It’s time to get ready for the fifth edition of the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival, to be held on the 4th and 5th of August, 2023, at the iconic Eswatini performance venue House On Fire!
This year, Standard Bank and House On Fire have even more to bring you with this family-friendly feast of culinary exploits, high-end fashion and Afro-centric music. A unique and sophisticated African-vintage styled celebration of the local, the wholesome, the creative, and the delicious, the spirit of Luju is encapsulated in the ethos “A Return to the African Future”, which celebrates Africa’s beauty and style from the past to the present and onwards to the future. It’s a journey of the senses, a re-imagining of our heritage, and a preview of the design innovations of tomorrow. “A Return to the African Future” finds expression in the Culinary and Fashion themes this year:
Design Gastronomy explores food as both an art medium and edible eccentricity, drawing on age-old techniques, fusing rich African heritage with contemporary tastes for all palates in experiential pockets of the festival. With a regional focus in mind, the culinary experience is enriched with specialized demos that bring to the fore collaborative pairings of tastes and textures. This year, all spaces will be specially curated to present an individualized aesthetic with complementing artisanal foods and drinks.
African Fashion Folktales celebrates the transformative power of fashion; craft mastery and sustainable materials become mediums for the reclaiming of ancestral stories. Through interweaving the tales of our past, we re-imagine our future. From individual expression to the collective consciousness, fashion has the power to shift and shape future generations.
Getting to the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival
House On Fire is located between Mahlanya and Malkerns on the MR27 road, off the MR103, about 23km from the capital city, Mbabane, and a short 14km from Ezulwini. Key in the following GPS coordinates – Elevation 756m – S 26’ 29.881 E031’ 13.110 or use the Google Map coordinates: -26.4981694, 31.2147246,16
Direct flights with Air Eswatini:
The national airline, Eswatini Air, operates direct flights between Eswatini and Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town in South Africa, as well as Harare, Zimbabwe. Check out their competitive prices here: https://eswatiniair.co.sz/
Eswatini Border & Travel Updates
There are a number of new border requirements for non-residents / non-citizens traveling to Eswatini. To avoid border congestion, we advise you to get to the festival early this year!
- The Ngwenya / Oshoek border point will likely see high traffic volumes so we highly suggest you use Alternative Border Posts to avoid long waits at Ngwenya / Oshoek such as Sicunusa or Mahamba. Border information can also be found here: https://www.thekingdomofeswatini.com/how-to-get-there/
- Ngwenya/Oshoek : 24 Hours
- Sicunusa/Emahlatini (close to Piet Retief): open 08.00 – 18.00
- Mahamba/Mahamba (close to Piet Retief): open 07.00 – 22.00
- Jeppes Reef/Matsamo (close to Malelane): open 07.00 – 20.00
- Nerston/Sandlane (close to Amsterdam): open 08.00 – 18.00
- Bulembu/ Josefdal : 08.00 – 16.00
- PLEASE NOTE HEALTH DECLARATION & REQUIREMENTS: Health declaration form which can be downloaded from this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XX4Zch2djpqP41V98ZVKzZXAjSIlWQtq/view?usp=sharing On your day of travel, please print and fill in the form. Hand over the hard copy to a port health officer for screening upon arrival at the Point of Entry. This will help you save waiting time and queuing for screening.
- ROAD TAX PER VEHICLE: The road tax is now the equivilant of ZAR100, payable at the border post for private vehicles.
- VEHICLE AUTHORISATION FORM: Please ensure that for those who still have vehicle financing, authorisation will be required to transport your car across the border.
- You will need a valid passport to enter Eswatini. You may also require an entry visa. Please check with your Embassy or the Eswatini Tourism Authority website for visa requirements. https://www.thekingdomofeswatini.com/visa-guide/
- PLEASE NOTE THAT SOUTH AFRICA MAY REQUIRE EXTRA DOCUMENTAION FOR TAKING CHILDREN THROUGH THE BORDER. CHILDREN WILL REQUIRE A FULL UNABRIDGED BIRTH CERTIFICATE-vTHE FULL REGULATIONS CAN BE VIEWED HERE.
Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Please note that as of November 2022, all Covid-19 related restrictions and requirements for entry into Eswatini have been removed and Eswatini is fully open to all visitors once again. However, airlines may have their own Covid-19 requirements, so be sure to check with your travel agent.
Luju Campsite
The official Luju campsite, managed by All Out Africa, will be open from 11:00 am on Friday, 4th August, to 12:00 pm, Sunday, 6th August, 2023. Only ready erected tents are available. For more info on camping, please visit https://lujufestival.com/plan/accommodation/
Festival and Camping Tickets:
In Eswatini, tickets for the festival and camping are available from Standard Bank Eswatini in Corporate Place, Mbabane, and Standard Bank branches in Ezulwini (Gables) and Manzini, as well as Dala Spaces at Malandela’s Lifestyle in Malkerns. Tickets can now be purchased with UNAYO too. In Mozambique, tickets are now available in Maputo from the Centro Cultural Moçambicano-Alemão (CCMA) on Av. Samora Machel. Online tickets may be purchased via the Luju Festival website: www.lujufestival.com. Luju means “honey” and a portion of every festival ticket sold goes towards uplifting small-scale rural bee farmers in Eswatini.
Keep your ticket safe!
Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival tickets are non-refundable and strictly not for the purpose of resale. Do not purchase tickets from third party sellers as the festival cannot guarantee that those tickets are genuine or have not been duplicated. In purchasing tickets from third party sellers you are doing so at your own risk, this includes complimentary tickets and traders tickets as well. The Luju Festival does not create ticket bar codes. Luju is not responsible for the duplication of bar codes once they have been dispatched off the system to the given email address. If it suspected that your ticket has been tampered with, or the bar code might be compromised, please contact us immediately at tickets@house-on-fire.com prior to the festival.
Luju is Cashless, Pre-Load your festival funds!
Luju is a CASHLESS festival: money is loaded onto your festival wristband NFC chip for in-festival purchases. Festivalgoers can Pre-Load funds onto their tickets via their Howler accounts to avoid the queues at the ATM and Top-Up Stations. Parking Tickets can be paid with the funds on your wristband chip too. Don’t have an account yet? Set one up at www.howler.co.za.
Luju Festival App:
This year we’ve partnered with Woov, one of the global leaders in the Festival App space, to bring you our 2023 Luju Festival App. Through this app you will be able to amplify your experience by connecting with others pre-event and get the digital tools you need to streamline your adventure. Link your Facebook and connect with friends coming to Luju!
- Plan your event by making a personal timetable
- Find key activations & your friends on the map
- Plan meeting spots ahead & stay in touch with your group
Download the Luju Festival App on Woov using the QR codes around the festival and on the website or directly from https://gowoov.com/event/18110.
Secure Parking
Secure Paid Parking at the Luju festival will be available, for ZAR30 per day, and can be paid with cash (please pay with exact amounts) or use your NFC wristband once it’s been loaded. The 2023 parking lot has improved security, better traffic control and improved safety for your vehicles. Do your bit for a sustainable future by carpooling with friends or using the festival Park n’ Ride service to benefit the environment!
What to Pack:
Remember that in Eswatini the days are warm but the nights are cool – pack accordingly. Don’t forget your hat, sunblock and mosquito repellent!
BEE sure to keep up with the LUJU BUZZ on social media: Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival on Facebook and YouTube, @luju_festival on Instagram and @lujufestival on Twitter.
Contribute to the Luju Buzz with hashtags #EatSwayLove and #SBLujuFestival2023!
All festival information can be found on the website: https://lujufestival.com/