One of the largest festivals of its kind in the world, the International Marimba and Steelpan Festival brings together 2000 performers from around Southern Africa to compete to be crowned Southern Africa’s best marimba and steelpan band.

Curated by Education Africa, the festival features 250 live performances plus 90 different workshops spanning various musical disciplines. This year the festival, now in its 7th year, is being held ‘to celebrate the life and times of the father of our democracy’ Nelson Mandela as South Africa marks Mandela's centenary year. This year's workshops also take their inspiration from Mandela's own thoughts on music; “music is a great blessing. It has the power to elevate and liberate us. It sets people free to dream. It can unite us to sing with one voice. Such is the value of music”.

The main competition is divided into various age groups and categories that include classical, traditional music and pop. A major highlight of the festival is the massed djembe drumming experience and the mass marimba and steelpan performance.