ULTRA South Africa celebrated its 11th edition in style this past weekend, delivering two days of world-class electronic music, high-energy performances and a strong sense of unity across Johannesburg and Cape Town.
The festival kicked off on Saturday, 25 April at the Expo Centre in Nasrec, Johannesburg, before heading to Cape Town on Sunday, 26 April at The Ostrich. The long weekend was transformed into a nationwide celebration of dance music, drawing thousands of fans from across the country.
Both events saw impressive turnouts, with fans filling the venues from early afternoon through to the final beats at 2 a.m. Building on more than a decade of history, the 11th edition once again raised the standard with large-scale production, immersive stage design and a carefully curated mix of international headliners and local talent.
Main Stage Delivers Standout Moments
The Main Stage offered a steady stream of highlights throughout the weekend. Afrojack and R3hab set the tone with a high-energy back-to-back set that blended their biggest tracks with signature festival sounds.
Axwell followed with a commanding performance that balanced classic favourites with fresh energy, keeping the crowd fully engaged.
One of the standout moments came when DJ Snake surprised fans by bringing out Zimbabwean-born artist Bantu to perform their new collaboration “Company”, alongside a selection of his global hits.
John Summit closed out the night with a powerful set, fresh off the release of his album CTRL, keeping the energy high well into the early hours.
RESISTANCE Stage Brings the Underground Edge
The RESISTANCE Stage once again delivered a deeper and more underground experience. Headlined by Dennis Ferrer and Shimza, the stage featured sets that blended melodic techno, progressive house and Afro-house.
Support across the festival included performances from Apashe, Kyle Watson, DJ Kent, TiMO ODV b2b Kyle Cassim, Indigo, Kitty Amor, Major League DJz, Caiiro b3b Enoo Napa b3b Da Capo, Mpho.Wav, Mila Rose, Baby Whitz, Headroom b2b Geometric Flux, Niskerone b2b Dakota, Kurt April, Dwson, Leighton Moody b2b Cassiem and Roz.
Surprise Back-to-Back Set Steals the Show
A defining moment of the Johannesburg event came when Afrojack joined Shimza for a surprise back-to-back performance. Following their recent collaboration at Coachella, the duo delivered a genre-blending set that kept the crowd fully locked in from start to finish.
A Diverse Multi-Stage Experience in Johannesburg
Johannesburg featured four stages, each offering a distinct sound and atmosphere. Alongside the Main Stage and RESISTANCE, The Groove Room returned as a celebration of African electronic music, with a strong Amapiano and Afrobeats lineup including Liquideep, Scorpion Kings, DBN Gogo, Zee Nxumalo, Oscar Mbo, Que DJ x DJ Lag, Sun-El Musician, 2shoes, Lelowhatsgood and Slow Poison.
The newly introduced Confessions Stage ZA takeover of the UMF Radio Stage added another layer to the experience, showcasing forward-thinking sounds from Dean Fuel, CINIMIN, Chunda Munki, Vimo, Connie, Aidin Caye, Mia, Skelm, Jevan Binder and Threemanweave.
Celebrating 11 Years of ULTRA South Africa
Now in its 11th year, ULTRA South Africa continues to evolve while staying true to its core purpose of bringing people together through music. This year’s edition highlighted the strength of the local scene while reinforcing South Africa’s growing influence within the global electronic music landscape.
ULTRA South Africa 2027 Dates Confirmed
Following another successful edition, ULTRA South Africa has already confirmed its return for 2027.
Next year’s festival will take place across two days:
- Friday, 30 April 2027 at The Ostrich in Cape Town
- Saturday, 1 May 2027 at the Expo Centre in Nasrec, Johannesburg
Fans can stay updated on line-up announcements and future developments by following ULTRA South Africa on Instagram, Facebook and X as preparations for the 2027 edition get underway.
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