Ezulwini – More than 5000 people are expected to attend the inaugural Simunye Festival in October at Vuvulane in the Lubombo district.
Msutfu Masilela, a Simunye Fest organiser, told journalists at the media launch on Monday at Happy Valley that the event will take place on October 23-25, 2026, as part of a transformation effort in the region.
“Today, we officially launch Simunye Fest – a festival whose name, meaning ‘We Are One’ in siSwati, is not just a brand. It is a promise. A promise to this nation, to our youth, and to the communities that will host and be transformed by what we are building together,” he said, adding that they have lined up activation activities across the country. 
It proceeds amidst a venue setback with applications for the initial venue, Goshe Szokolay Stadium, in Simunye reviewed and reversed by RES Corporation. The Vuvulane Town Board accepted their application for the event to proceed.
Masilela said Simunye was an obvious choice site because it is ‘in the heart of the sugar belt’ and has the capacity to host an event of this magnitude.
“It was a setback. I will not pretend otherwise. But here is what I have come to believe: sometimes a door closes so that the right door can open. Because what happened next was not a consolation – it was a calling,” Masilela said.
The venue, Vuvulane, is situated along the East 3 Route, Eswatini’s critical corridor connecting people to Mozambique and to Mpumalanga in South Africa. It covers 7.85 hectares of allocated land.
Simunye Fest is a three-day event that connects people and locations while also promoting Southern African music and culture.
“The Maputo metropolitan area – over 1.1 million people – is within a two-to-three-hour drive. Mpumalanga’s Nelspruit is within the same reach. We are not just throwing a festival,” Masilela said.
Simunye Fest will host twelve interconnected experience zones: the main stage and Nomad Valley camping; the Impact Hub; the creator and influencer hub; the fashion and lifestyle zone; carnival games; the family zone; tourism and cultural experience; and networking as well as the VIP lounge.
“This is not a music event with extras. This is a fully integrated cultural, entrepreneurship, and lifestyle ecosystem – purpose-built for the modern African audience,” Masilela said.
Jägermeister, Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services (EBIS), Emerge Care, and the Vuvulane Town Board have all agreed to sponsor and support the event.
EBIS is the official media partner, Emerge Care is the official medical partner, and Jägermeister and Corner Street Liquors are the beverage sponsors.
Masilela expressed gratitude for their support, saying it is strengthening Simunye Fest’s ‘credibility’.
