MTN Bushfire returns from 30 May to 1 June 2025 with a packed programme that will see over 23,000 festivalgoers descend on the iconic House On Fire venue in the Malkerns Valley. With tickets already sold out, the event is expected to be one of the biggest cultural gatherings of the year in Eswatini.
Local and international acts will perform across five official stages: Main Stage, Amphitheatre, Bring Your Fire Stage, Corona Firefly Stage, and KidZone. From traditional dance to electronic beats, theatre to puppetry, the festival will celebrate diverse forms of expression from around the globe.
Eswatini will be well represented on all fronts. The Mantenga Cultural Village Dance Group, tribal percussion ensemble Tribal Natives, poet and performer Speech Umlangeni, and musicians like Khole, Statique & The Enigmas, and Sibu Manzini are all featured across the weekend. Other Swazi artists on the bill include Lady Zee, Chantel, OHPIS, Ziyawa Kazitha, DJ Expo, and This Is Odd.
Friday night will open with performances from Boom Shaka (SA), Zee Nxumalo (SZ/ZA), and K.O (SA) on the Main Stage, while jazz pianist Nduduzo Makhathini and singer Omagugu headline the Amphitheatre.
Saturday’s full-day experience offers everything from drum workshops and puppet shows to big-name sets from Inkabi Zezwe (ZA), Madala Kunene & Sibusile Xaba (ZA), and 340ml (MZ) with special guest Thandiswa Mazwai (ZA). International flair comes courtesy of ABAO (Taiwan), Candelaros (Spain/Colombia/Venezuela), and Kujenga (ZA).
On Sunday, the legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo (ZA) will close out the weekend with their Grammy-winning harmonies, preceded by acts like Steam Down (UK), Zara McFarlane (UK), and Mörda (ZA). Comedy and film will also take centre stage with a regional showcase and Afro-Colombian shorts presented by the Muica African Film Festival in Colombia.
Beyond the music, festivalgoers will experience a fusion of visual art, poetry, theatre, storytelling, acrobatics, and indigenous culture. The Unity Parade, scheduled for Saturday at 16:00, and roving performances throughout the grounds promise spontaneous moments of celebration and connection.
For families, the KidZone stage offers a weekend of curated programming including open mics, storytelling circles, and traditional dance workshops. Meanwhile, the Corona Firefly and Bring Your Fire stages will host top DJs and producers from across the continent, including DJ Lag (ZA), Coco Em (KE), and Oscar Mbo (ZA).
Bushfire continues to live up to its reputation as one of Africa’s most inclusive and immersive festivals — a space where art meets activism, and communities come alive in music, dance, and unity.
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