From Sjava to the Joburg Ballet: Your guide to Valentine’s in the city

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

Date Night with Sjava

Dress up and go on a date to watch multiple hit-making Sjava’s brand of Zulu soul: he’s celebrating 10 years in the industry with a nationwide tour and has a brand new album Inkanyezi Nezinkanyezi topping the charts.

Dates: 13 February, 19:00

Address: Zor, Dainfern Square Shopping Centre, Cnr of William Nicol Drive and Broadacres Dr, Fourways

Tickets: R350 on 076 219 9701

Louis Mhlanga

Louis Mhlanga is a veteran Zimbabwean-South African guitarist widely regarded as one of Southern Africa’s finest musicians. Expect a soulful musical journey that moves seamlessly between the earthy and the elegant, blending jazz, blues, and soul with the rich traditions of Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean.

Dates: 13 February, 19:30

Address: chiesa di PAZZO LUPi

34 4th Ave, Melville, Johannesburg

Tickets: R180 on Quicket

Lovers Rock Festival

Lovers Rock, a festival rooted in the culture and DNA of romance, is headlined by Mi Casa and Liquideep. The DJ line-up includes DJ Kent and there will be gourmet food offerings, a lifestyle market, a mingle bar, an immersive sanctuary and a picnic area.

Dates: 14 February 11:00 - midnight

Address: GROUND The Venue, Plot 19 Driefontein, Muldersdrift

Tickets: R550 on Howler

JPO Valentine’s Gala Concert

If music be the food of love…The programme includes popular classics and love-themed music conducted by Daniel Boico, with award-winning pianist Charl du Plessis. This evening showcases special guest artists: South Africa’s ballroom champions Nkululeko Khumalo and Sthembile Ndwalane.

Dates: 14 February, 19:00

Address: Linder Auditorium at Wits, 27 St Andrews Rd, Parktown

Tickets: R190 at Quicket

Love. Wine. Views. Cake by Dlala Nje

This is Valentine’s — elevated to the top of the Joburg skyline.

Starters: Spicy chicken livers with warm garlic rolls — rich, bold, no shortcuts. Mains: Roasted chicken. Slow-cooked beef stew. Between bites, you and your person get hands-on with a cake decorating experience.

Every booking supports the community, helping guide young people away from the streets and toward safer, brighter futures.

Dates: 14 February, 17:00

Address: Ponte tower, 1 Lily Avenue, Berea, Hillbrow

Tickets: R1 250 per couple

Giselle

Joburg Ballet’s Giselle is a richly romantic story of a love so powerful it reaches from beyond the grave, a tale of passion, betrayal and forgiveness showcasing South Africa’s finest dancers in an event of breath-taking beauty you will never forget.

Dates: 13 February 19:00, 14 February 14:00 and 19:00, 15 February 14:00

Address: Joburg Theatre, 63 Civic Boulevard, Braamfontein

Tickets: R250 – R670 at Webtickets

Robin Rhode’s Body As Sculpture

Body as Sculpture follows Rhode’s residency at the Nirox Sculpture Park and reflects an ongoing inquiry into the body as site, material, and measure. Through gesture, action, and drawn form, the exhibition considers how movement and mark-making extend sculpture beyond the static object, inviting us to think differently about scale, permanence, and authorship.

Dates: 14 February, 14:00

Villa Legodi, Nirox, 24 Kromdraai Rd, Krugersdorp

Tickets: RSVP

Blessing Ngobeni’s Untitled Excursion

Blessing Ngobeni’s Untitled Excursion Series showcases final works from the artist’s latest series of etchings and pronto-lithographs, alongside selected process materials that illuminate his first body of work in intaglio printmaking.

Dates: 14 February, 11:00

Address: Checkerboard Gallery, David Krut Arts, 151 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood

Tickets: Free entry

The Picnic Club

The Picnic Club returns to Fort Schanskop for a special Valentine’s Edition, bringing together good food, live music, and even better company — headlined by Desmond and the Tutus, alongside Pedro Barbosa, Volk, Bloumood, and Sozlol.

Dates: 15 February, 10:00 - 18:00

Address: Voortrekker Monument Fort, Schanskop, Eeufees Rd, Groenkloof 358-Jr

Tickets: R200 on Quicket

Indigenous Gospel Festival

The festival will celebrate South Africa’s rich gospel traditions with powerful performances from local and international choirs. It will highlight heritage preservation, youth involvement, and community unity through genres such as Clap ’n Tap and AmaZion gospel styles.

Dates: 14 and 15 February, 12:00 - 18:00

Address: Soweto Theatre, Cnr of Bolani Road and Bolani Link, Jabulani

Tickets: From R100 Webtickets

Saturgays

Escape the traditional late-night grind and reclaim the day at Street Jam, a weekly sonic experience curated by Joburg groove icon, Ms Party. This event explores the smooth house and chilled world music often overlooked by commercial nightlife.

A Galentine’s Affair features a stellar lineup: Adillxh, Hue Maq, Ms Party, Nelee, Maria McCloy and RoxPaperScissors.

Dates: 14 February 11:00 – 19:00

Address: A Streetbar Named Desire, 144 Jan Smuts Ave, Parkwood

Tickets: Table bookings

Nina Hastie’s Tangents

Nina Hastie returns to the stage with Tangents, a bold new stand-up comedy show. Nina tackles ADHD detours, romantic misadventures, identity crises, family drama, bad decisions, worse decisions, and all the delightful nonsense of living in South Africa.

Dates: 16 and 17 February, 19:30

Address: Theatre On The Square, Sandton, Shop L121, Sandton City, 5th St

Tickets: R200 on Quicket

Joburg ‘Person of the day’

“There are more than 10,000 books here,” says Thami Mazibuko who started the Soweto Book Café back in 2018. A self-proclaimed bibliophile, Thami says he got “cultured” when he lived in Yeoville for several years, hanging out with intellectuals, musicians and artists who exposed him to new ideas, political theories and social issues. When he moved back to Soweto, he realised there was a huge need for access to books. He began with the idea of a bookshop, but it fast turned into a library where people could borrow rather than buy. “Now it has become a place where people can gather,” says Thami. “It’s an Internet café, a research centre, a learning hub, a safe space.”

Picture of the day

No water. No relief. Just desperation — Joburg’s taps have run dry and residents are running out of options.

Melville

My go-to spot

Renaissance | 24 Central Sandton

…Sandton’s secret deep house ritual, three nights a month.

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