Mark your calendars for Friday 27 to Sunday 29 January 2023 for the return of the popular annual festival ‘Makhelwane’ taking place at various spots in Soweto, with Lebo’s Backpackers in Orlando West, hosting most of the activities.
Presented by LoCrate Market with the aim of connecting neighbours and communities through local small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs, this year’s event is all about bringing people home, encouraging South Africans to enjoy and support locals as well as reconnect with their roots.
The three-day festival will include a food carnival, music festival, arts and crafts, movie screening, street dining and bubbly garden, exhibitions, entertainment for kids as well as a market run entirely by children and a series of business talks.
The festival is looking beyond just food bringing people together. It gives Sowetans and visitors an aerial view of local amenities spanning youth-owned businesses and new dope spots to check out. Tickets range from R150 to R250.
One of the co-founders of LoCrate Kgosi Rampa says: “The concept of Local Creatives is all about creating an environment that allows like-minded people to validate their ideas and create new business concepts that have never existed in townships before.
“This year the festival is a tribute to all the highly influential individuals that were lost during the Covid years,” he adds.
The founder of Lebo Backpackers, Lebo Malepa, succumbed to Covid-19 complications on Christmas Day in 2021.
Laura Vercueil, the Public Relations and Communications Manager for Joburg Tourism, says it brings the City an infectious enthusiasm to be collaborating and supporting lifestyle and signature events.
“Such events contribute to the development of the tourism sector from a grass roots to a global scale – as well as having a positive impact on the economy of the City through job creation and event support”.
Makhelwane Festival will also feature the performances from KO, Langa Mavuso and DJs Lula Odiba and Thabo Phalatse as well as Rhythm Sessions, Deep Xcape, Themba Lunacy and Nicky B, Tlhompho “Jeff” Mokoena, the founder of The Wing Republic and The Wing Republic Plus. Happy Ngidi – the Chief Marketing Officer at Proudly SA, Dr Katlego Lekalakala – Beatz Kaz and Saki Zamxaha – Gauteng Propeller will be among the speakers talking all side hustles at the event.
“We are looking forward to a mass weekend of bringing people back home and we are hoping to see the community of Soweto and City of Johannesburg residents out in vast numbers to support their very own whilst enjoying last days of summer feel. We want to continually build township community through exposure to tourism,” added Sifiso Dlangamandla, Makhelwane Festival Organiser.