Festival dijadwalkan dari 10 Mar hingga 13 Mar 1988 (3 hari).
South By Southwest (SXSW) berlangsung di Austin, United States. Berikut adalah alamat lengkap festival: Austin Convention Center, Austin, TX, US 78701
Robert Earl Keen, Dangerous Toys, Hal Ketchum, Dash Rip Rock, Scruffy the Cat.
Genre dan sub-genre yang paling populer dari edisi sebelumnya adalah:
rock
country
folk
americana
hard rock
rockabilly
roots rock
adult alternative
bluegrass
garage punk
glam metal
glam rock
hair metal
indie
jangle pop
metal
outlaw country
post-punk
psychobilly