By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
Jacaranda Music Festival which is Harare’s biggest annual music gathering is back, and this year it is promising more than just a stacked stage.
The Jacaranda Music Festival 2026 runs from 2 to 4 October at Thornpark Polo Grounds, bringing together some of Zimbabwe’s most established artists, fresh new voices and performers from across the region.
Some of the acts taking to the stage include Jah Prayzah, Jnr Spragga, Tamy Moyo, Mr JazziQ, Caairo, Mokoomba and Njelic.
But this year’s theme — “The Music, The People, The City” — suggests an event interested in more than the business of putting musicians on a stage.
There will be plenty to enjoy, but the organisers are also placing greater emphasis on food, hospitality, lifestyle, business and the social experience of spending three days at one of Harare’s biggest annual gatherings.
Rather than treating the venue simply as somewhere to watch performances, organisers are aiming for Thornpark to function as a temporary social and cultural city of its own.
Festival director Walter Wanyanya told 263Culture that evolution was particularly important as Jacaranda Music Festival approaches its ninth year.
“When you have been building something for nine years, you start understanding that you are no longer just putting on an event; you are building an institution,” Wanyanya said in an exclusive interview with 263Culture.
The organisers look not only at an artist’s popularity but also at their live show reputation, their generation, their musical identity and what they can contribute to the festival as a whole.
Friday 2 October lineup
Andile Brown
Tamy Moyo
Jah Prayzah
The Travellers Band
DJ Youngvibes
BRZE
Saturday 3 October lineup
Sylent Nqo
Feli Nandi
Njelic
Mr Jazziq
Calequi Y Las Panteras and Nasibo
Jnr Spragga and Spirit Chronicles
Taku Made The Beat
DJ Tatz Bless
Mwendamberi
Maluka
Msiz’Kay
Kotwane Hikwa
Sunday 4 October lineup
Zee Nxumalo
Caairo
Fusion 5 Mangwiro
Nizhe Desoul
Minister Michael Mahendere
DJ Young Vibes
Thando Lewandowski
MJ The DJ
Enhle
Just Leo
Mandie Mae
Mokoomba
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