South by Southwest, the 38-year-old annual conglomeration of festivals in Austin, Texas, appeared a bit of totally different this 12 months.

The Austin Conference Heart was torn down over the previous 12 months, eradicating the constructing that’s served as SXSW’s central hub for the reason that Nineties. In consequence, the 2026 competition was extra unfold out round downtown, with occasions popping up in eight motels and dozens of music venues. A number of blocks of Congress Ave., which runs by the center of the town and is capped on the north finish by the Texas Capitol constructing, grew to become a pedestrian-only thoroughfare through the occasion’s seven days, making a block occasion environment open to attendees and Austinites alike.

In between panels, conferences, music showcases, company events, and dinners, ADWEEK reporters additionally checked out how manufacturers had been activating and popping up throughout Austin this week. Whereas this 12 months’s occasion didn’t function most of the over-the-top, immersive, experiential stunts that SXSW was identified for pre-pandemic, there have been nonetheless sneak peeks into new reveals and flicks, themed bars and eating places, and on-the-street pop-ups as manufacturers fought to interrupt by through the 300,000-person competition.

Right here’s what we noticed, and the way it ranked, on a scale from one to 5 tacos:

Paramount+

For its fourth 12 months operating, Paramount+ turned a multi-level bar on Rainey Avenue into The Lodge. Customary after a fictional ski lodge atop the mountain that’s been the centerpiece of Paramount’s emblem for 112 years, The Lodge homes picture ops, merch, and bars themed after 5 of the streamer’s properties this 12 months, together with the Texas oilfield-based drama Landman, Yellowstone spin-off Marshals, Survivor 50, UFC, and the NFL on CBS. Followers can seize personalised merch, sip on a chilly brew and whiskey at a roughneck bar, or combat a robotic UFC coach.

ADWEEK’s score: 4 out of 5

It’s nonetheless an excellent house and enjoyable activation. Nevertheless, The Lodge had fewer properties represented this 12 months, which felt like a little bit of a letdown after seeing over half a dozen TV reveals come to life for earlier iterations.