Google at SXSW 2011: Austin here we come

SXSW begins Friday, March 11 and pretty soon Googlers will be touching down in Austin for the Interactive, Music and Film Festivals. We have a lot planned for the week, and we hope you’ll join us for some of the fun.

More than a dozen Googlers are speaking on a wide variety of panels, kicking off with a talk on Friday, March 11 by Marissa Mayer, our VP of Consumer Products. Google and YouTube panelists will cover topics as varied as Google doodles, electronic privacy, hybrid marketing, recommendation engines and beyond.

All developers are invited to join us at the League of Extraordinary H4ckers on Sunday, March 13. At this 1-6 PM event, attend 15-minute API briefings on Android, Chrome, HTML5, Blogger, Google TV, Google Maps, App Engine, YouTube, Web Fonts, Cellbots and Fusion Tables, mingle with our developer team or hang out in the YouTube Leanback lounge. If you stick around, that same evening we’re co-sponsoring SuperHappyDevHouse—complete with hacking and a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® sumobot competition. Be sure to RSVP for both events!

If you’re also attending the Film and Music portions of the festival, keep an eye out for screenings of Life in a Day, and check out the YouTube-sponsored NPR Music showcase on March 17 and the Other Music & Dig for Fire Lawn Party on March 17-18. We’ll be holding a meetup for Texas-area partners, too.

Of course, no SXSW is complete without a slew of parties, and this year is no exception. Here are a few of the places you’ll find Googlers unwinding:

• Sunday, March 13 - don your legwarmers along with the ACLU and party like it’s 1986—the last time the U.S. electronic privacy law was updated
• Monday, March 14 - Blogger is hosting its annual bash—this time with co-conspirators from the SketchUp team
• Tuesday, March 15 - YouTube-sponsored Official Film Closing/Music Opening party

Plus, from March 14-17, you can visit us at our booth for demos and presentations of Google products and features.

There’s a full list of Google/YouTube activities on our event site, and throughout the festival, we’ll post updates about all our events via @googlesxsw, so be sure to follow us and spread the word. We’re looking forward to seeing you in Austin!

Posted by Emily Wood, Google Blog editor