Before the city becomes an absolute madhouse of artists, superfans, musicians and lushes, Austin welcomes its first 33,000 or so Festival-goers into the fold of the South by Southwest Interactive Festival, which kicks off today. If you’re one of the lucky few thousand attendees to gain entrance to the five-day extravaganza, here are some highlights to be on the watch for.

Celebrity Sightings
Sure, we’d all like to be “above all that”, but let’s be honest – most of us aren’t. Celebrity sightings are fun, memorable and rare for most of us, so why not grab the opportunity while it’s there? A few notable acts to watch for are Jessica Alba, who will be speaking Monday about her environmentally friendly household and baby product line, The Honest Co., and retired news anchor Dan Rather who speaks Tuesday about breaking news in the era of Snapchat. Straddling the lines of the Interactive and Film Festivals also on Tuesday will be Russell Brand speaking on the power of online media, and my personal favorite, if not quite a celebrity, will be a Panel with Google X’s Astro Teller on self-driving cars and balloon-powered internet.

SXSW 2015: A Space Odyssey
NASA is all over the festival this year hosting sessions, panels, lectures and contests. Astronauts will be on hand to discuss recent space missions, the “NASA Prizes: Dream It, Make It, Win It” panel will announce the results of the Asteroid Data Hunter challenge that kicked off at last year’s SXSW festival, and there will even be a NASA Meet Up where fellow space enthusiasts and NASA engineers, scientists, astronauts, researchers, technicians and amateurs alike can gather to discuss how technology drives exploration, how we are exploring Earth, the solar system and beyond, as well as how anyone can get themselves involved with NASA.

Robotic Wonderment
In a category all its own, the SXSW 2015 Interactive Festival is hosting a Robot Petting Zoo, where attendees can get up close & personal with the machines that will likely form the backbone of our automated future. Also of note is the debut of a prototype of a new Ebola-fighting suit for healthcare workers being showcased at the festival by government agency USAID, who feel that their invention could be integral in revolutionizing healthcare in underserviced communities.

Awesome Automobiles
Perhaps the hottest trending topic of the fest this year is how transportation will look in the future. With so many ideas and topics to choose from, it’ll be tough to make them all, but some must-see subjects in the programming this year will introduce ideas on self-driving cars, alternatively-fueled vehicle, revolutionary ride-sharing programs and even a flying car.

Technology and Zombies
Perhaps the most out-of-the-box panel this year is “HoloGramma: How Tech Can Bring Back Our Departed” being hosted on Sunday, March 15^th at 3:30pm. This session will discuss how artificial intelligence will one day be able to bring back the dead; sort of like a digital twist on the whole The Walking Dead idea. Most of the discussion is likely to be about how artificial intelligence, augmented reality and emerging technology can all work together to create realistic holograms or virtual worlds where we can visit our dearly departed, but either way this is sure to be a don’t-miss experience.