Experience an unforgettable evening of live jazz with acclaimed South African bassist Herbie Tsoaeli at Jozi Gold.

Herbie Tsoaeli will be joined by:

- Muhammad Dawjee – Tenor Sax

- Themba Mhlongo – Alto Sax

- Yonela Mana – Piano

- Ayanda Sikadé – Drums

Date: Saturday, 29 August 2026

Doors Open: 18:30

Show Starts: 20:00

Ticket: R350

Please note: This event ticket is not included in the Contra Joburg Festival Pass. Tickets must be purchased separately at the door on the day of the event.

Come for an evening of exceptional live jazz, great music and the unique atmosphere of Jozi Gold.

Rugby doesn't get bigger than this. Watch one of rugby’s greatest rivalries unfold on the big screen as the Springboks take on the All Blacks at Jozi Gold.

Gather with fellow fans, enjoy the atmosphere, and experience every moment of the action

Grab a beer, settle in, and cheer on the Boks with fellow fans as every tackle, try, and triumph unfolds on the big screen. Make sure you book your spot when you have purchased your Contra.Joburg ticket.

Join the team at Jozi Gold for an exclusive brewery tour and tasting experience. Meet the master brewer, explore the brewing process, sample all six signature beers, and enjoy a fresh 500ml pour of your favourite.

Join the team at Jozi Gold for an exclusive brewery tour and tasting experience. Meet the master brewer, explore the brewing process, sample all six signature beers, and enjoy a fresh 500ml pour of your favourite.

Join the team at Jozi Gold for an exclusive brewery tour and tasting experience. Meet the master brewer, explore the brewing process, sample all six signature beers, and enjoy a fresh 500ml pour of your favourite.

Experience Joburg Ballet like never before.

Performances at 12:30 & 14:30 at Rand Club

As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations, Joburg Ballet presents a unique site-specific performance within the historic Rand Club. Responding to the building's architecture, history, and atmosphere, dancers transform this iconic Johannesburg landmark into a living stage.

• A unique ballet experience.

• Historic architecture meets contemporary performance.

• Limited seating available.

The festival pass gives you access to the festival programme, while the creative workshop costs R100 per participant, with booking recommended.

Join the team at Jozi Gold for an exclusive brewery tour and tasting experience. Meet the master brewer, explore the brewing process, sample all six signature beers, and enjoy a fresh 500ml pour of your favourite.

As part of Contra.Joburg 2026, Images of Defiance invites participants to explore the power of visual protest through a hands-on poster-making workshop. Inspired by the rich history of resistance art and social movements, attendees will create their own protest posters and discover how art can be used as a tool for expression, activism, and social change.

Hosted at Dibuka Café, the French Institute's Living Library in Braamfontein, this interactive session welcomes artists, students, activists, and anyone interested in creative forms of public dialogue

Experience the power of movement with The Moving into Dance Mophatong Trust and Imbali Visual Literacy Project dance collaboration, one of South Africa’s leading contemporary dance companies, renowned for blending African storytelling with contemporary, urban, and traditional dance, Moving into Dance creates performances that are visually striking, emotionally powerful, and deeply rooted in the human experience.

Through dynamic choreography, theatre, poetry, and live performance, the company brings stories of identity, culture, and social consciousness to life.

As part of Contra.Joburg 2026, join artists Teboho Moalusi and Maurice Smithers for a thought-provoking discussion on the role of art in political protest and social change. Drawing on their creative practices and experiences, the conversation will explore how artists respond to political realities, challenge dominant narratives, and use visual culture as a tool for resistance and public engagement.

Hosted at Dibuka Café, the French Institute's Living Library, this session offers audiences an opportunity to engage with contemporary perspectives on art, activism, and freedom of expression in South Africa and beyond.

Discover exhibitions by Visual Republic, Andile Mangwana, and TACS, alongside open studios, creative interventions, and a vibrant pop-up market featuring local makers and designers.

• Open artist studios.

• Visual Republic exhibition.

• TACS exhibition and creative showcases.

A powerful Women’s Month exhibition featuring works by Pam Friedman, Samantha Maseko, Jessica Boyer, Nomonde Kananda, Reitumetse Mogatla, Thobile Nhlapo, Mbali Tshabalala, Kutlwano Monyai, and Nicci Joao.

Through painting, photography, printmaking, mixed media, beadwork, sculpture, and textile-based practices, these artists reveal how strength often lives in care, memory, creativity, and perseverance.

From reclaimed Nespresso capsule portraits celebrating female power, to photographs exploring ancestry and spirituality, to works honouring Black womanhood, community, and cultural memory, Tender Resistance is an invitation to witness the extraordinary power of softness.

Curated by Tanya Krain.

Step into Back To Wonder, where The Little Artist transforms its studio into a playful art maze filled with colour, creativity and art gems.

Wander through the maze, discover artworks created by little and senior artists, and follow the journey until the original artworks reveal the minds and imagination behind them.

A playful celebration of creativity, curiosity and the joy of seeing the world through an artist's eyes.

Make The Little Artist one of your essential stops on the Contra Joburg Festival route.

Your Contra Joburg Weekend Pass gives you access to the exhibition and all 16 festival venues across the Johannesburg Inner City.

Experience the profound reclamation of narrative at The Palimpsest exhibition at Gallery 21, hosted inside the historic Transwerke Building at Constitution Hill.

Discover how this collaborative showcase by The Visual Republik and Contra Joburg peels back the layered complexities of African identity, memory, and social reality. Witness the distinct, powerful voices of Hlavutelo Ngobeni, Lindelwa Matsebula, Rick Baloyi, and Vhuhwavho Mashau as they engage in an authentic dialogue between the past and the present.

Explore a space where traces of rewritten histories bleed through the surface, confronting contemporary conundrums and offering a sublime, deeply internal perspective on African storytelling that challenges, heals, and inspires.

Included with your Contra Joburg Weekend Pass

Art, Movement & Community LIVE Experiences @ TRANSWERKE STUDIOS

Ready to get creative? Becoming the Little Artist invites children and adults to spend the day making something uniquely their own.

Choose your creative activity:

Tote Bag Painting

Pencil Case Painting

For all ages — little artists and big kids at heart are welcome!

Come create, play, experiment and take home something you made yourself.

The workshop fee is separate from your Contra Joburg Weekend Pass. The festival pass gives you access to the festival programme, while the creative workshop costs R120 per participant, payable on arrival.

Come curious. Leave Creative.

Bring the whole family along for a day of creativity and fun! Kids can enjoy art-making activities, face painting, and hands-on creative experiences in a safe, child-friendly space.

A group photography exhibition featuring works by Naledi Mkupa, Lebogang Thlako, Nonzuzo Gxekwa, Tshepiso Mazibuko, Phumelele Kunene, Simphiwe Thabede, and Zegugu Ngemntu.

Exploring identity, memory, selfhood, and the act of seeing through photography, film, collage, and projection, the exhibition asks how images shape our understanding of ourselves and others.

Also featuring The Self-Portrait Project — “What is the you, that you think you know?” — with works by Fuwe Molefe, Teboho Mabuya, Jessica Masego Nkuna, Asanda Mdluli, and Kholisile Gxowa, alongside a text work by Karabelo Temeki.

Go beyond the gallery wall.

For one day only, artists Fhatuwani Mukheli and Oteng Keabetswe open their studio doors at Play Braamfontein, offering a rare glimpse into their creative worlds.

Meet the artists, explore their workspaces, and discover the stories, processes, and ideas behind their work.

For over 35 years, the Imbali Visual Literacy Project has empowered artists, makers, and creative entrepreneurs through arts education and skills development.

At the Imbali Market, discover and shop a curated collection of handcrafted products created by Imbali students and graduates. From contemporary textiles and ceramics to original craft and design pieces, every purchase supports local talent and creative enterprise.

Meet the makers, hear their stories, and take home something uniquely South African.

Discover contemporary photography through the eyes of emerging and established image-makers from across the continent.

Founded by visual artist and educator Michelle Loukidis, Through the Lens Collective (TTL) presents a group salon exhibition exploring personal narratives, identity, place, and perspective through the medium of photography.

• Contemporary African photography.

• Diverse voices and visual storytelling.

• Presented in the historic Rand Club.

Included with your Contra Joburg Weekend Pass

FLIPPED – Contemporary Art & Design Exhibition

As part of Contra.Joburg 2026, FLIPPED is a contemporary art and design exhibition presented by Art Aid Africa, showcasing creative works that challenge perspectives and celebrate innovation, culture, and design.

Hosted at Studio 12, Transwerke Creative Hub in the historic Constitution Hill Precinct, the exhibition brings together artists, designers, and makers whose work reflects the energy and diversity of contemporary South African creativity.

Visitors can explore thought-provoking artworks, discover emerging talent, and engage with Johannesburg's vibrant creative community in one of the city's leading cultural destinations.

Collect Contra is a unique auction partnership between Contra.Joburg and Stephan Welz & Co., created to support the contemporary artists shaping Johannesburg today.

Featuring 74 works by emerging, mid-career, and established artists, the timed online auction offers an opportunity to discover, support, and collect contemporary South African art.

74 contemporary artworks.

Emerging, mid-career, and established artists.

Bid online from anywhere.

Whether you're a first-time buyer or a seasoned collector, this is your chance to invest in the future of South African art.

Remember that the Africa Collect facility is available, allowing you to take the artwork home and pay it off over up to 12 months.

Every woman has a story worth celebrating.

Step into ALL OF HER, a sculptural experience led by Emma Halford, where clay becomes a canvas for self-expression. Create your own ceramic torso sculpture, reflect on your journey, and leave your mark through art.

Join sculptor Emma Halford for a unique hands-on ceramic experience exploring identity, memory, and self-expression. Shape, carve, and personalise your own clay female torso sculpture, which will be professionally fired and returned as a lasting keepsake.

• No artistic experience required.

• Limited spaces available.

Experience acoustic renewal during FUCK: KULCHA‍ ‍ritual of renewal at the Transwerke Courtyard. Through shared making, acoustic sonic experimentation and spiritual resettling, Fuck: Kulcha invites us to reconnect with ourselves, each other and the space around us.

 Included with your Contra Joburg Festival Pass.

Art, Movement & Community LIVE Experiences @ TRANSWERKE STUDIOS

Experience Gatherer, a powerful solo exhibition by Mandy Johnson exploring transformation, renewal, and the creative force of fire.

Using reclaimed materials and immersive installations, Johnson investigates the moments that follow rupture and precede renewal. Fire becomes both a physical process and a metaphor for change, releasing hidden potential while leaving behind traces of memory and experience.

Through gathering, burning, and rebuilding, the work invites viewers to reflect on cycles of destruction, resilience, and regeneration.

HELPFUL HINT: Uber to The Gallery and start your Contra journey in Rosebank.

Step into Moletelo: A Gathering of Memories, a deeply personal solo exhibition by Frans Thoka.

Drawing inspiration from his grandmother's family photo album, Thoka explores the threads that connect generations through family, memory, and inheritance. Working across multiple mediums, he reflects on the stories, traditions, and shared histories that shape identity and belonging.

Through acts of remembrance and gathering, the exhibition becomes a meditation on the people and memories we carry with us.

Discover the art of tea at Cup Classique Premium Tea.  Crafted from slow-grown natural ingredients and packaged in biodegradable muslin tea bags, these premium South African blends are made without additives or preservatives, reflecting a commitment to quality, sustainability, and ethical production.  

• Enjoy a cup of tea in the café. 

• Explore and shop premium South African tea blends.