South by Southwest is taking over Austin yet again this week. While prices for badges range from $695 (film only) to $1745 (interactive, film and music), the Gaming Expo is completely free and open to the public. 

It will be held this weekend, March 13-15 at the Palmer Events Center and promises to deliver an epic experience for avid gamers and lovers of geek culture with free panels at the Geek Stage, the Gaming Awards at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, parties and interactive demos. 

This three-day exhibition features the top new innovations in gaming and provides networking opportunities for professionals and consumers alike.

The Geek Stage covers all aspects of geek culture, including the Friday event Tough Coded: Live, an interactive video game experience in which a video game jockey plays dubstep hardcore music and designs a game where two random players play against each other for the length of a song against the jockey. 

The Geek Stage will also feature a cosplay competition on Sunday and a performance on Saturday by The Plaid Jackets, a high energy, geek rock band will play songs like “Ode to Chewbacca” and “Captain Kirk.” 

To attend the expo, you must have either a free Guest Pass wristband, which are available in advance or onsite at the event, or a SXSW badge or wristband.