How to Drink for Free (or Close to It) at SXSW 2016

Our guide to keep you liquored up during SXSW 2016.

Mar 09, 2016
Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

SXSW is to be frank, a shitshow. It’s a two-week marathon of going to panels, seeing movies, and moshing at shows at a breakneck pace. You’ll make inevitable “festival friends” who you’ll party with for two weeks and never speak to (even though you added each other on Facebook). You might even make out with some strangers! More than anything, it’s not an experience for those who depend on a lot of sleep or have a 10 p.m. bedtime (it me).

Real talk: You’ll be drinking heavily every night. Or you'll at least have the very easy option to.

Since drinking plays a huge part of this two-week bender, things are bound to get pricey. But wallet, fear not: you don’t need a SXSW pass to drink for free. There are a ton of ways to get your SXSW drink on without breaking the bank. And in a few, glorious cases, you won't even have to go to the bank.

To read more of Complex's coverage of SXSW 2016, click here.

Free Parties

Not Available Interstitial
Image via Complex Original

During SXSW free shows are one of the best ways to hit the bottle for free, which means those gratis drinks come with great performances from SXSW-featured musicians, or weird nonsense from startups—like the opportunity to pet puppies or try out weird electronics, which cool right? 

While it’s a safe assumption that the majority of these parties will have free booze, checking for the alcohol sponsor is always a safe bet. And heed this advice: we all love to make a dramatic, late entrance, but now’s not the time to do this. Getting there early is the way to go, to avoid having to wait forever in an inevitable line, especially once the festival kicks into the music portion. Also, the daytime parties—if you want to keep a steady, day-long buzz—tend to be a bit thinner crowd-wise and therefore easier venues to cop free booze. 

Here are some suggestions of where to start your free boozin' this year: 

3/11: Do512's Epic Interactive Party

3/11-12: Deloitte Digital's #ARCafterDark parties

3/11-19: Videotape & Unreel Present: Unofficial SXSW Recharge Lounge

3/13: Keepin' It Fly: TripCase Presents Bob Schneider

3/13: Zype Presents: A Sunday Hangover Brunch + Anniversary Party

3/14: S’mores Under the Stars with BakeSpace.com

3/17: AM Only's The Cookout

3/17-19: The Stub Hub Music Experience

3/17-19: Brooklyn Vegan's day parties

3/19: Brooklyn Country Cantina

Happy Hours

Not Available Interstitial
Image via Complex Original

If you need a go-to between free shows (and perhaps some sustenance), check out these super affordable and delicious-sounding happy hours, all of which are conveniently located near the center of the festival. Keep in mind that because of the festival, these hours/deals are subject to change. 

Licha's Cantina (Tues-Fri: 4pm-6pm): $5 margaritas and palomas. 32 oz. Coronas and buckets of beer. $5 quesadillas and huraches. All on a beautiful patio. 

Isla Carribean Cantina (M, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 4pm-7pm): $5 caipirinha and other cocktails and half off food in a ~tropical~ setting. 

East Side Showroom (Tues-Sun: 5-7pm; Mon: All Night!): Sip on OG cocktails like Old Fashioned and French 75 alongside Creole style food. 

Whisler's (Mon-Sun: 4-7pm): $6 classic and signature cocktails. If you're hungry, check Thai-Kun, a food truck collab amongst Austin chefs including Top Chef winner Paul Qui. (FYI, this is a little further out than the rest of the list, but is worth it.) 

The Hightower (Mon-Sat: 5-7pm, Sun: 5-10pm): Drink $4 frozen caipirinhas with add ons like ancho reyes chili or a $5 cherry twist with house smoked orange bitters. Food specials include multiple types of ceviche or queso fundido all for under $10. 

Swift's Attic (Mon-Fri: 2:30pm-6:30pm): This long lasting happy hour boasts $6 speciality cocktails and even $2 Bud Lights and Mickey's. You can pair your cheap beer with corn fritters, braised pork cheek baos or charred edamame with pop rocks (!). 

Cheap Bars

Not Available Interstitial
Image via Complex Original

Happy hour not so much your speed? How about consistently cheap drinking featuring a beer/shot special instead? Visit these bars to keep drinking on the cheap, but beware, because once SXSW Music starts your newfound favorite haunt could be turned into a venue. Refer to the SXSW site to double check. (And remember to tip your bartender. They live in Austin. You more than likely don’t. Don’t be a dick.) 

Shakespeare's Pub: A University of Texas at Austin alum noted Shakespeare's as his number one favorite dive, specifically pointing out that his broke college ass was able to budget a night out with the bar's cheap liquor pitchers. With a $5 Long Island Ice Tea pitcher on Friday nights, Shakespeare's promises a turnt night out. 

The White Horse: With live music everyday of the week, $5 Two-Steps (a Lone Star and a Whiskey shot), White Horse seems like the perfect place to make some bad decisions if your free parties run dry by the end of the night. 

The Jackalope: Located on the main stretch of 6th street (right next to the Alamo Drafthouse), The Jackalope is the perfect place to grab a beer, an order of fries and kick back before your next party stop. Be sure to take a selfie with the Jackalope. 

Mugshots: In their own description, Mugshots checks off all the boxes of any great, iconic dive bar: cheap beer, great jukebox selection and a photobooth. Plus, you can leave your own "mugshot" on the wall. Talk about leaving your heart in Austin. 

Dirty Bill's: It's so divey that they don't even have a website and the first picture on their Yelp page is their bartenders informing patrons to not play shitty music. Sold. 

Casino El Camino: Come for the cheap drinks, stay for the "world famous, award winning" burgers. A bigger plus? Their jukebox was the best in the city from 1995-2010. 

SXSW Twitter

Not Available Interstitial
Image via Complex Original

As with any living, partying organism, so much of SXSW is "go with the flow." RSVP your brains out, but fully expect to be living party FOMO at the highest level at all times regardless. To cover all your bases (and remain frugal), use the following Twitter accounts to guide your liver, stomach and heart around Austin. And never, ever underestimate the power of faking it—sometimes the powers of persuasion will guide you to the party holy grail. 

@sxswparty: Tracks all the parties happening at SXSW that us mere plebians can attend. 

@thefreenoms: Well, if you end up spending all your cash, follow @thefreenoms to see where you can find free food throughout SXSW. So far, everything from tacos to doughnuts to meatballs—a.k.a. the essential food groups—are already listed. 

@atxshhh: They self-describe themselves as the "organized way to party" reporting everything from RSVP links to party rumors. 

@FreeatSXSW: If you want to cover all your bases, @FreeatSXSW will just make sure your schedule is further on lock. 

@OpenBarATX: And if there's anything we missed here, @OpenBarATX will keep the booze flowin' long after we've passed out. 

BoozeSXSW 2016Features

Latest in Pop Culture