AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you plan to attend South By Southwest 2022, you’ll need to either be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have a recent negative test in order to get/maintain your credentials. The festival and conference, scheduled for March 11-20, will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual events.

This year’s in-person events will be the first since 2019. The 2020 festival was canceled completely as COVID-19 broke across the area in early March. The 2021 festival was held 100% virtually.

“Recognizing that the COVID-19 landscape is changing rapidly, our best path is to continue working with both the City of Austin and Austin Public Health on our steps forward,” SXSW wrote in a statement Tuesday.

Back in October, Austin health officials announced at least 36 COVID-19 cases were tied to the recently held Austin City Limits Music Festival. For its 2021 festival, ACL required guests to show proof of full vaccination or a negative test for entry.

The omicron variant has swept the nation since that time, causing record hospitalizations and new daily case numbers.

SXSW says it will have more updates on testing, masking and social distancing soon.

Written by Russell Falcon