Not trying to slide last year's tragedy under the rug, SXSW is implementing new safety standards for future events.

The annual South by Southwest tech, film and music festival is once again upon us and (depending on when you’ve chosen to read this post) could very well be going on right now as we kill a bit of your time. Not trying to slide last year’s tragedy under the rug, the SXSW team has been adamant all year on new standards moving forward to ensure the safety of the event, which includes stricter doling out of special permits, hazard plans submitted to the city by each venue hosting an unofficial event, over 140 more officers on the street and a state-of-the-art HALO network of cameras watching damn near everything.

Artists representing Colorado at the official music showcase this year include Inner Oceans, Wheelchair Sports Camp, Publicist UK, SPELLS, Jeff Austin and Son Lux — who resides in New York, but was born in Denver, so good enough.

Cover Photo: Duarte.com