Sunday morning might as well have been Hangover Day for Austin, Texas.

The streets were ridden with free fliers, CDs, beer cans and the memories of another South by Southwest gone by.

The music and film conference, cleverly abbreviated as “SXSW,” celebrated its 22nd birthday by launching a completely different kind of conference this year. Traditionally SXSW was meant to promote and showcase musicians and filmmakers’ work for professionals in the entertainment and related media industry. In the past few years, however, the conference has attracted more than people who work in the entertainment industry, but also a hoard of music and film enthusiasts with an appetite for long lines, free shows and booze.

Contrary to popular belief, a badge or wristband (which are priced anywhere from $165-$1,145) is not needed to enjoy SXSW. Several free shows and online RSVP opportunities are available to the general public, but for the chance to get into some serious swagger events, avoiding long lines and for lots of free alcohol, a badge or wristband is almost necessary.

This year, SXSW parties took on a totally different attitude and it seems the mainstream artists, such as Kanye West, want to be part of the indie music festival.

For the second year in a row, some serious “posh” events included blogger Perez Hilton’s “One Night in Austin” and cook Rachael Ray’s SXSW party. The group Jane’s Addiction also showed up to reunite for the Playboy Late Night Party in the same abandoned Safeway off of Interstate 35 that Hilton chose to host his event.

Saturday was a day of long lines with many people waiting up to almost five hours on 6th Street in anticipation of getting some of Ray’s food and the chance to hear the Hold Steady, the New York Dolls, Bob Schneider, Ra Ra Riot, the Thermals, Semi-Precious Weapons, John Pringle, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and the Cringe, who are led by Ray’s husband John Cusimano.

Twitter and iPhones also played a new role in the conference. Several people could be found tweeting away and waiting for the prized e-mail confirmation to be chosen for the guest list for Perez Hilton’s party. Periodically, one could hear shrills of glee from someone who just got lucky while checking their phone in line or notified of the next hot party.

Some hipsters may have spited the change in pace of the festival when it went Hollywood. MTV’s “Real World: Austin” put the festival on television sets around the nation. Hilton’s party, however, rocked Austin this year.

The party, which ran from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m., included a lineup of Margaret Cho, Indigo Girls, Ladyhawke, Thunderheist, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Solange, Lady Sovereign, Little Boots, Kid Cudi, Rye Rye, Kanye West, Ida Maria, Yelle, Aaron Lacrate, Jeppe and Kraak & Smaak.

As West walked out to the side stage to wait to perform, people flocked toward him to shoot photos. Luckily, the temperamental rap star didn’t smash any cameras this time, but bodyguards were quick to push away photographers getting too close to West.

Overall, the closing show was a success, despite the fact that the port-a-potties ran out of toilet paper within the first hour and no hand sanitizer was available, which Hilton may wish to change next year if he is going to have an open bar again. Gross!

While SXSW looked a different than it did even just three years ago, the conference proceeded to do what it does best: Rock out and leave calves, livers and heads in pain until 6 p.m. the next day.

-Katie J. Parker is a journalism senior.