Festival season, what is the hottest ticket in town?

The South African

13 hours ago

Festival season is upon us, and there is a myriad of worthwhile events to go to. A number of our best festivals will, as they tend to have some international performances for us to revel in. But what is the hottest ticket in town so far?
Last week, Eswatini was ablaze with the MTN Bushfire festival taking place. Niche performers are combined with more commercial acts to create an atmosphere that is hard to convey unless you have been there.
The Cape Town Jazz Festival also made its long-awaited return this year. Acts like Masego returned to a South African stage alongside American vocalist Ari Lennox and UK acid jazz frontiersmen Incognito. It was a memorable way to kick off the festival season.
There still, however, remain a few worthy festivals and concerts that are yet to take place.
Concerts are just as important during festival season. Kenny G is quite the polarising figure. Lovers of the avant-garde would consider this soft serve music, but the man has carved out a career spanning more than five decades. Starting professionally at the tender age of 17 in 1973 as a sideman for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra , he has since amassed hits like Forever In Love, Songbird and Going Home. He is still very much regarded as a high-level performer.
Kenny G will be live in concert at the Durban ICC on October 1, 2025, the Grand Arena and the Grand West, in Cape Town on October 2, 2025, as well as The SunBet Arena, Times Square, Pretoria, on October 4, 2025.
The Astroworld tragedy that happened on 5 November 2021, in Houston, might still be on the back of your mind. As murky as that might have been, Travis Scott concerts have grown in popularity and notoriety. From his raucous antics on stage and intense hold over audiences, this might be the one ticket that beats them all.
Scott has been here before, back when Joburg had a world-class venue for such events, he has pyrotechnics shoot out above the crowd. He did away with the barriers separating the Golden Circle from general access and encouraged fans to mosh.
This was all while dispensing timid tracks like Goosebumps. His second coming might be better because of the music he will be armed with. Can you imagine what might happen as soon as Sicko Mode rings out? What about Fein? Fans of his will be delighted, and purists who enjoy the energy of hip hop might also find some comfort in his arrival. This could be the highlight of festival season.
He will be performing in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at FNB Stadium as part of his Circus Maximus Tour .
Rocking The Daisies announced that singer and songwriter Summer Walker will be their tent pole performer this year. Daisies has always aimed at more new age soul and R&B acts, and Walker might be among the best they have ever presented.
Walker ascended to fame from Atlanta, Georgia, with her 2018 mixtape Last Day of Summer . This housed hits like Girls Need Love , a song so popular it received a Drake remix. which later got a remix with Drake. Her first offering, Over It (2019), shattered streaming milestones for female R&B artists. Her sophomore album, Still Over It (2021), peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200.
The festival will take place from October 2 to 5, 2025, at Cloof Wine Estate in Cape Town, with more acts to be announced.
Even though this festival has shortened its duration, its line-up remains one of the more formidable ones this year. The unexpected change in the event's running order has not affected ticket holders. You can Paint The Town Red with Doja Cat if that's your thing.
Central Cee will be doing up the road with UK grime raps. It is refreshing to have an artist from this fraternity of hip hop, as the UK has a plethora of intriguing artists, and hopefully, more of them will make their way down south.
Leon Thomas and the music he created on his album, Mutt. There isn't much more to say about that. If you have experienced his debut project, then you will have an understanding of just how potent it is. Another of the more worthwhile artists on this list.
A few festivals have yet to announce which exotic talents they might host. DStv Delicious Food and Music Festival was enjoyable last year with Busta Rhymes, Janet Jackson, and Jason Derulo as the headliners. Back To The City Hip Hop Festival always ensures hip-hop heads are catered for. Last year, they had New York-based rapper Benny The Butcher on their main stage, and his music had the crowd pulsating.
Hopefully, more artists will be added to some of these rosters as festival season progresses. There is quite a fair amount to choose from.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11.
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.