RBMA Weekender comes to Joburg

The lineup will play across six music venues in and around downtown Johannesburg, including Bassline, 1 Fox, And Club, Kitcheners, Carfaxx, Great Dane and Zone 6. Each event, from day to night, will offer a mix of sounds and festival-goers can expect to be taken on different musical journeys over the four days.

It all begins on Thursday at the Bassline in Newtown, to many a home of the Johannesburg music scene. Bassline has been hosting incredible musicians for more than two decades, and on Thursday it will host the RBMA Weekender’s reggae night, African Storm Sound System with Admiral and Jahseed and special guests.

Braamfontein and Newtown’s cultural melting pot of music, fashion, culture and style is the perfect playground for Friday night as we move the party to And Club, Kitchener’s, Carfaxx and Great Dane. The lineup will include Thebe, Felix Laband, Beat Sampras, Niskerone vs Hyphen, Kenzhero, G Force & Craig Placid, Sketchy Bongo and Aewon Wolf. All centrally located and close to each other, festival-goers can move easily between venues and stages for over eight hours of non-stop music.

Fat Freddy’s Drop arrive from NZ

The pinnacle of the RBMA Weekender programme takes place Saturday night, 3 September at 1 Fox in downtown Johannesburg, where New Zealand natives and global sensation Fat Freddy’s Drop will headline. Fat Freddy’s Drop are a seven-piece band from Wellington whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues and techno. AKA, Nigeria’s Patoranking, Christian Tiger School and Jullian Gomes, will also perform until 2AM.

On 4 September, the RBMA Weekender moves to Zone 6 in Soweto. Kicking off at 3PM, audiences may look forward to live performances from Black Coffee, Culoe De Song, Riky Rick, Oskido, King Bruce, and Mafia Boyz.

Chopper Reeds, aka Scott Towers, of Fat Freddy’s Drop says he and the band are excited to be playing in South Africa for the first time. “Fans can look forward to some of Fat Freddy’s Drop classics as this'll be the first time we've performed them in South Africa. And some box fresh vibes as we'll be fighting fit after a four-week European tour just prior to the RBMA Weekender,” says Chopper Reeds.

While in the country, the band also plans to see the sights and hook up with some of the local heavyweights like Black Coffee.

To see the full RBMA Weekender lineup visit redbull.co.za/RBMAWeekenderJozi.

A full weekend programme will compliment and amplify the music experiences. These include a series of workshops, installations and collaborations between musicians and industry talent focusing on African music, culture and sounds.

Ticket info

Both day and full weekend passes are available, ensuring you can create the RBMA Weekender experience that suits you.
A limited number of Early Bird tickets have just been released at R400 for the full weekend. Thereafter weekend passes will be R500.

Day passes:
Thursday 1 September: R120
Friday 2 September: R120
Saturday 3 September: R400
Sunday 4 September: R120

Anyone who pre-registered will receive an SMS detailing how you can secure your tickets.
Visit redbull.co.za/RBMAWeekenderJozi to buy your tickets and sign up for news and updates.