Dance
The Bacchae: An African Choral Ballet
In this reimagining of Euripides’ famous tragedy, Dionysus arrives in a divided Thebes. As his presence sweeps through the city, women abandon convention and Pentheus, the young ruler, vows to restore order. The collaboration between Joburg Ballet and the University of Johannesburg Choir is composed by Neo Muyanga, choreographed by Mthuthuzeli November and directed by Jay Pather.
Dates: July 3-12
Venue: Joburg Theatre
Tickets: R140-R1,000
Design
Decorex Joburg
Decorex Joburg is back in all its usual glory, alongside 100% Design Africa, showcasing contemporary African design. Expect hundreds of dynamic brands, themed exhibitions, collaborations and product launches, as well as talks and workshops by industry experts.
Dates: July 30 - August 2
Venue: Sandton Convention Centre, Joburg
Tickets: From R120
Festivals
The Kippies Fringe
The Kippies Fringe, curated for a second year by The Art Cave (Philangezwi Nxumalo and Tebogo Malapane), runs from July to December and is aimed at “giving space to small-scale work, while amplifying rising voices”, according to Greg Homann, artistic director at The Market Theatre Foundation. Among the performances this month are S’nazo Unplugged, which celebrates the legacy of SA women in music, and the Imanyano Yabahlobo jazz/soul concert, which pays tribute to saxophonist and composer Kippie Moeketsi.
Dates: Imanyano Yabahlobo July 10 & 11; S’nazo Unplugged July 11 & 12
Venue: Kippies, The Market Theatre, Joburg
Tickets: R100
Knysna Oyster Festival
The theme of this year’s Knysna Oyster Festival is “A feast of family fun”, and highlights include the Fine Wine Festival, Forest Marathon, Oyster Fest & Oyster Cruise and the Winter Group Exhibition.
Dates: July 3-12
Venues: Across Knysna
The National Arts Festival
There’s still time to catch the last weekend of the annual National Arts Festival. As always, the programme presents a range of productions and artists, including the Soweto String Quartet and the winners of the Standard Bank Young Artists 2026 awards.
Dates: Until July 5
Venues: Across Makhanda
Tickets: R30-R200
Art
Don’t miss:
- Imraan Christian’s Suleiman’s Sun solo show at Everard Read Cape Town until July 4
- Theresa-Anne Mackintosh’s Now Is Not Forever show at WAM, Joburg, until July 4
- Mawande Ka Zenzile’s Indlela Ibuzwa Kwabaphambili & Peter Clarke’s The Departure solo shows at Stevenson Cape Town from July 4 to August 15
- Erin Chaplin’s Yellow Cocoon solo exhibition at Everard Read London until July 18
- Michael Macgarry’s The Wound & the Ghost & Boytchie’s Righteous Orders solo shows at Everard Read Joburg until July 25
- The Winter group exhibition at Everard Read Cape Town until July 25, featuring, among others, Aaron Philander, Barbara Wildenboer, Blessing Ngobeni, Deborah Bell, John Meyer, Lady Skollie, Mary Sibande, Neill Wright, Samukelisiwe Majola, Thonton Kabeya & Zander Blom
- Solo exhibitions by Pyda Nyariri (“Paivapo [There once was …]”) & Jonah Sack (“Kite Diagrams”) at the Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town, until July 30
- Reverse Futures at JCAF, Joburg (appointment only), until December 5, featuring Etel Adnan, Cave_bureau, Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler, Paula Gaetano Adi, Kamil Adam Hassim, Traci Kwaai, Ernest Mancoba, Georgia Munnik & Yinka Shonibare
Theatre
‘The Cry of Winnie Mandela’
This critically acclaimed play, based on Njabulo S Ndebele’s novel and directed by MoMo Matsunyane, brings together four women bound by the shared experience of waiting for their husbands’ return. Through intimate moments of reflection and fellowship, they draw strength from — and locate themselves within — the legacy of Winnie Mandela.
Dates: July 8-12
Venue: The Market Theatre, Joburg
Tickets: R120-R220
‘Woza Albert!’
Woza Albert! is back at The Market as part of the theatre’s 50th anniversary celebrations. The work was first created and staged at The Market in 1981 by Mbongeni Ngema, Percy Mtwa and Barney Simon. Through a gimlet-eyed satire, they explored what would happen if Morena — the Lord — were to return to apartheid South Africa. The current version is performed by Hamilton Dhlamini, who also directs it, and Thulani Mtsweni.
Dates: July 15-26
Venue: The Market Theatre, Joburg
Tickets: R110-R220
‘Midnight in Parys’
In Midnight in Parys, Paul Slabolepszy returns to the stage with Bianca Amato, in a play set in a karaoke bar in Parys. Outside, there’s a 2-billion-year-old asteroid crater, inside, two strangers, one running from the past and the other facing a future they can’t escape.
Dates: Extended until July 19
Venue: The Studio at Montecasino, Joburg
Tickets: R200-R250
Music
Washington DC Youth Orchestra
The DC Youth Orchestra, one of the US’s leading youth music education organisations, continues its long tradition of cultural exchange through music and is making its annual stopover in SA. The programme includes Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade in A minor and Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No 8 in G Major.
Date: July 5
Venue: Linder Auditorium, Joburg
Tickets: From R100
Simphiwe Dana: The Symphonic Experience
Simphiwe Dana takes to the stage with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra in a one-off performance that fuses jazz, soul and traditional African music.
Date: July 29
Venue: Artscape, Opera House, Cape Town
Tickets: R200-R650
Wanted
