Before you get tripped up on the clashing consonants above, get in the know: SXSW stands for South By South West, America’s most diverse and innovative multimedia festival, and a Bushwick Daily favorite. Endearingly called “South By” by fans and veterans, the festival brings great minds and talent together in Austin, Texas for over a week of entertainment, learning and discussion in the realms of music, technology and film. The official festival events require a pricey badge (costing upwards of $1000), so you may be wondering how some of your party animal friends manage to make the yearly pilgrimage. Well, we’ll let you in on a little secret: you don’t have to buy a badge; in fact, once you’re there, you really won’t have to spend any money at all. No, we’re not exaggerating. You can see all of your favorite indie bands, all whilst drinking and eating as a guest of Austin without paying a dime. How, you ask?