Masked Wolf and Dylan Alcott Lead the Inaugural Lineup for Western Sydney's SXSW-Style Technology and Music Fest SOUND WEST

Last month it was announced Sydney would play home to the first edition of SXSW outside of Texas, but if you can't wait until 2023, you're going to have another chance to head along to a huge tech and music festival as part of next month's SOUND WEST festival. The new event was announced last year and is coming to Parramatta for nine days between Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August 28.

Networking, workshops, mentoring, big tech brands and music industry leaders, performances by local, national and international talent — that's all on the bill. And more than 15 live music events and programs will pop up across Parramatta venues throughout the festival.

Kicking off SOUND WEST on Saturday, August 20 will be viral Australian rap sensation Masked Wolf performing at CommBank Stadium for the Saturday Sounds concert followed by a clash between Western Sydney rivals the Parramatta Eels and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL.

Come Thursday, August 25, a massive marquee event will be heading to CommBank Stadium. This one-day conference will feature over 30 different keynote talks, sessions and workshops from music industry leaders and mentors. Headlining the day will be Masked Wolf returning to talk with local favorite B Wise. Also on the lineup: musicians L-FRESH the Lion, A.GIRL, Nardean; NFT artists Serwah Attafuah and Bianca Beers; and songwriters Styalz Fuego and Khaled Rohaim — the latter of which has been nominated for six Grammys and has worked with the likes of Doja Cat, The Kid Laroi and Ariana Grande.

Khaled Rohaim

The conference will also feature appearances from Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott and music and tech leaders from the likes of Finder, Shopify and Culture Kings. Plus organisations like Triple J Unearthed, TikTok, Music NSW First Nations Meet Up and The Area Movement will all be hosting workshops.

"SOUND WEST is held in the heart of Greater Western Sydney, a region loaded with diverse and incredibly talented artists and creatives," said Alcott. "I'm a massive music fan and love a good festival so I'm excited to be here with NEC Australia to share with the industry the vision we have for an inclusive festival with AbilityFest."

Other events include free gigs at the Albion Hotel and Novatel, while the Xaddy's Out with My Bestie Party will be popping up at a secret location on Saturday, August 27. A queer, trans-BIPOC club night highlighting LGBTQIA+ talent from across Western Sydney, the dance party will feature performances from Jamaica Moana, Kilimi and Tyra Bankstown.

Head to the SOUND WEST website to catch all the events as they're announced as well as more details on the conference.

Dylan Alcott

Sound West Technology and Music Festival will run from Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August 28, in Parramatta. Tickets for the conference on Thursday, August 25 are on sale now.