LUJU FESTIVAL 2025: PLANTING THE FORGOTTEN SEEDS OF OUR FUTURE

By Mrs M

There’s something quietly powerful about a seed. Tiny, unassuming, easily overlooked but brimming with memory, legacy, and life. 

That’s the energy the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival is channeling this year as it returns for its 7th edition under the bold and thought-provoking theme, 'The Forgotten Seeds'

More than just a weekend of music, food, and fashion, Luju 2025 is shaping up to be a deeply-rooted celebration of identity, heritage, and sustainability. Taking place from August 1-2  at the iconic House On Fire, the festival has steadily grown from a curated lifestyle event into a movement part cultural renaissance, part economic engine, part environmental statement.

This year, it’s not just about what’s on your plate or who’s on stage. It’s about where we come from, what we’ve lost along the way, and what we choose to reclaim.

A SEED IS A STORY

At the heart of this year’s launch event, Sasha Thorne the festival’s Culinary Curator, took the stage and gave a call to remembrance. 

Her words called us to reconnect with the spiritual, ceremonial, and communal traditions that once fed our bodies and nourished our communities. The ancestral food systems. The indigenous ingredients. 

The forgotten grains and practices that have been dismissed in the name of modern convenience. Luju wants us to dust them off. To taste them again. To let them grow.

CULINARY PROGRAMME: BACK TO THE ROOTS, FORWARD TO THE FUTURE

The food experiences at Luju this year are designed to do more than delight they’re meant to educate and empower.

From the return of the Farm to Fork Cookoff, where chefs partner with local farmers to highlight native produce, to the newly introduced Food Indaba, which brings together minds to discuss food sovereignty, land justice, and seed preservation, every item on the menu tells a story.

A standout addition this year is Ancestral Intelligence a concept-led culinary dialogue where a horticultural chef unpacks how traditional African diets and nature-based living could shape our ecological future.

The beloved Culinary Hives will also be buzzing with flavor again over 40 traders dishing up local and handmade treats. In 2024, these micro food businesses collectively earned over E2.2 million during the festival, proof that culture and commerce can dance together beautifully.

HONEYCOMB DREAMS: THE LUJU BEE FARMING PROJECT

Speaking of buzzing Luju’s Bee Farming Project continues to sweeten the deal. With support from Standard Bank, World Vision Eswatini, and Emlembe Beverages, this initiative is helping communities grow both honey and opportunity.

Thanks to funds raised from previous festivals, 60 farmers have been trained, and 150 hives distributed, with 125 more on the way. At the launch, guests were gifted jars of golden honey—a literal taste of transformation.

GROW BEYOND BORDERS: WHEN MSMEs WIN, WE ALL WIN

For Luju, small businesses aren’t a side note that’s why 2025 sees the launch of the GROW Beyond Borders SME Seminar, designed to equip Eswatini’s entrepreneurs with tools, networks, and trade pathways into the regional market.

Coupled with the Food & Fashion Indaba, these sessions build real muscle behind the creative economy. From upskilling artisans to linking textile workers with buyers, Luju is cultivating an ecosystem not just an event.

“Luju is more than a festival,” said Mvuselelo Fakudze, CEO of Standard Bank Eswatini. “It is an ecosystem.” And indeed, it is. A fertile space where art, commerce, and community take root together.

FASHION: THREADS OF TIME AND TEXTILE TRUTH

The 2025 runway, themed 'Threads of Time'  is shaping up to be a textile love letter to Africa. Expect bold fabrics, ancient techniques, and fresh silhouettes walking side by side.

Headlining the show is South African fashion heavyweight Thula Sindi, alongside a proudly Eswatini lineup featuring Blackdegree1412, Kotini Kouture, and Crochet by Selu. These designers aren’t just creating clothes but they’re weaving identity, sustainability, and storytelling into every garment.

A CLEANER, GREENER LUJU

As the festival grows, so does its green promise. In 2024, over 60% of waste generated at Luju was recycled. That’s not a goal it’s a practice. Composting toilets, reusable water bottles, and stall designs made from reclaimed wood are no longer just ideas they’re standards.

YOUR INVITATION: TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE

Tickets are available now via the Luju website, Standard Bank branches in Mbabane, Ezulwini, and Manzini, and via Unayo Marketplace on WhatsApp (just say “Hi” to 7805 6364).

Prices range from E600 to E2,600, with Phase 1 pricing and child discounts still on offer.

A FESTIVAL THAT FEEDS THE SOUL

At the launch, Prime Minister Russell Dlamini summed it up best: “Luju is a shining example of how business, culture, and sustainability can thrive together.”

And with musical performances from Blaq Diamond, and Lady Zamar, plus over 40 vendors serving up food, fashion, and flavor, this year’s festival is poised to be a feast for the senses and a tonic for the spirit.

Whether you’re coming for the music, the fashion, the food, or the movement come ready to plant something real.Come and remember. Come and taste. Come and grow.