Soweto Festival
Walter Sisulu Square, Kliptown
Friday, 21st to Monday, 24th of September
Make sure you’re at the Soweto Festival at the Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, when they serve up a platter of South Africa’s finest musical entertainment. The festival is open daily from 10h00 to 20h00 and entrance is R20 for adults and R10 for pensioners and children under 12.
The Soweto Festival is now firmly entrenched in Soweto’s annual calendar and offers a delightful way for South Africans to celebrate the Heritage Day public holiday. Together with SABC and The Daily Sun, other major sponsors include Standard Bank and the City of Joburg.
The Soweto Festival provides a platform for emerging fashion designers to showcase their designs alongside established black designers. This is not only about fashion; it is about connecting with our African heritage and highlighting the creativity associated with design and imagination. The whole fashion experience reignites our passion for celebrating South Africa’s vibrant creativity.
A feast of musical entertainment will be presented on the main stage. There is something for everybody in the Entertainment line-up combining Afro-pop, with Kwaito, Gospel with Jazz, and Maskandi with Hip Hop.
South Africa has evolved tremendously since the 1950’s when traditional Shebeen’s were established and whilst preserving this cultural existence the Festival will encapsulate the full spectrum of South African lifestyles through its eclectic cuisine, lively music and more modern cultural expressions at Capello’s. Come along and enjoy the contemporary Soweto vibe and chug down a few Jack Daniels’.
An integral part of the Soweto Festival is the Standard Bank Careers Village which is aimed at school goers – especially grades 11 and 12 – and young adults eager for information about employment, business, careers, education and training. The objective is to provide them with the tools to assist in making informed decisions about their futures. The Standard Bank Careers Village consists of an exhibition area of employers, tertiary education facilities and a seminar area, which will feature successful South African entrepreneurs with their own stories of success to tell, and an interactive psychometric testing area.
Various tourism organisations including the Johannesburg Tourism Company, Cradle of Human Kind, Indian Tourism and the tourism offices from several SADC countries will be at the Festival. Over 200 exhibitors’ ranging from Furniture, Health & Beauty, Crafts, Cars, Property, Finance, Business Services, to FMCG products, Hi-Tech appliances and cellular services will promote their newest products. This commercial aspect of the show is a major draw-card and is the biggest yet held in Soweto.
Major exhibitors include; Standard Bank, University of Johannesburg, The Zulu Kingdom, Black Like me, Golden Products and Media 24, many of whose titles will be running promotions on their exhibition stand and on the main stage. There is a total of 4 000 sqm of exhibition space and only 500 sqm of space is still available. This is a massive marketing and branding opportunity for companies that want to talk to the Black emerging market.
Over 100 Crafters from various Soweto Arts Co-ops will display their magnificent art at the Soweto Festival. From beadwork, baskets, embroidery, carvings, copper art and much more, you too can now discover Soweto’s unique craft art. Many of the crafts depict the folklore and heritage of Kliptown, Freedom Square and Pimville.
To promote Soweto as a tourism destination, The Johannesburg Tourism Company is organising special tours into Soweto, incorporating the Festival on the itinerary, with both a day and a day-night option and full transport provided in and out of Soweto from convenient pick up points.
Standard Bank is sponsoring 65 SMME's to exhibit at the Soweto Festival and some of them are crafters from various Soweto Arts Co-ops who will display their magnificent art. From beadwork, baskets, embroidery, carvings, copper art and much more, there is a whole new world to discover. The crafts are unique to Soweto and depict the folklore and heritage of Kliptown, Freedom Square and Pimville.
