Joburg music fans lament Pretoria treks after Rocking The Daisies 2026 announces Jorja Smith

The first lineup announcement for Rocking The Daisies 2026 has been posted, and instead of fans curating their Jorja Smith playlists ahead of summer, a small subsection of fans in Johannesburg are lamenting the possibility of having to make the trip to the SunBet Arena to see her live.

YFM host George Mnguni sparked the conversation after posting about the hassle of travelling 50km to the Pretoria venue just to watch international acts perform.

His sentiment tapped into frustration over Johannesburg’s lack of mid-sized indoor venues after the old Dome became a WeBuyCars showroom.

Others who interacted with Mnguni’s post noted the existence of the new 10 000-capacity Goldrush Dome in Nasrec, however, it has been said that the venue sits underused due to high rental costs despite hosting acts like Asake.

Pretoria residents dismissed the complaints and argued that it’s their turn for convenient shows.

Smith is the first act announced as part of this year’s lineup for the event scheduled to take place between 2 and 4 October, at Cloof Wine Estate. The sultry singer will perform live in Cape Town for the very first time, and though dates for her Joburg performance have not yet been announced, she is expected to perform inland at In The City, Rocking The Daisies’ sister event.

Rocking The Daisies 2026 ticket prices

Phase 1: Weekend Festival Pass – R 1 449
Phase 2: Weekend Festival Pass – R 1 850
Phase 3: Weekend Festival Pass – R 2 150

Phase 1: Weekend General Camping – R 699
Phase 1: Weekend Priority Camping – R 1 050
Phase 1: Weekend Wildflower camping – R 1 349

Phase 2: Weekend General Camping – R 799
Phase 2: Weekend Priority Camping – R 1 150
Phase 2: Weekend Wildflower camping – R 1 449