Festival dijadwalkan dari 16 Mar hingga 19 Mar 1989 (3 hari).
South By Southwest (SXSW) berlangsung di Austin, United States. Berikut adalah alamat lengkap festival: Austin Convention Center, Austin, TX, US 78701
Marcia Ball, Rhett Miller, Lou Ann Barton, Toni Price, Glass Eye, Wild Seeds.
Genre dan sub-genre yang paling populer dari edisi sebelumnya adalah:
rock
blues
soul
americana
blues rock
adult alternative
alternative
bluegrass
boogie
contemporary blues
folk rock
indie
indie pop
indie rock
jangle pop
piano
piano blues
post-punk
roots rock