The Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival in eSwatini recorded a 34.6% increase in international country representation at its 2026 edition, while participating small businesses reported higher sales after the event expanded to a two-day format.
Held from 1 to 2 August at House on Fire in eSwatini, the eighth edition drew more than 10,000 people from 35 countries. Organisers said the longer format helped lift sales by 17% among the festival’s 113 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) traders compared with 2025, and created more than 620 employment opportunities across production, hospitality, trading and services.
The festival ran under the theme ‘A Return to the African Future’ and presented:
- 49 musical acts
- 15 designer collections
- five culinary demonstrations
- four stages
Culinary and fashion programme
The culinary programme centred on ‘Nguni Foodways’, bringing together practitioners from eSwatini, South Africa and Zimbabwe to explore Swati, Zulu, Ndebele and Xhosa food traditions. It included live cooking demonstrations, dining experiences and Culinary Indaba discussions focused on food sovereignty and indigenous food systems.
Chef Sive Bhembe said:
“Luju has played an instrumental role in reconnecting people with forgotten foodways and indigenous ingredients, creating a platform where African cuisine can be celebrated, reimagined and shared.”
Fashion programming included 15 designers from five countries across the Fashion Café Pop-Up Runway, Luju Fashion Runway and Fashion Indaba. South African designer Mzukisi Mbane of Imprint South Africa headlined, alongside 11 Swati designers.
Lesotho-based designer Chere Mongangane of Bonono Merchants traded at the fashion café with support from Standard Bank Lesotho. Mozambican designer King Levi, founder of XIGUBO and Fancy Africa Fashion Week, also returned to the festival.
“Luju offers a space where African designers can share not only their collections, but also the stories, traditions, and identities that inspire them. It is through platforms like this that we continue to strengthen the creative economy and showcase the depth and diversity of African fashion to the world.”
Levi said.
Music line-up
Music remained central, with 62% of the 49 performers coming from eSwatini. Artists from South Africa, Mozambique and Lesotho also featured, including Mozambique’s Neyma, Lesotho’s Maleh and South African acts such as Zakes Bantwini, Zola 7, The Masekela Band, Nasty C, Liquideep and Shwi Mantombazane. Eswatini performers included Bholoja, Cece & Rina, Judah Soul, Oriiginelle, Emagagu and Sancheziey.
Regional expansion and partnerships
The festival held launch events in Johannesburg, South Africa and Maputo, Mozambique. A delegation of more than 10 representatives from Mozambique’s National Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries (INIC), led by National Director Ivan Bonde, attended to study Luju’s festival model, including public-private partnerships and digital marketing, with the intention of applying some approaches to festivals in Mozambique.
Mozambican company Marrabenta Special Events & Technologies provided sound and technical services.
Luju Festival Director Jiggs Thorne said:
“Luju was always designed to grow beyond eSwatini’s borders. Our launches in Johannesburg and Maputo, and the collaboration we’re building with partners across the region, are the first steps toward a festival platform that connects African creative economies, not just to us.”
Thorne added that the festival would focus on strengthening partnerships in trade, talent and tourism, with the aim of creating opportunities for SMEs, artists and designers across Southern Africa.
Standard Bank eSwatini chief executive Mvuselelo Fakudze said the bank’s involvement reflected its view of culture and creativity as contributors to economic growth.
“Our partnership with House On Fire to bring to life the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival reflects our shared belief that culture, creativity and commerce are powerful drivers of inclusive economic growth.”
Fakudze also pointed to the involvement of Standard Bank’s operations in Mozambique and Lesotho in supporting regional collaboration, including the participation of Bonono Merchants.
The 2026 edition continued Luju’s shift from an eSwatini-based festival toward a regional platform connecting creative industries, tourism and small businesses.
