The famous South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas is coming up next month. The festival consists of three parts: Interactive, Film and Music. The Film and Music portions of the festival have their own followers and scene in their own right. Lots of new bands get discovered and independent films get picked up.

The “Interactive” portion of the festival is of particular interest in the business world due to its emphasis on emerging technologies, social media, and featuring of up-and-coming minds in fields of science and business. This portion runs March 9-13.

Past speakers at SXSW Interactive include:

Topics for 2012 include:

For 2012, keynote speakers are:

Baratunde Thurston – comedian and Director of Digital for The Onion.

Amber Case – cyborg anthropologist and user experience designer.

Ray Kurzweil – inventor, author, futurist.

Jennifer Pahlka – founder of Code for America

SXSW Interactive bills itself as an “incubator of cutting-edge technologies… [featuring] five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer.”

SXSW describes attendees to the festival as “uber-geeks and digital creatives who push the cutting edge of technological change”.

Panel topics cover everything from web design, usability, and blogging to wireless innovation and new technology business models.

Are you planning to attend SXSW? Have you attended before. Tell us about your experience or plans.