Johannesburg has always been at the heart of South Africa. But right now, it is doing something bigger, it is claiming a title few cities on the continent can match. Johannesburg is Africa’s festival capital.
No other city blends heritage, food, and youth culture with the same scale, depth, and consistency as Johannesburg. This status is cemented by three iconic events that transform the city into a cultural playground.
Over a season of cultural celebration, Joburg proves this through three powerful moments, each unique, each telling its own story, and together cementing the city’s place on Africa’s cultural map.
Here’s your guide to the festivals that make Joburg the undisputed leader.
DSTV DELICIOUS FESTIVAL
The DStv Delicious International Food & Music Festival is more than an event, it’s a lifestyle.
For two days in September, Joburg becomes a feast for the senses. World-class acts share the stage with South Africa’s finest, while flavours from gourmet kitchens to township-inspired street food tell the story of a global city that is rooted in its own culture.
The festival connects you to authentic vendors like Soweto’s Eli Food & Events, with many being graduates of the Delicious Festival Trader Academy, an initiative empowering food SMMEs.
Delicious Festival is a cultural declaration that draws not only locals but also visitors from across Africa and the diaspora. It is the sound, the flavour, and the vibe of Joburg distilled into a single weekend of celebration.
STANDARD BANK JOY OF JAZZ
If Delicious Festival is the pulse of now, the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival is the soul. As South Africa’s premier jazz event, this iconic Johannesburg jazz festival has united generations through the power of music for over 20 years.
This year, the Jazzy Joburg Market adds another dimension, transforming the festival into a celebration of artistry and entrepreneurship. Over the weekend, 25 local vendors will showcase handcrafted jewellery, fashion, décor, and artisanal goods, offering visitors a chance to take a piece of Joburg’s creativity home.
It is a reminder that culture is not just something we consume but something we create, protect, and pass on, and a reminder of why Joburg is a home for culture.
BACK TO THE CITY: AFRICA’S BIGGEST HIP-HOP FESTIVAL?
Back to the City Festival is undeniably the heartbeat of the city’s youth culture.
On 11 October, Johannesburg’s inner city will erupt with life. From Park Station and Gautrain arrivals to Bree Street Taxi Rank, downtown Newtown, and Braamfontein, the city will pulse with music, art, and movement.
Back to the City is not just a festival, it’s a citywide takeover. Basketball courts will come alive with activations, and skate parks will echo with defiant energy.
Back to the City is unapologetically loud, young, and a way of expression. For one day, Mary Fitzgerald Square becomes the beating heart of African hip-hop culture, Africa’s biggest hip-hop festival, where music meets politics, fashion meets identity, and creativity meets the streets.
WHAT SETS JOHANNESBURG APART?
Cape Town has jazz, Lagos has Afrobeats, and Nairobi has a vibrant arts scene, but no city blends heritage, food, and youth culture like Johannesburg.
In one festival season, Joburg offers the chance to taste pan-African cuisine, experience world-class jazz, and enjoy Amapiano, house, hip-hop, and more, all while soaking in the city’s vibrant nightlife and lifestyle.
For diaspora South Africans, this is more than culture, it is bragging rights. Joburg is not just where South Africa comes together. It is where Africa comes to eat, to dance, to create, and to express itself.
From Delicious to Joy of Jazz to Back to the City, these aren’t just events; they are cultural movements. Johannesburg is not just where South Africa comes together, it’s where Africa comes to eat, dance, create, and express itself.
