Joburg Festivals and Events: Braai Day

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.

Before you plan around a date: big events mean crowds, and crowds mean pickpockets and traffic more than anything else, so book a car for the trip in and out rather than walking or relying on street taxis. Keep valuables close at any outdoor event. Check your own government’s current travel advisory before you travel around a festival date.

Johannesburg’s calendar leans on national commemorations as much as arts festivals, and several of them land right on dates tied to the city’s own history.

  1. Freedom Day, 27 April. Marks the 1994 democratic elections, the end of apartheid rule, and is a public holiday nationwide.
  2. The Rand Show, around Easter. Held at Nasrec, one of the country’s largest consumer exhibitions, a mix of expos, entertainment, and family attractions.
  3. The Basha Uhuru Freedom Festival, around 24-27 June. Held at Constitution Hill and tied to Youth Day, this festival centers youth culture, music, and dialogue around the legacy of 1976 (verify current-year dates).
  4. Youth Day, 16 June. Commemorates the 1976 Soweto Uprising, when students protesting Afrikaans-language instruction were fired on and Hector Pieterson, 12, was among the first killed. Handled solemnly across the city, not as a party day.
  5. Heritage Day, 24 September, widely known as “Braai Day.” The unofficial national barbecue holiday, and one of the easiest days to eat well anywhere in the city.
  6. The Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival. A township-based wine festival that pairs South Africa’s Cape wine scene with Soweto’s food and music culture (verify current-year dates).

The DStv Delicious food-and-music festival, previously a Joburg fixture, is in flux after its main sponsorship ended and a rebrand is possible for 2027; don’t plan a trip around it for 2026 without checking current status first.

Book ahead: if your trip lines up with Youth Day or Heritage Day, a guided Soweto tour timed to those dates adds real context; for the Rand Show or Basha Uhuru, Johannesburg city tours can bundle transport so you’re not driving yourself through event traffic.

Is it worth planning a trip around a specific Johannesburg festival?

Only if the dates are confirmed close to your travel window, several of these (Basha Uhuru, the Soweto Wine Festival, DStv Delicious) shift or lapse year to year. National public holidays like Freedom Day, Youth Day, and Heritage Day are the reliable, fixed dates to build around instead.

Pair a festival visit with our Johannesburg guide or things to do guide for the rest of the day.

One concrete tip: check festival dates within a month of departure, not when you first book, several of these move or get rebranded from year to year.

Further reading: South African Tourism , Gauteng Tourism .