Michelle Obama, Claire Foy, and Sadiq Khan among next wave of speakers announced for SXSW

an image of from L-R: Michelle Obama, Claire Foy, Sadiq Khan — (Image credit: Chip Somodevilla / Grant Buchanan/Dave Benett/ Dave Benett via Getty Images)

South by South West arrived with a bang in 2025, and by bang we mean a seriously starry lineup of speakers, actors, and creatives who took to London’s Southbank for the inaugural festival. 2026 - aka the second UK iteration of the festival - is already shaping up to rival its debut season, already packed with big names including Sharon Horgan, Russell T. Davies, and Sophia Bush, who are all set to speak. The second wave of newly confirmed speakers is just as if not more starry.

The festival itself will be kicking off in Shoreditch in East London in the first week of June, with guests enjoying talks across a range of categories including Innovation & Transformation, Society Rewired, Technology & AI, Marketing & Advertising, Creator Economy, Game & Interactive Worlds, and Venture, amongst others.

On Wednesday, it was announced that former first lady and current feminist icon Michelle Obama would be speaking at the festival, along with her brother Craig Robinson. The pair will be recording a live episode of their podcast IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson.

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an image of three pictures spliced together showing (from L-R) Sharon Horgan, Russell T Davies, and Sophia Bush at various red carpet events

Also announced were London Mayor Sadiq Khan, actress Claire Foy, and host Piers Morgan. Alongside them will be Miquita Olivia of hit podcast Miss Me, Max Whitlock OBE, and political and cultural strategist Zara Rahim. There’s also plenty for film nerds and cinephiles, as Amelia Brown, CEO of Fremantle, Ryan Condal, House of the Dragon showrunner and co-creator, actors Steve Toussaint, Harry Collett, Abubakar Salim, Jefferson Hall, Abigail Thorn and production designer Jim Clay are all on the docket.

Other notable names previously confirmed on the seemingly endless list include: actress Sophia Bush, the iconic Ruby Wax, podcaster Jamie Lang, internet personality Sam Thompson, Ben and Jerry’s founder Ben Cohen, GK Barry, Hinge CEO Jackie Jantos, DJ AG, Lioness Jill Scott, broadcaster Roman Kemp, and writer Yomi Adegoke.

Katarina Sherling, Head of Conference at SXSW London, said in a statement: “With less than a week to go until this year’s festival opens, we are very excited to welcome this latest group of speakers. It truly reflects the range of conversations we’re bringing to SXSW London in 2026. It’s about platforming different perspectives, converging in one unique space. These additions reflect that promise, and are what makes SXSW London such a powerful change agent.”

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.