PLAN YOUR LUJU 2024 EXPERIENCE NOW!

31 July 2024

It’s time to get ready for the sixth edition of the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival, to be held on the 2nd and 3rd of August, 2024, 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.
Beat the Buzz at Luju & get your festival wristbands on Thursday!

Get your Premium Lounge, Luju Gardens and Kids wristbands on Thursday 1 August, before the festival opens, at the ticket containers across the road from Malandela’s Lifestyle!

Please Note:
Removing or tampering with your wristband will automatically forfeit access to the festival. Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival tickets are non-refundable. For general ticket queries please email support@howler.co.za·         .

If you suspect that your ticket has been tampered with or the bar code might be compromised please contact us immediately at adminassistant@house-on-fire.com and copy in tickets@house-on-fire.com.

• For more information on ticketing, please check the FAQ section of the Luju website.
  Festival wristbanding hours:
  Thursday 1st Aug:  9am – 4.30pm (Beat the Buzz)
  Friday 2nd Aug:  9am – 1am
  Saturday 3rd Aug: 10am – 1am
  General Festival opening times:
  Friday 2nd Aug: 4pm – 2am
  Saturday 3rd Aug: 10am – 2.30am

The festival grounds will be closed to the public between opening times.

Culinary Theme
This year’s culinary theme “Roots” (atibuye emasisweni) is about journeying back to the source and exploring the gifts of the land, unearthing the power of plants and free-to-roam meats as a sustaining source of health and heritage. We uncover the staple foods and age-old cooking techniques that keep us rooted in who we are. Through this theme, we decolonize our palates to consciously reclaim and advance indigenous knowledge, skills and techniques.

Fashion Theme
This year’s fashion theme is “African-Futurism”. Luju is celebrating the revolutionary power of Fashion with this artistic and cultural philosophy that embraces African history and heritage, blending fantasy, technology and futuristic concepts to envision a future driven by Africans. African Futurism draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including traditional African clothing, futuristic designs, as well as retro and avant-garde fashion movements.

What to Wear
Luju 2024 is all about individually personalised couture. African Futurism is a concept-oriented theme that asks in what way our outfits reflect our individual cultural backgrounds and aspirations for the future.
This year our outfits showcase and celebrate who we are and where we’re from, as well as where we think we’re going and who we want to be. Festivalgoers are encouraged to meticulously consider every facet of their attire to convey and honour their unique perspectives and individuality.

Luju Best Dressed Competition
Festivalgoers are encouraged to join the Luju Best Dressed Competition. Outfits must be aligned with the theme, expressing individuality, locally made, and with hair and accessories complementing the look. Outfits will be judged anonymously by a panel of fashion designers, influencers and stylists, and there are fantastic prizes to be won.

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.

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

Eswatini Border & Travel Updates
To avoid border congestion when travelling to Eswatini, we advise you to get to Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival early this year. Festivalgoers may get their wristbands from Thursday 1st August, before the festival opens, so it is advised to travel early, on the Thursday if possible.

Official Eswatini Tourism Authority border information can be found here

BORDER OPERATING HOURS:

• Ngwenya/Oshoek: 24 Hours
• Mhlumeni/Goba: 06h00 – 00h00
• Sicunusa/Emahlatini (close to Piet Retief): open 08h00 – 18h00
• Sandlane/Nerston (close to Amsterdam): open 08h00 – 18h00
• Mahamba (close to Piet Retief): open 07h00 – 22h00
• Matsamo/Jeppes Reef (close to Malelane): open 07h00 – 20h00
• Bulembu/Josefdal: 08h00 – 16h00
• Lomahasha/Namaacha: 07h00 – 00h00

PLEASE NOTE HEALTH DECLARATION & REQUIREMENTS: 

To speed your entry, the Health declaration form can be downloaded from this link. 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.

YELLOW FEVER: Please check if your country of residence is on the World Health Organisation Yellow Fever watch list as Eswatini may require proof of vaccination upon entry if it is. South Africa and Mozambique are not on the list.

ROAD TAX: The road tax for a foreign registered private vehicle is R100, payable at the border post. VEHICLE AUTHORISATION FORM: Please note that for those who still have vehicle financing, authorisation will be required to transport your car across the border.

ENTRY VISA: 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: 

PLEASE NOTE THAT SOUTH AFRICA MAY REQUIRE EXTRA DOCUMENTATION FOR TAKING CHILDREN THROUGH THE BORDER.  The regulations can be viewed here 

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.

Secure Parking
Secure Paid Parking at the Luju festival will be available, for ZAR40 per day, and can be paid with cash (please pay with exact amounts) or with your NFC wristband, once it’s been loaded. The 2024 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 shuttle 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!

Luju Campsite
The official Luju campsite is managed by All Out Africa. Camping check-in times are:
Friday 2nd Aug: 7.30am – 12.00pm
Saturday 3rd Aug: 7.30am – 1.00am
Ready erected tents are available only. 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 Centro Cultural Moçambicano-Alemão (CCMA), em frente a Catedral, Av. Samora Machel, n.468, R. da Rádio, as well as from X-Hub Incubadora Criativa, Nr 1957, Av. Ahmed Sekou Touré.

Online tickets may be purchased via the Luju Festival Website.

Luju means “honey” and a portion of every festival ticket sold goes towards uplifting small-scale rural bee farmers in Eswatini.

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.