Luju 2nd artist drop announced!
The Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival has revealed Jazzworx & Thukuthela, Nomfundo Moh and Jazz pianist Andile Yenana, from South Africa, and Eswatini’s Sands as the most recent artists to be announced for the 7th edition of the festival taking place from 1 – 2 August, 2025 at House On Fire, Eswatini.
Now is a good time to secure your spot at one of the region’s leading food & fashion events. Tickets are selling out fast! Get yours now on the Luju website, https://lujufestival.com/#ticket
Eswatini residents can purchase Luju tickets via the Unayo Marketplace on WhatsApp. Simply WhatsApp ‘Hi’ to 7805 6364 (Unayo Marketplace), select Unayo Ticketing and follow the prompts. Tickets can also be purchased from Standard Bank branches in Mbabane (Corporate Place), Ezulwini (The Gables) and Manzini (opposite Bhunu Mall). Festival tickets can also be purchased through Dala Spaces at Malandela’s Lifestyle, in Malkerns.
For a seamless festival experience, festivalgoers can beat the queues by pre-loading Top-Up funds when buying their tickets.
The 2025 Luju Festival music programme will showcase some of the finest musicians, singers and DJs from Eswatini, and across the southern African region. Previously announced music performances to look forward to include Blaq Diamond (ZA), iYA (SZ), Xixel Langa (MZ), Sipho “Hostix” Mabuse (ZA), Sibu Manzini (SZ), Lwah Ndlunkulu (ZA) and The Feather Dusters (SZ) amongst many others. From experimental Jazz to sultry Afro Soul and high-energy dancefloor beats, Luju 2025 will be a sonic experience like no other!
These artists join the festival’s stellar lineup of celebrity chefs, revered fashion designers and some of the finest artists in southern Africa, all coming together to enhance Luju Festival’s signature celebration of “A Return to the African Future”.
Look out for the full programme release next week!
Sands is Eswatini’s Afro-Soul gem, a vocalist, guitarist and storyteller whose sound moves the spirit. From the platinum success of Tigi to award-winning performances across the region, he fuses acoustic Soul with cultural pride.
Dance music maestros Jazzworx & Thukuthela have been blowing up Spotify and other digital streaming platforms with a series of collaborative hits, including ‘Vuka’ with Oscar Mbo, and ‘Isaka (6am)’ with Ciza, which netted over 25 million cross-platform streams in just a few weeks after dropping in April.
A rising icon of her generation, Nomfundo Moh is the platinum-selling voice behind Lilizela and Phakade Lami, blending Afro-Pop and Trap-Soul with heartfelt isiZulu lyrics.
Andile Yenana is one of South Africa’s most compelling Jazz pianists. His first album garnered five nominations for the South African Music Awards (SAMA), and he has worked with some of the most influential Jazz musicians who helped shape the modern South African Jazz sound.
The stars of the Culinary and Fashion programmes will be revealed next week too, as they prepare to showcase their skills, expressed through their respective themes.
CULINARY THEME: The Forgotten Seeds
This year, we unearth the potential of seeds that anchor sustainable futures. From ancient crop varieties to intergenerational wisdom, we celebrate and draw inspiration from how indigenous practices and people harmonized with nature’s rhythms. By reviving and cultivating these seeds of knowledge, heritage and biodiversity, we bridge ancestral ingenuity and contemporary innovation, working towards food sovereignty, economic empowerment, and culinary reimagining.
FASHION THEME: Threads of Time: African Textiles Past, Present & Future
Threads of Time makes reference to the rich tapestry of African cultural wisdom as expressed through the evolution of African textiles, fashion and adornment over the years. This theme encourages festival attendees to explore the history, materials, inspiration and storytelling behind African textiles, and to consider how these textiles have transformed alongside fashion trends and influences throughout the years.
Apply now for the Luju Food & Fashion Indaba
Applications are now open for the Standard Bank Luju Food & Fashion Indaba. This innovative and impactful development initiative is open to entrepreneurs in the food and fashion industries.
The Indaba will take place on Thursday 31 July, 2025, in the House On Fire Amphitheatre at Malandela’s Lifestyle in Malkerns. The Fashion Indaba will be held from 9am to 12.30pm, and the Food Indaba, from 2pm to 6pm.
Application forms to attend the Food Indaba and the Fashion Indaba can be found on the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival website, lujufestival.com, as well as all festival social media platforms.
Applications close 25th July, 2025.
To keep up with further programme announcements, purchase tickets or find out more about the festival, please visit www.lujufestival.com, and follow the Luju Festival social media.
