So SXSW is finally leaving Austin and heading to London for the first time this June for SXSW London (okay, not really leaving, just a new edition). Great. But once they’ve had their fun in Shoreditch and discovered how miserable the tube is in June, there’s only one obvious next stop. (joking, haha. I’ve put HA HA).
Dubai.
And before anyone rolls their eyes yes, Dubai. Here’s just 10 of the 100 reasons why the most ambitious creative, cultural, and tech festival on earth should pitch its next tent right here in the desert.
1. The City Was Built for Festivals
Logistics? Infrastructure? Venues? Tick, tick, tick. You want ten stages, five tracks, a last-minute satellite installation in the desert, and an afterparty on a helipad? We’ll have it up by next Thursday.
2. We Already Speak Tech, Culture, Film and Music
Dubai is one of the few cities where you can leave a tech forum in the morning, stumble into a film screening in the afternoon, and end up at a rave in the dunes by midnight. And no one bats an eye.
3. There’s No ‘Type’ Here
From Gen Z tech founders to Sudanese jazz musicians to Saudi directors to Lebanese visual artists, Dubai is what SXSW claims to be… a melting pot of people who do wildly different things and still manage to share a stage.
4. It’s Already International
Over 200 nationalities. More than 140 languages. Every religion. Every scene. Every subculture. If you’re tired of creative echo chambers, this is the antidote.
5. The Weather Will Behave
We’re not saying Texas weather is unpredictable. We’re just saying: it’s February. It’s 24°C. And your shoes won’t get muddy.
6. It’s a City That Makes Things Happen
Try building a new district in six months in New York. Try getting a permit for a neon camel installation in LA. Here? Done by Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday if there’s traffic. You have Expo City Dubai ready for it, we have Dubai World Trade Centre, we have many other options.
7. It’s Time for Global South to Take the Mic
We’ve heard from the same places for decades. Maybe it’s time we shifted the centre. Maybe the future isn’t being built in San Francisco anymore. Maybe it’s being brainstormed over chai somewhere in Alserkal Avenue or a nice cocktail in a speakeasy in DIFC.
8. The Panels Would Be Unreal
“Rewriting Tech Narratives in MENA” “Streaming, Storytelling and Surviving in Arabic” “Designing for 200 Cultures in One City” “From Majlis to Metaverse: New Models of Influence”
Tell me that’s not a better line-up than yet another fireside chat between a venture capitalist and a guy who invented an app for renting luxury handbags.
9. The Afterparties Would Be Dangerous
Beachside? Burj-top? Rooftop? Secret warehouse in Al Quoz? Yes. All of it. Pack your nicest trainers and don’t make plans for the morning after.
10. Because It Just Makes Sense
The city is ready. The region is bursting with ideas. The creatives are here. The tech is here. The culture is bubbling. The only thing missing is a global platform that takes it seriously.
SXSW Dubai wouldn’t just be a sequel. It would be a statement.
And this? This is just 10 reasons out of 100.
I’ll save the rest for the pitch deck. Let’s make #SWSXDubai happen
Moey writes here. 
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