Malkerns – More than 600 high school learners from across Eswatini descended on House on Fire in Malkerns on Thursday for the 2026 edition of the EU Bushfire Schools Festival, turning the iconic venue into a vibrant showcase of youth talent ahead of the main MTN Bushfire Festival.
The festival brought together learners from rural and urban schools alike, including pupils with special needs and out-of-school youth clubs, all performing under the theme “Art in Action. Future in the Making.”
Throughout the day, the learners took to the stage with dances, poetry, theatre, fashion shows and a range of other artistic performances that drew cheers from fellow participants and onlookers. 
European Union Ambassador to Eswatini, Karsten Mecklenburg, opened the festival and told the learners that creativity and innovation are skills valued across all areas of life, particularly in the labour market they will one day enter.
The Ambassador said art can open doors to careers, and that the festival could serve as a springboard for many of the learners to discover and pursue futures in the creative industry, pointing to former participants who are already earning their livelihoods through the arts.
He said that is precisely why the EU is glad to continue supporting the schools festival, which has grown in popularity among the country’s youth.
Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo also addressed the gathering, speaking to the role of arts in human development and saying the arts can help shape one’s future. The Minister thanked the EU for its continued support of the festival, which he said helps Emaswati youth discover themselves through creative expression.
The schools festival served as the curtain-raiser for the main MTN Bushfire Festival, which runs from 29 to 31 May 2026 at House on Fire in Malkerns.
