Time Out Johannesburg

This article is sponsored by Standard Bank For a September weekend of exceptional live music and unexpected musical discoveries, clear some space in your diary.  The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz music festival is back at the Sandton Convention Centre on 25 and 26 September, with two nights packed with jazz, soul and African sounds. Its 27th edition glances back at the origins of jazz while keeping an ear out for what the contemporary scene is cooking. The line-up assembles international stars, A-list South African acts, special collaborations and some of the country’s most exciting emerging artists under one roof.  As usual, the 2026 festival is spread across four stages, each offering its own atmosphere, sound and experience.  You’ll have to resist the temptation to see everything. Choose the artists you’re most excited to see, find your stage and then let the rest of the evening unfold into easy wandering and discovery. Essential festival information  Friday 25 September to Saturday 26 September - doors open 5pm on Friday and 4pm on Saturday Location: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg Cost: R1 150 day pass, R2 250 weekend pass via Ticketmaster. Bonus for Standard Bank cardholders: You qualify for up to 15% off, limited to two tickets per person and subject to availability and terms and conditions. Joy of Jazz (JoJ) has spent more than two decades bringing international flavour to South Africa’s jazz landscape, and this year this is amplified by Floetry, Angélique Kidj

Let's warm up your winter a little (actually, a whole lot) by letting you in on a secret from the littlest chef in town. Le Petit Chef is looking for a lucky couple from Joburg to join him on a food adventure - and to make it an even more exciting evening, he's throwing in a one-night stay at the Blueberry Hill Hotel - the venue where the Le Petit Chef experience unfolds. For the uninitiated, Le Petit Chef is an interactive dining experience that uses 3D projection mapping to bring an animated, thumb-sized French chef to life right on your tablecloth. Each season or show follows a unique narrative that inspires the menu, allowing diners to join the world's smallest chef on a journey from preparation to plate. This year, the theme is 'Au Naturel' - a six-course love letter to the outdoors. The story follows Le Petit Chef as he forages for fresh ingredients and trawls the deep for jewels of the ocean. What makes this iteration stand out is the attention to sensory detail; the digital scenery shifts from lush gardens to icy arctic landscapes, the music and table props change in tandem (even the servers get in on the action), creating a 360-degree immersion that feels more like a movie set than a dining room. If you'd love to experience this magical evening valued at R7,500 (with the added bonus of a wine pairing during dinner), enter the competition by following Time Out Johannesburg on Facebook or Instagram AND signing up to our newsletter by filling in the form below (if you

Joburg audiences heading to the National Arts Festival, you're in for a treat far beyond what you can experience at the Market Theatre or Joburg Theatre. Makhanda’s biggest cultural event stretches across an 11-day programme that falls into one of two worlds: Curated or Fringe. Knowing the difference will shape what you book, what you spend and the kind of discoveries you make at the country's most celebrated arts and culture gathering.   The Curated Programme: The productions everyone is talking about Think of the Curated Programme as the Festival’s headline act: professionally developed productions selected for their artistic excellence, originality and cultural relevance.   For Joburg audiences, some of the standout Curated productions include: MAJAIVAN: A movement story of the life of Lee-Ché Janecke | Dance 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Dance Lee-Ché Janecke, better known globally as Litchi HOV and the choreographer behind Tyla’s Water, turns the spotlight inward in an autobiographical dance work exploring identity, family and the journey behind his globally recognised movement language.     The National Arts FestivalMAJAIVAN: A movement story of the life of Lee-Ché Janecke | Dance The Cry of Winnie Mandela | Theatre  The Market Theatre’s acclaimed adaptation of Njabulo Ndebele’s novel, directed by Momo Matsunyane, follows four women bound by the experience of waiting for their absent and imprisoned partners during apartheid. It’s one of the strongest J

For over five decades, the National Arts Festival has provided South African creatives with the chance to showcase their talents across various fields. From theatre and comedy to music and magic, Makhanda (also known as Grahamstown) has become the epicentre for all things creative in Mzansi. Once again the festival is ready to showcase our country's talent from 25 June to 5 July 2026, with visitors from all parts of the country heading down to the Eastern Cape to immerse themselves in the spectacle. So, Joburgers, are you ready to get involved? While some of you reading this would have already secured your tickets and cemented your travel plans, for others the opportunity is not lost. How to get to the National Arts Festival from Johannesburg The most seamless way to get to the festival from Johannesburg is by catching a flight into Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) and grabbing a hire car to complete the remaining 124km of the journey. Most airlines have daily scheduled flights from OR Tambo International Airport and Lanseria to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport. A return airfare will cost roughly R2,300. Jumping in the car and heading off on a road trip is another option. The 978km journey takes you down to Bloemfontein, before weaving your wave along the N6 down to the Eastern Cape and Makhanda. The drive is roughly 11 hours in total. Thanks to the current state of the petrol price, you will need to part with an estimated R3,800 for the return trip, but this ma