Jessica Simpson Comeback and More Best Moments SXSW 2025

Another SXSW has come and gone. Next year we usher in a new festival experience as the convention center will be torn down to make space for a whole new complex. Changes could already be felt this year as things felt a bit scaled down. However, there were still fun times to be had. Here are just a few of the best moments.

Our Favorite Moments at SXSW 2025

Cinema Center Movie Parties

Our favorite party of the festival is always the Cinema Center by Roxstar Entertainment. They host the best film after parties and we never know who we’re going to run into. This year, one of those run ins was with Christopher Mintz-Plasse, AKA McLovin from Superbad. I hung out with him at an ACL party many moons ago so it was fun to see him again and chat about how much has changed since that time.

Another chance meeting involved Cristo Fernandez, who plays Dani on Ted Lasso. We asked for a picture as the party was pretty sparse at that point. Although he posed for one, he was not really into it, which actually made the moment even more entertaining.

Sunshine Sachs Party on the Lawn

Each year, Sunshine Sachs hosts a happy hour for clients and friends on the lawn of the Four Seasons. I don’t know what it was about this year, but I it was one of my favorite events. Probably because there were so many familiar faces there – and we got to sneak peeks at the celebrities passing through the hotel, like Henry Golding and Michele Morrone from Another Simple Favor.

Big Freedia at Soho House

The best show we saw during the festival wasn’t even an official SXSW event. As the music portion of the fest took over the scene, we found ourselves running out of steam. But that didn’t stop us from spending an evening at the Soho House. That’s because Big Freedia was playing an intimate set that had all ages, all sexes, all types of people flooding the dance floor. You can always count on the Soho House for a great show!

Best Pop Up: The Lodge

The festival is always packed with pop-ups. In fact, we create a list of the best each year. In 2025, the best of the best was The Lodge by Paramount Plus. The Rainey Street experience stole the spotlight with endless photo ops, interactive experiences, and free top shelf drinks. Here’s more about this year’s event.

Elvis at Tennessee House

Another rockin’ experience came to us in the form of the King of Rock-N-Roll. Tennessee House hosted a night filled performances from Elvis impersonators and we couldn’t help falling in love with the experience. The free food, drinks and greetings from Tennessee swag had us all shook up as well.

DJ Pee Wee at JBL

At the JBL Bodega we enjoyed a full sensory experience with giveaways, drinks, Whataburger and more. But it was Anderson .Paak as his alter ego DJ Pee.Wee that made the party so memorable. Known for spinning classic hip-hop, soul, and funk, his set was a throwback, for sure. The atmosphere was electric as he threw it back to the 80’s and then just kept going. He went so far back that there was even a soul train line!

Best Celebrity Sightings: Catherine O’Hara and Rod Stewart

If you follow us regularly, you know that we are pros at spotting celebrities. At SXSW, there’s never a shortage of sighting. You can see them ALL here. But our faves were definitely Catherine O’Hara (spotted late night at the Four Seasons) and Rod Stewart (who happened to be playing a show at the Moody Center). I almost passed out when I walked past him. He’s 80-years-old and still as cool as ever!

Levi McConaughey’s Red Carpet Debut

While Matthew McConaughey was definitely a draw for the premiere of The Rivals of Amziah King, it was his son Levi McConaughey that stole the spotlight on the red carpet. He worked on the film and this was his first full red carpet experience. Apparently, we can expect to see him on the big screen in two upcoming projects. He spoke with everyone on the carpet as his proud parents looked on. We even got a chance to ask him a few of our Texas This or That questions.

Anything and Everything Kyle MacLachlan

Every year we choose a festie bestie and this year it was Kyle MacLachlan. He is the most charming man. On the red carpet of the iHeart Podcast Awards he handed us stickers of himself! And then, later that evening, we got to grab a drink with him and snap some pictures in the photo booth at the award show’s after party.

Best Panels: Kesha and Lance

We don’t get to see a lot of films or panels, however we did make time for two. First, there was the one with Kesha that was focused on fighting loneliness in the digital world. You can watch a clip of her speaking on the panel here. The other panel we attended featured Lance Bass tackling the topic of chronic disease. It was insightful for everyone, even those not suffering with the conditions discussed.

Luck Reunion

At Luck Reunion, we enjoyed sets from Aly and AJ, Lukas Nelson, Charley Crockett, Lucinda Williams and Willie, of course, But the highlights for this year was a surprise performance from Jessica Simpson. The pop star turned fashion designer turned country singer actually made two surprise appearances at the festival. First, she popped up at the Grammy’s Block Party on the lawn of the Four Seasons. Marking a return to music after a 15-year hiatus, her new music focuses on the heartbreak of her marriage ending. You can see videos of her performance on our TikTok and Instagram accounts.

Best Interview Moments: See Video

If you’ve never seen our Texas This or That interviews, you are missing out. We compiled some of your favorite moments from this year’s fest into one video that features Elijah Wood, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Ed Helms, Sophia Bush, Matthew McConaughey and more. Watch it here.

West of the Fest

And finally, West of the Fest is a totally free show that happens on the second Friday of the fest. It’s put on by Mix 94.7 and it’s totally free. The lineup is always fun with a mix of new comers and throwback artists. This year included Tom Higgenson and Tim Lopez of the Plain White T’s, Shine Down, Jane Leo and Edwin McCain, among others. McCain was a highlight for me as I attended college in South Carolina in the 90s when the “I’ll Be” singer was a regular bar act.

Looking for more SXSW highlights? Check out all of these posts: