Music festivals in Johannesburg include Ultra South Africa and X Fest, while big concerts are staged at Marks Park and Old Park Station. Dates change by edition, so confirm each one with the organiser before buying tickets.
Say you want one big night out and have not yet picked an event. The useful split is between annual festivals, whose dates move from year to year, and one-off concerts, which are announced artist by artist at a named venue. This guide follows that split, then covers getting there and getting in. For the wider picture, start with live music johannesburg.
The year at a glance
The big concerts currently listed by promoter BreakOut Events run from November into early February, with festivals scheduled separately. The table sets the listed one-off shows in date order, which makes it easier to see which weekends are already taken.
| Event | Date as listed | Venue | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Msaki & Thando Zide, Sunset Music Series | Saturday 7 November 2026 | Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden, Roodepoort, Gauteng | Suits a garden-style evening on the West Rand side of the province. |
| Leon Bridges | Saturday 28 November 2026 | Marks Park, Emmarentia, Johannesburg | An open-air park show inside the city. |
| Jack White | Friday 11 December 2026 | Old Park Station, Johannesburg | A Friday show with a Park & Ride option listed. |
| Dave Koz with special guest Chris Walker | Sunday 24 January 2027 | Sunbet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria, Gauteng | A Gauteng show outside Johannesburg, so plan a longer trip. |
| KALEO | Saturday 6 February 2027 | Marks Park, Emmarentia, Johannesburg | Marks Park returns, so the venue is familiar to repeat attendees. |
Dates and venues are as published on the promoter’s own site, BreakOut Events.
Annual festivals near Johannesburg
Two festival names recur in listings: Ultra South Africa and X Fest. They suit different plans, and neither should be assumed to fall in the same month every year.
Ultra South Africa
Ultra Music Festival South Africa has a track record in the city. Festapp lists 7 editions of the Johannesburg event between 2018 and 2026, filed under Johannesburg South. The same listing gives 10 May 2025 for the 2025 edition.
That date is not a fixed calendar slot. Viberate places the 2023 edition on 11 March 2023 at the Expo Centre at Nasrec, so Ultra has appeared in both March and May. Treat it as a festival to watch for, not one to plan a year around, and wait for the official announcement before booking travel or leave.
X Fest
X Fest is a venue-based festival listed on Howler at The Fox, 1 Fox Precinct, 14 Alexander St, Ferreiras Dorp, Johannesburg, 2001. The listing describes two stages, immersive production and curated lifestyle activations.
It suits people who want a compact, production-led day or night in the inner city rather than a large open-field site. Production scale is part of what a festival ticket pays for, from stage count to lighting and the sound system carrying the music, so the listing’s emphasis on staging is worth weighing against a single-stage park concert. Confirm the date and line-up on the Howler event page before committing.
One-off concerts and the venues that host them
One-off concerts differ from festivals in one practical way: the artist, date and venue are fixed together, so there is one announcement and often a single sale window. In Johannesburg the listed shows sit in parks, a former station site and, for Ultra, an exhibition centre.
Marks Park, Emmarentia
BreakOut Events lists both Leon Bridges (Saturday 28 November 2026) and KALEO (Saturday 6 February 2027) at Marks Park, Emmarentia. A venue that hosts a show in late spring and another in summer is a sensible place to learn the layout and entry routine. Both listings are on the promoter’s site.
Old Park Station
Jack White is listed at Old Park Station in Johannesburg on Friday 11 December 2026. A weekday-evening start puts more weight on travel planning, and the promoter’s page also carries a separate Park & Ride listing for this show, covered in the transport section below.
Expo Centre at Nasrec
Nasrec’s Expo Centre hosted the 2023 Ultra edition, according to Viberate. It is the clearest example here of a large exhibition-style site used for a festival rather than a park used for a concert. Capacities are not published in the listings used for this guide, so check the venue or promoter page for a figure before judging how crowded a show will be.
Shows beyond the city
Gauteng also hosts listed shows outside Johannesburg itself. The Sunset Music Series is at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden in Roodepoort, and Dave Koz plays Sunbet Arena in Pretoria. Both belong on the calendar if you are searching for Gauteng music festivals and concerts rather than only inner-city ones.
Getting to and from venues
Parking is the main constraint at the venues with published guidance. For X Fest, the Howler listing says secure parking is limited. It encourages guests to use e-hailing services and to arrive early.
For the Jack White show at Old Park Station, BreakOut Events lists a Park & Ride option as its own ticketed item. If you plan to drive to a show with that option, check what the listing includes before choosing it over e-hailing. Leaving a park-based venue after a headline set is when pick-up demand peaks, so an arranged return is easier than improvising one.
Tickets and entry
BreakOut Events names Webtickets.co.za and Howler.co.za as its official ticket partners, and X Fest itself is listed on Howler. Start there, and read where to buy concert tickets in johannesburg for the buying steps.
At the gate, expect bag checks. The X Fest listing prohibits cooler boxes, camp chairs and umbrellas, and says bags may be searched. Pack light and leave seating gear at home. Rules differ by event, so read each listing’s entry conditions rather than assuming one festival’s rules apply to another.
Choosing an event: a short checklist
- Decide between a festival and a single-artist concert. Festivals suit variety and production; concerts suit one headliner.
- Check the date on the organiser’s page, not a past edition’s listing, since Ultra has moved between March and May.
- Note the venue and plan your return trip first, particularly where parking is limited.
- Buy only through the official ticket partners named on the promoter’s site.
- Read the entry rules for prohibited items and ID before packing.
- For smaller nights while you wait for a big date, see gigs in johannesburg this weekend.
Frequently asked questions
Is X Fest open to under-18s?
No. The Howler listing says it is a strictly no under 18s event, and valid ID may be requested at the gate.
Does BreakOut Events sell through Viagogo?
No. The promoter states that it does not sell tickets through secondary resale platforms like Viagogo, and names Webtickets.co.za and Howler.co.za as official partners.
Are there big concerts in Gauteng outside Johannesburg?
Yes. Dave Koz is listed at Sunbet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria on Sunday 24 January 2027, and the Sunset Music Series runs at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden in Roodepoort on Saturday 7 November 2026.
