October 2026 is bringing a live entertainment calendar to South Africa. There are international stars, major festivals and theatre productions that will rake over venues across Gauteng and take Western Cape. These are some of the shows, concerts and festivals on the radar this month.

Dave: The Boy Who Played the Harp Tour

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UK rapper Dave kicks off October with two South African dates. He performs at SunBet Arena in Pretoria on 3 October before heading to Grand Arena, GrandWest in Cape Town on 6 October. The shows are part of his The Boy Who Played the Harp Tour. 

Spring Fiesta 2026

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Spring Fiesta returns to Wild Waters in Boksburg on 3 October for a full day of dance music. The festival will feature stages covering house, deep house, hip-hop and electronic music. The line-up includes Atjazz, Jullian Gomes, Dwson, Kid Fonque, KUDbEU, Aquatone and Vinny Da Vinci with DJ Christos amongst others. 

In The City JHB: Isaiah Rashad

Isaiah Rashad brings In The City JHB to Montecasino Outdoor Events Arena on 4 October. The American rapper will be joined by UK R&B singer Sinead Harnett and rum.gold. 

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Mamma Mia! The Musical

Fans of musical theatre can catch Mamma Mia! at Artscape in Cape Town until 11 October. The production stars Amra-Faye Wright as Donna Sheridan, with Samantha Peo as Tanya, Lindy Abromowitz as Rosie and Leah Mari as Sophie. Directed by Janice Honeyman, the South African production features songs from ABBA.

Back to the City Festival

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Johannesburg’s Back to the City Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary on 10 October at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown. It features international acts including Ab-Soul, Slum Village and Blu & Exile.  Cassper Nyovest, Emtee, Blxckie, Stogie T, Reason, Tuks, Touchline and Trompies among the South African acts on the lineup. Guests will also be treated to street art, fashion, skateboarding, gaming and DJ battles.

Ne-Yo

Ne-Yo returns to South Africa for two October shows. The singer performs at Grand Arena, GrandWest in Cape Town on 17 October and SunBet Arena in Pretoria on 18 October. Songs to expect include “So Sick”, “Miss Independent”, “Closer” and “Because of You”. 

Zonke: The Evergreen Series

Zonke brings The Evergreen Series to Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 24 October. The South African Afro-soul singer will perform with a 30-piece live band, revisiting songs from across her career.

Ultimate R&B Experience Tour

Cape Town gets another major R&B date on 28 October when Brian McKnight, All-4-One and SWV perform at Grand Arena, GrandWest. The concert will bring together R&B hits from the 1990s and early 2000.

Brian McKnight and All-4-One are scheduled to perform at SunBet Arena in Pretoria on 30 and 31 October.

Tyla’s A*POP World Tour show scheduled for Johannesburg has moved to a new venue. The concert, originally set for the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec on Saturday, 9 January 2027, will now take place at SunBet Arena at Time Square in Pretoria.

The date remains unchanged, but the venue change brings different ticket arrangements, including seated options.

Photo: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP

Tickets bought through Howler will be transferred to Ticketmaster South Africa, and existing ticket holders will not need to purchase new tickets. Golden Circle tickets will be converted to Front-Zone Standing tickets, while General Admission tickets will remain valid. Replacement digital tickets will be sent to existing buyers through Ticketmaster.

Fans who would prefer a seated ticket can request a transfer to an equivalent-priced seated category, subject to availability. Requests must be submitted to Ticketmaster by 3pm on Monday, 28 September 2026.

Photo: Instagram/@Tyla

The A*POP World Tour begins in Paris on 12 October 2026 before travelling through Europe, the UK, North America and Africa. The tour includes dates in London, Glasgow, Manchester, Berlin, Stockholm, Los Angeles and Las Vegas before reaching Africa.

The African leg includes Lagos on 22 December, Cape Town on 4 January 2027 and Johannesburg on 9 January. With the venue change, the Johannesburg show will now take place at SunBet Arena and will be the final date on the tour.

Photo: Instagram/@Tyla

The South African dates mark Tyla’s return to the country where she began her career. Born and raised in Johannesburg, she first gained attention with songs including “Getting Late” before “Water” became her international breakthrough. The song earned her the Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance.

Her second album, APOP*, was released in July. The 14-track project includes songs such as “Chanel”, “Is It”, “She Did It Again” and “Is It Love”.

Photo: Getty

The Johannesburg concert follows Tyla’s 2025 We Wanna Party Tour, which included dates in South Africa and Asia.

The Cape Town show on 4 January will remain at Green Point Track and is not affected by the Johannesburg venue change.

For existing Johannesburg ticket holders, the concert date remains 9 January 2027, but the venue and some ticket arrangements have changed. Those attending the show should look out for their replacement digital tickets from Ticketmaster and check the updated venue information before the concert.

The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival is introducing a new addition to its 2026 programme with the inaugural “Free the Jazz” concert. This public event is slated for Heritage Day. The concert will take place on 24 September at the Sandton City Rooftop in Johannesburg. 

“Free the Jazz” hopes to make live jazz accessible to younger audiences. The programme will feature artists working in different musical genres. 

Photo: Instagram/@joyofjazz

The line-up includes Jazz Maestro Sbu, who won the Joy of Jazz #JazzReignited DJ search competition. Jazz and Afro-rock group The Brother Moves On will also perform, alongside Namibian house DJ and producer DJ Castro. Jazz vocalist, songwriter and composer Bokang Ramatlapeng and trumpeter Robin Fassie are also part of the programme.

Read Also: Tutu Puoane Returns to Cape Town Jazz Festival

The Jazzaholics, featuring radio personalities Nothemba Madumo and Nonn Botha, will join the programme, while Kids Love Jazz will bring its sound to the event. Other music platforms connected to the festival include Sankayi Jazz Series, Hugh’s Jazz Club, Jozi Gold, Untitled Basement, Umanyano Lwe Jazz Festival and SAMPRA.

Photo: Instagram/@joyofjazz

The event starts at 10am and ends at 7pm. However, gates will open at 9am. Although entry is free, attendees must reserve tickets through Quicket. Admission is subject to venue capacity.

Organisers say the event is aimed at students, young professionals, and jazz fans. 

The Heritage Day event will lead into the main Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival, which takes place on 25 and 26 September. General admission day passes are listed at R1,150, while weekend passes cost R2,250.

Photo: Instagram/@joyofjazz

With “Free the Jazz”, the festival is adding a free public event focused on emerging talent to its annual programme. The concert also gives audiences an opportunity to experience  African sounds before the main Joy of Jazz programme begins.