Your Joburg gig guide — Film festival highlights and weekend events

(This article first appeared as a Johannesburg newsletter. Subscribe here.)

The Joburg Film Festival takes a political turn this week as filmmaker Arya Lalloo hosts a vital conversation with artist Gabrielle Goliath regarding The Voice of Hind Rajab.

The event highlights the growing friction between artistic freedom and state censorship, following Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie’s controversial decision to withdraw support for Goliath’s work.

This standoff, sparked by Palestinian references in Goliath’s acclaimed performance piece Elegy, positions the festival at the heart of a national debate on the intersection of art, activism, and government oversight.

Joburg Film Festival

Dates: 3 - 8 March

Address: Various venues

Tickets: R50 - R200 per film on Webtickets

Details of screenings at Sandton Theatre On The Square, The Bioscope, The Forge, Artistry and Nu Metro at www.joburgfilmfestival.co.za

Entering its 8th year, the Joburg Film Festival returns under the theme Feel the Frame, celebrating bold African and global storytelling. Experience cinema as a sensory, emotional journey — where powerful stories, exceptional talent and film-making excellence come together on screen.

Isitha Sabantu

Dates: 6 - 22 March 19:00

Address: The Market Theatre, 138 Lilian Ngoyi St, Newtown

Tickets: R110 - R220 on Webtickets

A fictional tale inspired by real-life South African eco-defenders, Isitha Sabantu follows two grandmothers – one elephant, one human – as they fight to protect their families and land from corruption and extractivism. The work blends research, poetry, puppetry, music and myth to explore courage, community and our deep connections with the land and our ancestors.

Johannesburg Festival of Women Writers

Dates: 7 and 8 March

Address: Joburg Theatre, 163 Civic Boulevard, Braamfontein

Tickets: Free, booking is essential on Webtickets

The festival aims to bring together inter-generational writers, thinkers and readers for a celebration of women’s intellectual and creative work. This year’s theme, Inyathi Ibuzwa Kwabaphambili is a proverb meaning wisdom is sought from those who came before. The keynote speaker at this festival, directed by Dr Barbara Masekela, is acclaimed Zimbabwean author Petina Gappah. Highlights include a children’s literature programme, panel discussions and public conversation, writing workshops and master classes.

Fashion — The Image Walkabout

Dates: 7 March 09:00 (exhibition ends 31 May)

Address: Roger Ballen Centre for Photography and the Inside Out Centre for the Arts, 2 Duncombe Ave, Forest Town

Tickets: R50. For appointments or inquiries, contact 087 700 5998

The walkabout will be led by the curators Sharon Armstrong, Aspasia Karras, Erica de Greef, Aya Magocoba, as well as Roger Ballen, offering deeper insight into the works by photographers and film-makers Koto Bolofo, Pieter Hugo, Kevin Mackintosh, Nadine Ijewere, Nontsikelelo Veleko, Kristin-Lee Moolman, Nico Krinjo, Aart Verrips, Tatenda Chidora and Andile Buka. These works sit alongside the designers they collaborated with, including Thebe Magugu, Rich Mnisi, Maxhosa, David Tlale, Gert Johan Coetzee, Viviers, Naked Ape, Row G, Africa Your Time Is Now, Nao Serati, Uniform, Ephymol, Superella, Chulaap, Clive Rundle and many others.

BKhz presents Lunga Ntila a retrospective of one of South Africa’s brightest emerging artists

Dates: 7 March 12 noon – 14:00

Address: 21 Keyes Ave, Rosebank

Tickets: Free

“I would like for my work to feel like an epiphany, a sudden realisation of something. Finally connecting the dots. That last piece of the puzzle that you couldn’t find that was always underneath the couch that you sit on every day. That relief of finally knowing something,” said the late Lunga Ntila.

BKhz are grateful to have received artworks from Ntila’s family and collectors for this presentation and support from her immediate friends.

Family Music Fest

Dates: 7 March 14:00 - 21:00

Address: St John’s College, St David Road, Houghton Estate

Tickets: R200 - R495 at Webtickets

An afternoon-to-evening celebration on the Burger Field. Bring the whole family – grandparents, teens, little ones and friends – and pack your picnic blankets and folding chairs. There will be a food court and drinks garden plus a kids’ play zone. All proceeds support the St John’s College Centenary Scholarship Programme. Live on stage: DJ Kent, Louise Carver, Vusi Nova and SJC Marimba Bands and Musicians.

Mahindra Fusion Fest

Dates: 7 March 18:00 - 23:00

Address: Sunbet Arena at Time Square, Menlyn Maine, 209 Aramist Ave, Waterkloof Glen, Pretoria

Tickets: R300 - R950 on Ticketmaster

Experience ground-breaking musical fusions, fashion and art displays.

FUSION 1: REWIND THE REVOLUTION. Zöe Modiga takes us on a personal musical journey that starts with her birth year: 1994 with Mafikizolo, Kurt Darren and Claire Johnston.

FUSION 2: HIPHOP MOST HIGH. Hip hop heavyweights BLXKIE and Maglera Doe Boy join forces with the Tshwane Gospel Choir.

FUSION 3: FEMME FOR ALL. Naledi Aphiwe, Karen Zoid, Nomfundo Moh and Mariechan, on a rollercoaster ride through girl-powered hits.

FUSION 4: ALL ABOUT NOW. Amapiano acts Zee Nxumalo, Focalistic and Daliwonga collide with Khuzani’s maskandi guitar.

Nostalgia

Dates: 8 March 14:00 - 21:30

Address: chiesa di PAZZO LUPi, 8 4th Ave, Melville

Tickets: R150 at Quicket, R200 at door

This party is a love letter to queer party nights gone by. This old-school party carries party people through decades of music, memory and freedom, back to the moments when dance floors became sanctuaries and songs felt like lifelines.

An easygoing, sun-kissed Sunday energy that invites you to relax, move and reconnect.

The Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra’s Summer Symphony Season

Dates: 12 March 19:30

Address: Linder Auditorium, 27 St Andrews Rd, Parktown

Tickets: R190 on Quicket

The Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra’s Summer Symphony Season runs from 26 February to 19 March every Thursday.

• Conductor: Daniel Boico
• Soloist: Zanta Hofmeyr, violin
• Soloist: Siphokazi Maphumulo, soprano
• Choir: Gauteng Choristers

Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave), Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, Op. 64 in e minor, Bessey The Rise of the Hunter.

340ml

Dates: 14 March 18:00

Address: The Playground, 73 Juta Street, Braamfontein

Tickets: R495 on Howler

The legendary 340ml return to the streets of Jozi, exactly a year after their renowned Reunion Tour show last year. This is a more exclusive affair so get your ticket now before it sells out. Expect a memorable live performance of tracks from their classic albums.

FRIYAY GUEST ESSAY — Kristen Harding

Visions of land and longing — what to watch at Joburg Film Festival 2026

There’s a whole world of film-making that exists beyond the big-budget features of Hollywood, but often they are stories that we don’t get to see through the usual commercial distribution channels.

It’s widely acknowledged that African film-making isn’t afforded the same distribution opportunities as the movies from major production companies that we’re likely to encounter at local cinemas or on global streaming services.

In that respect, film festivals become crucial and valuable platforms to experience movies that would be difficult, if not impossible, to access otherwise. Read more.

Joburg ‘Person of the day’

Thabo Modise, AKA Thabo the Tourist, is an “art concierge” who takes guided tours across Jozi city and Soweto.

“I’m using tours to sell art,” he says and to date, his company Toura Travel Therapy has facilitated more than 300 art tours. “These are for the culturally curious.”

Toura Travel Therapy offers the culturally curious a variety of curated art tours, half or full day, that range from gallery hopping to intimate studio visits, from mural art and graffiti tours to the increasingly popular Soweto Art Tour.

This tour, says Thabo, “is a chance to discover the rich and nuanced art landscape of Soweto”. It goes beyond conventional sightseeing, providing exclusive access to artist studios, galleries and significant heritage locations.

My go-to spot

Collectors Treasury | Corner of Bolton & Jan Smuts Ave, Roads, Johannesburg

…The city’s go-to spot for second-hand books — floor to ceiling stacks on every topic you can think of. Happy hunting! — Greg N.

Oriental Plaza

(This article first appeared as a Johannesburg newsletter. Subscribe here.)