SXSW to shut down 6th St. for 10 days

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Grabbing the attention of passersby on East Sixth Street Tuesday, Raul Abishai earned as much money banging his drum before some big event people kept bringing up.

"A good night averages $100-$150,” Abishai said. “I have made up to $250 a night."

He had no idea when he got to Austin from Australia a few days ago what SXSW was. Soon, he would be preparing for 30,000 people to swarm his stage in the next few days.

"There's no chance of driving down 6th street or probably 4th or 5th," said Stefan Bouts, one man passing the drummer.

"Oh, I'm sure it's going to be crazy,” said Jade White. “It's going to be packed."

Nearby businesses have been planning for months – like Daddy's Grill & Bar hiring ten new workers.

"From those 10,” said manager Matt Pena, “only two will stick it through the whole way."

With 6th Street and the surrounding blocks shut down for ten days , deliveries only come a few times – on Thursday, March 18, and Friday, March 19, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. when the city re-opens that stretch for morning rush hour.

"Food starts going pretty fast,” said Pena, “especially when it starts going like that, like our beers will start going out. We usually have to have double what we normally hold back there."

With no game plan going into one of the largest live music events in America, Abishai said he knows he'll have some competition and wishes he would have planned as well as some of the locals.

“I’m really going to have to work,” he laughed.