Perez Hilton’s ‘One Night in Austin’ raises $53K for charity

Saturday marked the annual Perez Hilton’s “One Night in Austin” party, an event which has become a staple during South by Southwest.

Hilton, a celebrity blogger, has hosted the party during the music portion of the conference for the past six years. One-hundred percent of ticket sales from the event benefit VH1 Save the Music, a nonprofit benefiting music education and GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, a nonprofit promoting tolerance within schools with regards to sexual orientation.

This year, the party raised $53,000 total for the charities.

Thousands turned out to the event at downtown’s Austin Music Hall to see some of Hilton’s favorite rising music acts. Many were hoping to catch Macklemore, a Seattle-based rap group that has made waves locally during SXSW this year for their single, “Thrift Shop.”

In the hours leading up to Macklemore’s performance, the venue reached capacity and hundreds of people--including event staff--were turned away at the door to abide fire code.

Following Macklemore, this year’s surprise guest was pop-punk group, Fall Out Boy.

Take a look at some of the sights from the party:

Before the party, Moonshine Grill transformed into VH1 Cafe for SXSW's music conference, entertaining spillover from the Austin Convention Center just across the street. Here's a look at the scene: