SXSW 2012 comes to a close

AUSTIN (KXAN) - South By Southwest 2012 came to a close Sunday. While some visitors caught last minute late night concerts, others were catching planes home at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The two-week event is the biggest draw of the year in Austin, bringing $170 million to town. It has grown since its modest beginnings in 1987.

"I used to live here and there are lots of incredible improvements on venues and stuff," said Bryan Thomas, who has been attending the festival for many years.

During opening days, rain threatened to dampen the fun the high-tech interactive sessions held at the Austin Convention Center. The interactive sessions are now the largest part of the entire festival. Budding entrepreneurs showed off their gadgets, including the smart car of the future.

Many independent films were also screened.

KXAN caught up with studdly Matthew McConaughey on the red carpet at the Paramount Theatre. He was promoting his movie, "Bernie," which was partially shot in Bastrop. Funnyman Jack Black, who stars in the movie, talked to KXAN about singing and dancing in the movie.

"I've got moves, moves you have never seen before," joked Black.

The 30th annual Austin Music Awards also brought a big surprise: Bruce Springsteen. 

The music portion of the festival also brought parties. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton held his bash Saturday night and for the first time had tickets for sale.

In 2011, tickets were given out via a lottery and if the venue was too packed, fans couldn't get in regardless of the ticket they held.

Many visitors headed to ABIA Sunday morning and afternoon to catch flights home. Others, however, decided to stick around and catch concerts.

Bands played at The Scoot Inn in East Austin and other musicians were playing shows at The Junior until early Monday morning.

Overall, 2,000 bands performed during the festival.

The throngs of people also kept the Austin Police Department busy. Since Thursday, officers made more than 40 arrests. Some SXSWers are facing charges ranging from public intoxication, to driving while intoxicated, to resisting arrest.

APD also had to deal with a few hundred wristbands being stolen from the convention center. They alerted the public about the stolen wristbands Thursday.