Visit the world's largest music festival in Texas

Europe's music festival season is just starting to kick off, with the mad rush for tickets to Glastonbury and the Reading and Leeds festival over as soon as they started.

During the summer, people will go all over the UK and Europe to catch live music, from Scotland's T in the Park to Budapest's Sziget festival.

Yet while Europe is undoubtedly champion when it comes to the variety and amount of music festivals, the US rises to the challenge and starts off the season with its very own South by Southwest (SxSW) festival in Austin, Texas.

Austin boasts being the live music capital of the US due to high numbers of concerts throughout the year, but with 1,800 bands performing over four days in March, the festival also has the edge over its rivals across the Atlantic.

All gigs take place in a variety of bars and pubs scattered around the city, with more events in Austin's convention centre, a factor that shows this is a very grown up version of a music festival. And while there are people there to make deals, this convention is different in that key speakers in 2007 included stars such as The Who's Pete Townsend and Iggy Pop, rather than business leaders.

Bands start playing their sets from noon onwards, with gigs going on until the early hours of the morning, or longer if you can find yourself an after-show party, but it is a relaxed affair and people of all ages are there to chat and sit back.

With so many quality names playing at the same time and a wide variety of music to choose from - ranging from classic rock, up and coming bands, unsigned indie to US country and blues - there is something for everyone and the first thing to learn is that it is not worth stressing to get from one gig to another.

Many choose instead to relax at the bars like Latitude 30 or Stubb's instead, or hit Austin's 6th Street, which has quality restaurants and bars. From the bar-dancing girls at Coyote Ugly to the view from the 18th floor at the Hilton hotel, March is an ideal time to hit Austin as the spring weather is warm but not too hot through day and night.

Getting around Austin is fairly easy, as the blocks are not too large and thus more manageable and taxis are affordable, as are the cycle-rickshaws. However, with Austin being the healthiest city in the US, there are plenty of walkways and cycle paths to explore in the good weather instead.

Eating is also affordable. Austin is one of the biggest university cities in the US, which means cheap but good pizza and hot dogs are available. However, for the more upmarket experience there are eateries such as the Iron Cactus which serves genuine Texan steak, though the waiters could do with being taught how to serve wine.

As with another popular eatery just outside of town, the Texan-Hawaiian Hula Hut on the shores of Lake Austin also offers free nachos and dip for all patrons, a good way to start a night on the cool shores.

During the day, Austin also offers other attractions for sightseers getting away from the SxSW bands. The city is Texas' capital, though most inhabitants are bitter at the association with the state and instead implore you to "keep Austin weird", but the Capitol Building in the centre is worth viewing.

True to Texas, there are also cowboy-hat shops and tributes to the US civil war scattered around, though Austin itself was only a minor location in the conflict.

If you do plan to go to SxSW - and it is certainly a good choice for those looking to see good music without having to camp out with teenagers in a muddy field - booking early for hotels is advisable.

In addition, while the music is certainly the main attraction, SxSW also combines a film and interactive festival, with combined tickets available. Some hotels have special offers for festival-goers and the SxSW organisers can help arrange this.

For more information on the South by Southwest festival see www.sxsw.com

For further information on Austin, its tourist information bureau is www.austintexas.org

Jonathan Richardson