a sound engineer for a day party?
For a day party with multiple acts, yes, we recommend one. A front-of-house engineer is $75 an hour with a 4-hour minimum plus a 1-hour soundcheck at standard rates, and the SXSW week multiplier applies.
Is the deposit refundable?
The 50% deposit locks your date and is non-refundable. If the date changes, we will move your deposit to another open date.
