South by Southwest has added U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a keynote speaker.
The virtual festival, which will take place March 16-20, will feature the former presidential candidate as part of a keynote lineup that also includes Stacey Abrams and Willie Nelson. The other keynote speakers announced Wednesday were Interior Chinatown author Charles Yu and Together Apart host Priya Parker, in conversation with Winners Take All author Anand Giridharadas.
The keynote speakers will lead a slate of programming that will also feature former President George W. Bush, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, Chance the Rapper, Kenan Thompson, Don Lemon and Jemele Hill.
“The three Keynote Speakers we’re announcing today are a perfect complement to our Conference lineup for SXSW Online 2021. Charles Yu’s amazing novel Interior Chinatown brings a completely unique perspective to the immigrant experience in the United States. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will emphasize SXSW’s continued focus on how technological innovations are transforming mobility. And no one understands the importance of gatherings, and how social distancing has impacted this vital function in our society, more than Priya Parker,” said SXSW chief programming officer Hugh Forrest said in a statement. “The addition to our lineup of creative luminaries such as Ava DuVernay; business leaders like Indra Nooyi; and President George W. Bush, the third president to speak in our conference, is part of what makes SXSW special and we look forward to everyone being able to experience what we’ve put together for this event.”
The Demi Lovato docuseries Dancing with the Devil will open the SXSW film festival, which typically takes place in Austin.
