Tickets for MTN Bushfire’s 20th edition are officially on sale, and the countdown to another weekend in the Malkerns Valley has begun. Taking place from 28 to 30 May 2027 at House On Fire, with discounted Early Bird tickets available in limited numbers, the time to start planning is now.
From a gathering of just over 1,000 people in Malkerns to an international celebration of music, art and culture, MTN Bushfire is turning 20. With tickets for its milestone edition now on sale, it is time to look back at the people, performances and memories that made the festival what it is today.
There is a particular kind of excitement that comes with planning for MTN Bushfire. The group chats become active, the rush for tickets begin, the campers kickstart their plans, outfit ideas are conceived and the excitement on which performances to catch rally – of course with the added intrigue of discovering newartists you did not plan to see and spend the rest of the weekend wondering how you had not heard of them before.
In May 2027, the festival will celebrate its 20th edition, and there is plenty to look back on. Since its first gathering at House On Fire in 2007, MTN Bushfire has grown from an event that attracted just over 1,000 people into an international festival welcoming more than 23,000 people from over 55 countries.
For a country the size of Eswatini, that is quite a story. And for anyone who has watched the festival grow over the years, the anniversary offers a good excuse to revisit some of the moments that brought it here.
But first, the practical business of getting there: tickets are officially on sale from 10:00 am today, Friday, 23 October 2026. The 20th edition takes place from 28 to 30 May 2027 at House On Fire in Malkerns Valley. If the previous editions are anything to go by, waiting until the last minute is a gamble worth avoiding.
The Birth of Bushfire
Every festival has to start somewhere, and for Bushfire, that somewhere was House On Fire. Founded by Jiggs and Sholto Thorne, the first edition took place in 2007 with a little over 1,000 people. The idea was to create a platform where music and the arts could grow in Eswatini, while giving creative expression a role in conversations about social change.
While that original idea still remains, what has changed is the scale of the gathering and the number of people who have become part of it.
House On Fire remains an important part of the experience. Set in the Malkerns Valley, it has an atmosphere that feels different from a festival built around a single enormous stage.
The venue’s artwork, gardens, amphitheatre and interconnected spaces encourage people to wander, explore and see what is happening around them. You might head towards one performance and get distracted by something entirely different along the way.
The setting has always helped Bushfire feel like more than a place to watch musicians perform. It is somewhere to spend a weekend, meet people and discover different artforms.
When MTN joined the story
A significant chapter began in 2012, when MTN Eswatini became the festival’s title sponsor. The partnership helped support the festival’s growth and strengthened its ability to bring artists, audiences and creative communities together.
Over time, MTN Bushfire became a familiar name beyond Eswatini. Gaining international recognition as one of the world’s leading festivals from the likes of BBC and CNN, Bushfire’s reputation has been built around a programme that welcomes African artists and global performers to a diverse and immersive gathering.
That variety is important. Bushfire has never been only about finding the biggest name on a poster. It is also about hearing music you might not ordinarily seek out, discovering a new favourite and seeing different cultures share the same space.
Its stages have welcomed musicians, DJs, dancers, poets and theatre performers, while other areas of the festival have made room for visual arts, workshops and conversations about the world beyond the music.
More than a weekend of music
Ask different people what they love about Bushfire and the answers will vary. From outstanding performances, diverse foods from around the world, artistic crafts and a family friendly the festival offers experiences like no other – a mix that is central to its identity.
Bushfire’s call to action, Bring Your Fire, encapsulates this identity even further as it invites people to arrive with their own interests, energy and ideas, while recognising that a shared experience can be about more than entertainment.
The festival has also maintained a connection to social and environmental causes. The Bring Your Fire Zone provides space for advocacy and conversations on issues affecting local and global communities. Its wider programme has included arts education and opportunities for local creatives to develop their work.
Young Heroes, which supports children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, has been a festival beneficiary since its first edition. BoMake Rural Projects, which works with rural women and artisan communities, has also benefited from the festival’s activities. These relationships are a reminder that the impact of a major event can extend beyond the people who attend it.
The years that tested the flame
The festival’s growth has not happened without interruptions. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the live events industry around the world, and Bushfire was no exception.
After the break in its regular physical gatherings, the festival returned in 2022 for its 15th edition, welcoming more than 11,000 people under reduced capacity requirements.
That return was an important moment. People had spent a long time without the familiar experience of gathering for live music, and the opportunity to be together again carried its own significance. The 2022 edition featured three stages and more than 70 acts, while its Schools Festival brought over 600 students into arts education activities.
The festival continued to grow in the years that followed. The 2025 edition celebrated creativity, unity and sustainability, and in 2026, more than 23,000 festivalgoers from over 55 countries gathered for the 19th edition.
By 2026, tickets have sold out for 14 consecutive editions. A that record says a lotabout the loyalty of the people who return year after year, as well as the interest the festival continues to attract from new audiences.
Twenty editions also mean that the festival has been experienced by different generations. As some visitors remember those early years; others first encountered Bushfire as teenagers, and many are now bringing their own childrento the event. There is something special about a festival that can become part of a family’s calendar, or a group of friends’ annual tradition.
What does 20 look like?
For the anniversary edition, the festival is inviting its community back to Malkerns from 28 to 30 May 2027. The artist lineup is yet to be announced, so there is still plenty of anticipation around who will take the stages next year.
What is already clear is that the 20th edition will be an opportunity to celebrate the artists, organisers, partners, vendors, communities and audiences who have contributed to the festival’s history. The people who have performed, worked behind the scenes, travelled to Eswatini and returned year after year are all part of that story.
And, naturally, there will be new memories to make. The first performance that catches you by surprise. The song that brings an entire crowd together. The artist you discover and immediately send to your friends. The moment you realise you have spent hours walking around, talking, eating, listening and watching, and still have not seen everything.
So get your tickets today for MTN Bushfire 20 and Bring your fire!
