The 2026 edition of Fête de la Musique brought thousands of music lovers together across Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg, reaffirming the festival’s place as one of South Africa’s leading celebrations of live music and cultural exchange.
The first-ever Cape Town edition took place on 29 March, presented as part of Bree Street Sundays. Free performances by local musicians and DJs transformed the city centre into an open-air stage, introducing the festival to new audiences.
On 13 June, the Alliance Française of Pretoria hosted the Pretoria edition, with performances by Mishy Kope, Masa Caroleen and Majalamba Omhle. The celebrations culminated on 20 June at Victoria Yards, where Johannesburg marked the festival’s 15th edition. Headlined by Zoë Modiga, The Brother Moves On and lordkez, the programme also showcased emerging musicians, poets and DJs selected from more than 300 applications by a panel of South African and international music professionals.
Beyond the performances, Fête de la Musique continued to support emerging talent through the Live Music Lab professional development programme, creating opportunities for artists to strengthen their skills and engage with industry professionals.
The French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) extends its thanks to Bassline, co-producer of the festival, and TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa for their continued support. Appreciation also goes to the Alliance Française of Cape Town, the Alliance Française of Pretoria, the City of Cape Town, the City of Johannesburg, TEDxJohannesburg, Victoria Yards, Young Urbanists through Street Experiments SA, Bridges for Music, Mission for Inner City Cape Town, Jazz in the City, and the many artists, volunteers and audiences whose contributions made the 2026 edition of Fête de la Musique a success.
Watch short videos of each edition on IFAS’s Instagram account.
Photo: Masa Caroleen performing in Pretoria. Picture credit: Hoek Swaratlhe.
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