Everybody’s favourite time of year is around the corner. When the third quarter draws slowly to a close, many students are excited for Lentedag, an annual concert that ends Q3 with a bang through the combination of an amazing lineup of artists, a park filled with students and copious amounts of alcohol. We cannot tell what is harder: keeping your attention intact during that last week of lectures, not passing out in the bus on the way to Lentedag or spotting a person of colour on the Lentedag Instagram page or in attendance on 13 September. While making your plans for recess and beyond, if you want to include some events that encompass various types of music and more diverse groups of people, check out PDBY’s recommendations.
1. Friends Like Me, 27 August
Homecoming Events, according to their website, is a fully black-owned company that specialises in event organisation, among other services. Having its roots in Tshwane, Homecoming Events often hosts events that promise an amazing Tshwane-centric experience with good music and even better food. Their newest event, “Friends Like Me,” is a live music picnic event at the Pretoria Botanical Gardens. Attendees can expect performances from Daliwonga, Mafikizolo, Ralf Gum, and many other soulful local artists.
2. Focalistic’s Straata Nation Address, 16 September
Focalistic, also known as Lethabo Sebetso, but better known as Presidente ya Straata (president of the streets), is a musical artist born and raised in Pretoria. He rose to prominence following the success of his song Ke Star, which later gained a feature from international superstar Davido. In an interview with TimesLive, he remarked, “My music is a way of stretching out to my fan to motivate them. I want more people to be inspired and want to change more people’s lives through my music.” For his first-ever one-man show, fans are heading to Pretoria Botanical Gardens for a show-stopping performance. General admission tickets range from R50 to R250.
3. Rocking the Daisies, 8 October
Rocking the Daisies is one of South Africa’s biggest music festivals. The first edition of the Johannesburg leg of this two-city festival was a huge success in 2022. And it seems that Daisies intends to make this year even better and more memorable. Ticket prices are between R700 and R900 and concertgoers can expect an incredible lineup of international artists like Stomzy, The Vamps, Ayra Starr and JID.