How to ATX

important attendee information

ATX Television Festival is not your average festival; in fact, you’ve probably never experienced an event quite like ours. Attendees are a mixture of fans and industry professionals, which creates unique opportunities for mingling, networking, and having the best time ever. We’re also a small and passionate community, which allows for a more intimate and accessible experience than your typical festival, so keep these things in mind if you plan to attend!

Venues. The festival itself consists of screenings followed by Q&A’s, as well as panels that span a wide variety of topics. Most screenings are at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, while our panels are held in the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel, as well as the Google Fiber Space and Trinity Hall. The historic Paramount and State Theatres host our larger reunions and panels. These locations are all relatively close to each other – an easy walk, even in the Texas heat.

The ATX Way. Fest Protocol. Our panelists come to Austin and to our festival, and keep coming back, because we have laid back audiences that make them feel truly at home.

Here’s the basic rule of engagement: Be cool. ATX Festival panelists love to talk to about TV, but please try to make them comfortable. Inside the walls of the our ATX Venues (and the streets in between), they’re TV fans just like you, watching and talking about their work and favorite shows with other TV fans. Feel free to chat with them about the series you just watched, or series (other than theirs) that you like, but please don’t crowd or swarm them. Give ’em space! Also, please don’t ask for them to sign everything you own; pictures should be kept at a minimum, if at all (we know it’s hard, but take a mental picture of the awesome moment in time they are giving you), and don’t give them your business card or a DVD of the latest project you produced or script you wrote. We want to make this weekend as relaxed and fun for them as possible, so they come back!

We’d also like you to be cool while interacting with other folks at the festival. While you, our wonderful attendees, are overwhelmingly friendly, patient, and accommodating — we ask that regardless of how popular the event or how great the excitement, PLEASE treat your fellow festivalgoers and ATX Volunteers with kindness. They’re TV fans just like you, and work incredibly hard to make your festival experience one to remember!

If you engage with our panelists, our volunteers, or any attendees in a disrespectful or inappropriate manner, we reserve the right to remove you from the festival without refund.

There will be Q&A’s after each screening and panel. Please make sure your questions are actually questions — i.e. avoid leading with, “I am a writer/actor/producer/director as well and I think that blah, blah, blah…” (Friends, that’s a statement, not a question). Austin and TV Geekdom are in the spotlight, so ask awesome, unique, thoughtful questions. Our panelists will appreciate you for it.

When to Get Here. Programming will start on Thursday, June 7th, 2018 and Registration will open on Wednesday, June 6th, 2018. We recommend arriving early and checking in so you don’t get stuck in the rush. Once you’re at Registration, you can pick up your Badge or Wristband, welcome bag, program, Fast Passes, and can peruse the merch. Everything you need to festival it up!

LINES. While lines are in the DNA of all events, our goal is for you to spend as little time in them as possible. We’d much rather you attend a bunch of amazing ATX events, as we know you would, too! Our line strategy includes the Badge-Only Fast Pass System, and we also have multiple events happening at once so there is always something for you to do.

LINE PRIORITY & ADMISSION POLICIES. Regardless of how you’re choosing to attend the festival, all seating at ATX is first-come, first-served, aka no assigned seats. Festivalgoers will be let into screenings and panels in the following order:

  • Attendees may start lining up one (1) hour for before the published start time.
  • Thirty (30) minutes before the start of a panel or screening, attending ATX Panelists and Sponsors are seated.
  • Then ATX Badgeholders with Fast Passes are let in to grab their seats.
  • Once they’ve all settled in, all remaining Badges (Festival Badges without Fast Passes to that particular event, Press, and Industry) are allowed to head on in.
  • The screening or panel starts!

We also use a Boarding Card system that gives you an idea of your chances of getting into a particular panel / screening. While shut-outs are rare (truly), it’s our hope that in the case of a full event, this system will provide a heads up so you can make it to another event. We also up our social media and app alerts to let you know what is full and what still has seats available.

BEAT THE HEAT. We cannot stress this enough (particularly if you’re joining us from out of town): Texas is a HOT, HOT place in June, and you will be doing some waiting and walking outside. While all of our venues are air-conditioned inside, we STRONGLY recommend that you dress coolly and comfortably, and don’t forget to stay hydrated! Please keep in mind the historic Paramount and State Theatres do NOT allow outside beverages – including water – so while you are more than welcome to have water outside in line, you may be asked to dispose of any liquids prior to entering the theater.

Parking. We recommend finding the nearest downtown lot, as street parking is metered and usually has 3 hour limit. A map of available lots maintained by the Downtown Austin Alliance can be found here.

We Will Be Recording. The festival will be recording all panels and post-screening Q&As. By wearing your badge and entering the venue, you are accepting knowledge of this fact.

MERCH. Check out the ATX Shop for all your festival swag needs! We’ll also have limited edition Season 6 posters and t-shirts available at the festival.

Fest Dress. Many of you have asked, and the answer is: think casual and stay comfortable. This is Austin, so you can’t really go wrong with any of your choices. Do keep in mind that even though it will be hot outside, Texas is BIG on AC… so inside will be cranked down and chilly. Might want to bring a layer or two if you’re prone to being cold.

Need more info? Make sure to check out ATX Policies, our Prepare for the Fest page, and the ATX Terms & Conditions.