For fifteen years, the Wakkerstroom Music Festival (WMF) has been doing something quietly remarkable: bringing world-class classical music to this small birding village, and proving that the most extraordinary performances happen not only in concert halls, but in historic churches, intimate venues, and community halls where the artist and the audience share the same air.

The 2026 festival, taking place from 20 to 22 March, marks that 15th anniversary with a programme that is both celebratory and adventurous — 26 concerts across three days, featuring South African and international artists of exceptional calibre, and in 2026 a sustained, purposeful focus on the role of women in classical music: as composers, as performers, and as the often-unsung architects of the repertoire we love.

This year’s programme ranges from the intimacy of a Baroque theorbo and tenor performing in close quarters, to the full-throated splendour of the Nocoré Ensemble filling the Dutch Reformed Church with choral sound.

There are visiting American artists with a programme of Romantic repertoire, a piano duo reimagining Mozart through the lens of his female contemporaries, a musical theatre programme celebrating the women of Broadway, and a cello and piano recital devoted entirely to female composers whose works the classical world has, until now, largely chosen not to hear.

At its heart, the festival remains what it has always been: a community event.

The WMF Marimba Ensemble Community Project, now in its 10th year, opens the festival on Friday afternoon – learners from Wakkerstroom, Country College, and Volksrust High School performing with the confidence and joy of musicians who know they belong on a stage. It is the sound of the festival’s deepest conviction: that classical music is for everyone, and that it grows when it is shared.

The weekend culminates on Saturday evening with the festival’s annual Gala Concert in the DR Church. This event is always a highlight, always a little unpredictable, and always unforgettable.
Sunday morning offers one last chance to linger in Wakkerstroom’s particular magic: the birdsong, the stillness, and the music still echoing from the night before.

Whether you are a lifelong devotee of classical music or simply someone who has never experienced it performed this close, this honestly, and in a setting this beautiful — this is a weekend not to miss.

Be sure to mark your calendars for this coming weekend. Names to look out for include opera singers mezzo-sopranos Teresa de Wit and Lanie Coetzer, soprano Jaunelle Celaire, tenor Chris Mostert, and baritone Douwe Bijkersma.

The final programme, weekend concert schedule, and online ticket sales are available at www.wmfestival.co.za

For more information, visit www.wmfestival.co.za or follow the announcements on Facebook and Instagram: @wmfestival and @wm_festival