Malkerns – MTN Bushfire 2026 has wrapped up its 19th edition at the House on Fire venue in Malkerns, Eswatini, with festivalgoers offering a mix of warm praise and pointed criticism, while organisers have already confirmed dates for what they are billing as the biggest edition yet.
The three-day festival, themed the “Juncture of Hum,” ran from 29 to 31 May and drew thousands of visitors from across the region and beyond, with some attendees crossing two international borders to be there.
The Main Stage opened on Friday with performances from the Mantenga Cultural Village Dance Group, Summer Pearl, Tamika, Lindigo featuring Anna Sato, Buhle Mbongwa, Uncle Waffles, Wicked and Moonchild Sanelly, before Bubbles b2b DJ Bob closed out the night. Saturday brought Kokoroko, a Busi Mhlongo Tribute featuring Xolisa Dlamini, Buhlebendalo and Zawadi Yamungu, Young Stunna and the Sibu Manzini Project, among others. Sunday’s Main Stage closed with Kabelo Mabalane, Msaki and Jesse Clegg performing as Project Entropy, Ndlovu Youth Choir and Jupiter and Okwess. 
The Amphitheatre Stage hosted an equally international spread across the three days, including Swati Strings featuring Gcobani, Bheki Nhleko and Siso Nkambule, Esinam and Sibusile Xaba, Wayne Snow, Hope Masike, Guy Buttery and Dan Patlansky, Yugen Blakrok, Zedicus and Abyssinia Roots, and the Ka-Tembe Connexion Music Project. The Corona Firefly Stage and Zone Stage rounded out a programme that also featured DJ sets, poetry, acoustic sessions, rhythmic drawing workshops and a United We Dance movement workshop.
Food, atmosphere and community spirit drew consistent praise from attendees. “Food was amazing at every stall,” wrote Leigh-ann Amelia Mpete, a festivalgoer who has attended for ten years and crossed two borders to be there again this year. She gave particular mention to the ice cream stall, describing it as offering “100% service and product,” and praised the kiddies zone, where children enjoyed a mop dance and karaoke on Sunday. She also commended gate staff, saying her family felt safe throughout the weekend.
Attendee Thato Taydo-Akani Makhubele acknowledged the effort made by cleaning staff at the restrooms, writing, “Thank you to the ladies who made sure the restrooms were always clean and helped us with smiles.” She also credited Kabelo Mabalane as a standout performer, writing that “Buga love @kabelo mabelane saved the whole weekend!!!”
Phephisa C. Dlamini Dlamini offered a broader reflection on what makes the festival distinctive. “What I love about Bushfire, no artist is bigger than the festival. Pure vibes and perfect time to update my Spotify,” she wrote.
The artist lineup was the most recurring point of criticism. Mpete said the lineup “was not good this year,” while Makhubele described it as “truly disappointing especially considering how expensive the festival tickets are.” She added that while she understood the desire to expose local artists, placing resident acts on the main stage on Saturday and Sunday left crowds disengaged at various points. Calls for the 20th edition to feature bigger headline names were widespread, with Vusi M Mnisi writing, “20th edition must have real crowd-pulling artists please,” a sentiment echoed by several others. Khetsiwe Nxumalo suggested letting fans vote on the artists.
Makhubele also raised concerns about the shuttle service and the need for better support for guests with disabilities, describing the entrance into the BYO camping area as “unbearable” and calling for more check-in stands to manage the large crowds. She further called on organisers to add more showers and restrooms in the campground, and questioned the practice of charging campers for access to electricity.
Several attendees also noted the absence of familiar sponsor stages. “Not me searching for the Jägermeister stage, I rounded the place two times,” wrote Trevor Leibbrandt, drawing responses from others who also missed the Amstel and Ballantine’s stages.
Beyond the music, the festival hosted an Arts Round Table in partnership with the Africa Rising Music Conference, bringing together voices from across the creative industry to discuss artist identity, mental health, artificial intelligence as a creative tool, and cross-continental collaboration. Central to the discussions was the Arts Incubator Corridor, an initiative linking Eswatini, Mozambique and South Africa to broaden market access and support artist mobility across the region.
Community traders from the Lobamba Lomtala constituency again featured prominently in the festival marketplace. Organisers noted that in 2025, traders generated a combined revenue of over E10.8 million, with 87% of participants being local entrepreneurs.
Sponsors present across the festival grounds included MTN Eswatini, FNB Eswatini, Isuzu South Africa, Flying Fish, Spotted Horse Rum, Coca-Cola, Johnnie Walker, Listerine SA and Perfect Choice Africa. Tourism activations from Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal were also hosted at the Tourism Hub.
MTN Bushfire has confirmed the 20th edition will take place from 28 to 30 May 2027.
