Once Upon A Time in Joburg returns on 5 December 2026 at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens, with Lucky Daye, Smino and Baby Rose on the bill. Phase 1 tickets start at R750 on Howler.
Once Upon A Time in Joburg returns to the city on Saturday, 5 December 2026, with Lucky Daye, Smino and Baby Rose leading the first lineup drop. Picture: X, @onceuponjoburg
Once Upon A Time in Joburg is returning to the city. Doctor Bird Productions announced on Thursday that the R&B and neo-soul daytime festival series will take place later this year at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens in Emmarentia on Saturday, 5 December 2026.
The announcement came with a cheeky nod to fan feedback with the caption: “Centurion was cute, but you said bring it back to Joburg. So we did.” The reference is to the series’ May edition at Rosefield Equestrian Club in Centurion, headlined by SiR.
The lineup
The first names on the Once Upon A Time in Joburg bill are Lucky Daye, Smino and Baby Rose, with more local acts still to be announced. Lucky Daye brings his New Orleans-born R&B and soul, while Smino blends hip-hop, R&B, soul and funk. Baby Rose is the soulful R&B vocalist who, judging by the timeline, had a good chunk of Joburg ready to hand over its money on the spot.
What you’ll pay
Phase 1 tickets for Once Upon A Time in Joburg went live on Howler on 1 October, starting at R750 for General Admission. A Group of 4 ticket is R2 800, while VIP is R1 500 and a VIP Table is R7 000. At the top end, VVIP is R6 000 and the VVIP Group of 4 package is R26 000.
Online chatter
The official Once Upon A Time in Joburg announcement pulled hundreds of likes, more than 100 reposts and tens of thousands of views on X, and the replies across the festival properties’ online platforms were the usual festival-drop mix.
Baby Rose drew the loudest cheers, with fans posting variations of “You can have my money just for her” and “What do you mean Baby Rose is coming?!” Others were simply glad about the venue, with one user thanking organisers for the return to Joburg proper.
There was also pushback. Some questioned whether Smino is worth R750; others felt the Once Upon A Time in Joburg lineup is “just not giving” next to earlier editions, and Brent Faiyaz was floated more than once as a wish-list name. One user joked about needing Bill Gates-level funding for a packed December gig calendar.
The series has positioned itself as a home for curated, less mainstream-commercial R&B and neo-soul in the city, and this edition tests whether that audience will follow it back to a central Joburg venue.
