Our whirl-wind experience at South by Southwest continued walking through the city on day three. The beautiful 85-degree weather set the stage for the adventure. As we began down by the Austin Convention Center there was an early sense of the city buzzing, something that grew to a fever pitch throughout the day into night. The city’s vibe can only properly be described as southern comfort. SXSW seemingly brings out everything that’s good in the city. Everyone’s smiling, engaging and coming together in a unique and culturally-raw setting.

SXsports Panel: Direct from the Source: Athletes Unfiltered
Our first event of the day was a rich discussion at the Austin Convention Center on public figures in today’s media through the prism of sports. A talk diving into athlete relationships with the media, driving their own content and getting closer with the fans. Speakers were Ronda Rousey, Odell Beckham Jr. and Maverick Carter. The discussion was comical throughout, but really hit on hard topics athletes face in the spotlight, with the media and their fans.

“Don’t Think Twice” premier at The Paramount
After we walked through downtown Austin we kicked off the red carpet section of the day at the premier of “Don’t Think Twice” created by Mike Birbiglia and starring Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs and Chris Gethard. The lines of people waiting for the release were shaded from Austin heat along Congress Ave. As we spoke with the stars we got a real sense of the passion behind the film, a story that touches on the essentials and hardships of the art.

“The Waiting” premier at State Theater
The second red carpet of the day was an experience onto itself. Lines for the much-anticipated premier of “The Waiting” wrapped around the façade and spanned for blocks. As the actors took to the red carpet the shutters flashed in a frenzy. Chris Remmers spearheaded the interviews with James Caan, Logan Miller and Keir Gilchrist, touching about their excitement for the film, the city of Austin and experience at SXSW, while Mike O’Keefe shot the scene.

MashBash
Capping off the night was Mashable’s takeover of The Main on 6th street. The tents scattered throughout the venue differentiated the sections of the party. Open bar, displays of the latest technologies, a cross-genre rocking DJ and a packed dance floor easily was the hottest party in the city. Mashable’s ability and motivation to touch their community really shows with an event of this stature.

#Mashable party was rocking #mashbash #SXSW2016

A photo posted by Rob Andrews (@digitalrobert) on Mar 14, 2016 at 1:02am PDT