Special festivals in Eswatini

The traditional culture of Eswatini is most spectacularly expressed through a variety of large-scale ceremonial celebrations held throughout the year. These are living cultural events that, with the exception of a pair of sunglasses and a mobile phone, have altered nothing in two centuries. Visitors are invited (though some areas are kept private), but the rituals make few concessions to tourists. During festival season, the nation is in a celebratory spirit, and bands of warriors or maidens dressed in full regalia are frequently observed on their way to or from the celebrations. Not to be outdone, the present generation has earned a good international reputation for a modern, fresh, energetic music and arts festival.

Umhlanga Reed Dance is the most well-known yearly cultural festival in Eswatini. Young girls cut reeds, offer them to the Queen Mother (Indlovukazi)—ostensibly to repair the windbreak surrounding her royal house – and then dance in jubilation throughout this eight-day festival. Up to 40,000 females participate, clothed in vividly colored clothes, making it one of Africa's largest and most stunning cultural celebrations.

MTN BUSHFIRE is an annual performing arts event conducted over a long May weekend at Malandela's House on Fire. It's one of the biggest and greatest festivals of its sort in southern Africa, featuring everything from live music and drama to cinema, workshops, and a global food market — in short, everything you'd expect from Eswatini's equivalent to Glastonbury.