Here’s our pick of what to look out for in 2025 in Joburg.
January/February
CHINESE NEW YEARThe Chinese New Year kicks off on Wed, Jan 29, with traditional festivities taking place across the city and beyond. This year marks the Year of the Wood Snake and Joburg’s Chinese community – the city boasts three Chinatowns: Cyrildene, Commissioner Street, and Rivonia – celebrates with cultural performances, fireworks, and plenty of delicious food. Pop in to the Alberton Rugby Club on Sat, Feb 1 for food and craft stalls, and loads of fun activities for the kids. About an hour outside Joburg, the Nan Hua Buddhist Temple in Bronkhorstspruit is well worth a visit as it hosts its annual celebration on Sun, Feb 2. Keep an eye out for our guide on where to join the festivities.
SOWETO DERBY
The famous showdown between Soweto’s two top football teams, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, takes place on Sat, Feb 1, and Sat, May 3. This rivalry, steeped in a long and colourful history, always draws a packed crowd to the iconic FNB Stadium in Soweto. Exuberant fans, dressed to the nines in their team colours, create an electrifying atmosphere. You can get your tickets here.
March
MAXHOSA AFRICA MXS KULTURE FESTIVALThe MaXhosa Africa MXS Kulture Festival is back for the third time on Sat, Mar 15. The festival will include multiple activations, live music, food and drink, and a showcase of MaXhosa's winter collection. Buy your tickets here.
JOBURG BALLET
The Joburg Ballet 2025 season opens in March with DreamScapes, a trio of productions that explores the delicate balance between tradition, identity, and innovative expression through a rich combination of classical and contemporary works. Performances will run from Fri, Mar 28 – Sun, April 6 at the Roodepoort Theatre. You can get your tickets here. The ballet company has several performances throughout the year.
CONSTITUTION HILL HUMAN RIGHTS FESTIVAL
The seventh edition of the Constitution Hill Human Rights Festival at Constitution Hill is set to return, offering a free and dynamic space to unite the public, social justice organisations, NGOs, think tanks, and the media around critical human rights issues. Dates for the festival will be announced soon – stay tuned and mark your calendars for this celebration of humanity and justice.
JAZZ IN THE LIGHTS MUSIC FESTIVAL
Jazz in the Lights Music Festival takes place on Sat, Mar 29 at the Johannesburg Zoo. This reimagined celebration of jazz brings together local and international talents, including acclaimed outfit The Brother Moves On. While music lovers soak up smooth classics and discover fresh new acts, younger guests can visit the zoo’s animals and explore. Tickets are on sale here.
April
JOZI KOTA FESTIVALThe annual Jozi Kota Festival is back on Sat, Apr 5 at The Station in Newtown, a disused Edwardian-era train station. This unique food festival, which has a vintage theme this year, aims to showcase kasi kota flavours from around the city in one central location. Tickets are on sale here.
COTTON FEST
Founded by the late rapper Riky Rick, Cotton Fest is back for a sixth edition on Sat, Apr 26 at The Station in Newtown to celebrate South African talent by bringing together a high-octane line-up of local artists, musicians, rappers, and DJs. Tickets are on sale here.
SA FASHION WEEK
The fashion red carpet will be rolled out at South African Fashion Week (SAFW), where the country's leading designers showcase their latest creations on the catwalk. Always a glamorous affair, it’s both a fun, social occasion for Joburg’s fashion-forward crowd and a vital business-to-business platform for designers, buyers, fashion editors, and industry insiders from across Africa. Keep an eye out for announcements of dates and more on SAFW's Instagram page.
May
ULTRA SOUTH AFRICAUltra is one of the world’s biggest annual all-night dance music events accommodating thousands of festival goers and featuring a blockbuster line-up of international and local DJs. The action starts in Cape Town on Fri, May 9 and moves to Joburg for a gigantic night party at the Expo Centre, Nasrec, on Sat, May 10. The festival attracts a big-hitting international line-up of top DJs and is always something to look forward to. You can get your tickets here.
SOWETO FASHION WEEK
Soweto Fashion Week has been showcasing South African fashion and beauty since its inception in 2011. Held in the country’s most iconic township, the event celebrates young designers from townships, cities, and beyond with captivating catwalk shows, beauty workshops, and live entertainment. The autumn/winter collections traditionally grace the runway in May. Keep an eye out for announcements of dates and more on Soweto Fashion Week's Instagram page.
RMB LATITUDES
The third edition of RMB Latitudes will once again take place at Shepstone Gardens from Fri, May 23 – Sun, May 25. The three-day event features art fair booths from Africa's leading galleries, and includes unique exhibition spaces designed by curators and artists, a delicious curation of food stalls, and bespoke treats, local wines, and fashion. Save the date, and we'll keep you posted on when tickets become available.
June
BASHA UHURU FREEDOM FESTIVALConstitution Hill's annual Basha Uhuru Freedom Festival is held in honour of Youth Month, celebrating South African youth culture and creativity through a packed programme of art, music, fashion, and film events. The three-day festival includes a dedicated film festival, poetry festival, creative summit, and the Freedom music festival, which is always a major highlight for music lovers. Entrance to all events is free except for the music festival. We'll keep you posted on when the 2025 dates are announced.
MZANSI FOOD & DRINK SHOW
The second edition of the Mzansi Food & Drink Show is set to take place at the Kyalami International Convention Centre. With five events in one, there will be plenty to explore over the three days, including the Fire & Feast Festival, Chocolate & Coffee Expo, Fine Food & Wine Show, Bar & Good Spirits Showcase, and Food Market. Save the date, and we'll keep you posted on when tickets become available.
July
TURBINE ART FAIR
The Turbine Art Fair (TAF) is traditionally held in July, offering a weekend packed with commissioned installations and exhibitions, an engaging art talks programme, exciting showcases of young and emerging artists, delicious food and drinks, a glittering opening night party, and, of course, an incredible array of artworks for sale. After moving around Joburg over the years, TAF found a new home at The Forum at Hyde Park Corner in 2023. This year, it’s set to take place from Thu, Jul 24 – Sun, Jul 27; watch this space.
JOBURG DECOR AND DESIGN WEEK
Joburg Decor and Design Week is a celebration of creativity, inspiration, and insight in partnership with three of South Africa's biggest décor and design exhibitions: Decorex Joburg, 100% Design Africa, and Design Joburg. Decorex Joburg and 100% Design Africa have been confirmed to once again take place from Thu, Jul 24 – Sun, Jul 27 at the Sandton Convention Centre, with Design Joburg likely to take place at the same time. Save the date, and we'll keep you posted on the final details when tickets become available.
August
CONTRA.JOBURG
Joburg's City Centre is home to many artists' studios, which are essential to the city's creative economy. Contra.Joburg is your chance to visit them, with a hop-on, hop-off shuttle service travelling to different studio spaces on each day of the festival. Engaging with artists in their natural habitat and seeing works in progress alongside finished pieces offers a unique experience that's different to the traditional art fair model. The festival takes place from Fri, Aug 29 – Sat, Aug 30.
HEY NEIGHBOUR FESTIVAL
The second edition of the Hey Neighbour Festival promises to be an exhilarating three-day summer music extravaganza from Fri, Aug 29 – Sun, Aug 31 at Legends Adventure Farm in Pretoria. Expect tasty food stalls, buzzing bars, fun activities, and an exciting line-up of local and international headliners across multiple stages. Stay tuned for more updates and festival announcements.
September
BRIXTON LIGHT FESTIVAL
The annual Brixton Light Festival illuminates the friendly Brixton neighbourhood and famous Sentech Tower in September in celebration of Brixton’s incredible creative spirit. Expect loads of lights, big installations and exhibitions, a night market, performances, and surprises throughout this family-friendly event, plus plenty of creative costumes in the parade. We'll let you know once this year's date is announced.
FNB ART JOBURG
FNB Art Joburg takes place from Fri, Sep 5 – Sun, Sep 7 at the Sandton Convention Centre. It’s one of the largest contemporary art fairs in Africa and usually runs alongside the accompanying Open City initiative, a two-week celebration of Joburg's diverse art, food, and culture. To increase the accessibility and inclusivity of Joburg's bountiful arts and culture spaces and discourse, Open City takes place at collaborating venues across the city. Save the date, and we'll keep you posted on when tickets become available for FNB Art Joburg and final details for Open City.
STANDARD BANK JOY OF JAZZ
Get ready for the city’s top jazz festival and one of the biggest music events in the country with Standard Bank Joy of Jazz. With three days, multiple stages, and more than 30 performers from South Africa and beyond, this festival is set to light up the Sandton Convention Centre from Fri, Sep 26 – Sun, Sep 28.
October
BACK TO THE CITY
As Africa's biggest hip-hop and street culture festival, Back to the City lights up Mary Fitzgerald Square in the Joburg City Centre every year, with well-known MCs, beatboxers, rappers, and dancers performing throughout the day. There are usually also basketball courts, skating ramps, graffiti areas, and a market. Taking place around October every year, we'll keep you posted on when the 2025 dates are announced and tickets go on sale.
#JACARANDAINYOURPOCKET 2025
October means one thing: the arrival of Johannesburg In Your Pocket’s annual #JacarandaInYourPocket photo competition and event series. From early October, the purple blooms start to appear on trees throughout Johannesburg and Pretoria and by the time the month is in full swing, a purple cloak has settled over these cities. It’s the perfect opportunity for us to showcase Joburg at its most beautiful and to encourage people to explore this city they call home. We’ll let you in on all the details closer to the time, but we promise another bumper year filled with a profusion of purple and loads of good cheer.
November
VIRGIN ACTIVE 947 RIDE JOBURG
By the time the Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg rolls around, there are two types of people: those who venture out, oblivious to the road closures that turn the city on its head every year, and those who have the good sense to plan and avoid the chaos ruling the roads. Alternatively, you get those athletic souls who have worked hard throughout the year to participate in the biggest annual celebration of cycling that Joburg has to offer. This year’s road race takes place in Sun, Nov 9, with the kids' and mountain bike races planned for Sat, Nov 8 – Sun, Nov 9 at Steyn City. You can enter here.
December
JOBURG LIGHTS UP
At the start of December with silly season officially upon us, Joburg has a few shiny tricks up its sleeve. Say "Christmas in Joburg" and most people think of Melrose Arch, where this upmarket shopping and dining precinct is transformed into a wonderland with the most impressive light displays every year. In addition to the glittering display, Melrose Arch usually pulls out all the stops with a busy programme of festive events.
If the glitzy Melrose Arch is not your cup of tea, the Festival of Lights at Johannesburg Zoo enchants throughout December with light displays, a night market, and a programme of live music, theatre, and dance performances. Take the family and enjoy a welcome stroll and an enjoyable night out to close off the year.
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