By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
With just a day to go the Castle Lager Braai Day Festival returns to Glamis Arena this Saturday, 17 October 2026, anticipation is building across Harare for what organisers describe as one of the country’s most anticipated lifestyle events.
This year’s edition brings together music, braai culture and shared experiences — complemented, as always, by ice-cold Castle Lager.
The build-up is already underway
The Castle Lager Braai festival does not begin on 17 October. Across the country, the build-up is already in motion.
Consumers are being invited to participate in nationwide trade activations at popular braai venues in the lead-up to the main event.
The Castle Lager Braai Day Festival tickets, chilled Castle Lager and a range of other prizes are available to be won as excitement builds towards the day.
For those who want to secure their place at Glamis Arena, tickets are available through SahwiGate at www.sahwigate.com.
A limited allocation of early-bird tickets is priced at $10, after which the standard ticket price will be $15.
Each ticket includes admission to the event, a braai pack and one litre of Castle Lager Draught — a package that makes the festival as much about the food as the music.
The lineup: established stars and rising voices
More than ten local artists and DJs will take to the stage across the day, in a programme that balances Zimbabwe’s biggest names with its emerging talent.
Headlining the festival are Winky D, Ex Q and Enzo Ishall — three of the country’s most bankable live performers, each capable of carrying a crowd on their own.
They are joined by emerging acts including Jnr Spragga, Atenda Chinx and DJ Loz, whose inclusion reflects what organisers describe as Castle Lager’s continued commitment to supporting and celebrating Zimbabwean music talent.
The blend is deliberate. Festivals of this scale often rely on established headliners alone, but the inclusion of rising artists gives the Glamis Arena stage a second purpose: exposure.
For Jnr Spragga, Atenda Chinx and DJ Loz, sharing a bill with Winky D and Ex Q is a career milestone in itself. For the audience, it is a chance to see tomorrow’s headliners today.
The main event: Castle Braai O’Clock
The centrepiece of this year’s festival is the introduction of “Castle Braai O’Clock” — an immersive group experience scheduled from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
For one hour, the festival will pause the usual stage-and-crowd rhythm and hand the spotlight to the grill.
The activation includes the ultimate braai master contest and other engaging competitions, with Castle Lager merchandise and additional prizes on offer.
It is, in effect, a festival within a festival — one hour where the smoke, the sizzle and the skill of the braai master become the main event.
Why it matters
Zimbabwe’s braai culture is not a side attraction. It is a social institution — the reason friends gather, the reason weekends exist, the reason WhatsApp groups go quiet on a Sunday afternoon.
By formalising it into a timed, competitive, prize-bearing activation, Castle Lager is treating the Castle Lager Braai Day Festival as the headline act it has always been in Zimbabwean life, rather than as catering for the music.
The hour also solves a logistical problem familiar to anyone who has spent a full day at a festival. There is usually a lull between the afternoon and evening sets — the moment when energy dips and crowds drift.
Castle Braai O’Clock fills that gap with a scheduled, communal moment.
A date to keep
For now, the message is simple. The lineup is set. The tickets are on sale. The build-up is underway.
What remains is the day itself: Saturday, 17 October 2026, Glamis Arena.
Music, braai culture and shared experiences — complemented by ice-cold Castle Lager.
Castle Lager says it looks forward to welcoming consumers to Glamis Arena for “a distinctive celebration of music, braai culture and shared enjoyment.”
Event details at a glance
Date: Saturday, 17 October 2026
Venue: Glamis Arena, Harare
Tickets: SahwiGate — www.sahwigate.com
Early bird: $10 (limited allocation)
Standard: $15
Includes: Admission, braai pack, one litre of Castle Lager Draught
Castle Braai O’Clock: 3:00pm – 4:00pm
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