KOTA FESTIVAL 2026: MORE THAN FOOD AND MUSIC

BY PHUMELELE GAMEDZE

MALKERNS – Behind the mouth-watering kotas, pulsating music and colourful fashion lies a bigger story of entrepreneurship, business opportunities and community connections. The Eswatini Kota Festival brought food lovers, vendors and entertainment enthusiasts together at Malkerns Country Club on Saturday, 24 October 2026, in a celebration that placed food, business and culture in the spotlight.

While music and entertainment drew revellers, the popular township street food remained at the heart of the festival, providing vendors with a platform to showcase their creations, connect with customers and compete for recognition.

Featuring vendors from Eswatini and South Africa, the festival highlighted the variety of kota flavours and the creativity behind a dish that has evolved from a beloved street food into a potential business venture for entrepreneurs.

For small businesses, events of this nature provide access to concentrated audiences, creating opportunities to generate sales, promote products and introduce brands to new customers. The festival also offered vendors an opportunity to build relationships with fellow entrepreneurs and engage directly with food lovers.

The competitive spirit was evident during the Best Kota competition, sponsored by Embiveni Meats, which recognised outstanding vendors. Mabhodweni claimed the top prize of E3 000, while Phumai Whitehouse received E1 500 and Maps Eatery walked away with E500.

Beyond the prize money, the competition celebrated the entrepreneurs transforming familiar ingredients into distinctive food offerings while adding excitement and variety to the festival experience.

The event also demonstrated the connection between entertainment and economic activity. Ahead of the festival, organisers projected that more than 2 000 direct job opportunities could be created through activities such as security, cleaning, catering, logistics, vending and technical production.

In the lead-up to the event, organisers also reported that 7 000 tickets had been sold, with a target of 8 000 revellers. These figures reflected pre-event sales and attendance projections rather than confirmed final attendance, highlighting the anticipated demand for the festival.

Beyond the food stalls and entertainment stages, the gathering created space for social interaction, with friends and families coming together to enjoy the atmosphere, showcase their fashion and create lasting memories. Two graduates who wore their academic gowns as outfits of the day added a distinctive and memorable touch to the celebration.

However, the festival’s broader economic impact will ultimately depend on how effectively these opportunities translate into meaningful income for vendors, workers and local suppliers. The extent to which participating businesses convert the exposure into sustained growth will be an important measure of the event’s longer-term value.

As Eswatini continues to explore opportunities in tourism, food entrepreneurship and entertainment, the Kota Festival offers an example of how a popular cultural favourite can bring businesses and communities together.

For many revellers, the attraction was the kota, the music and the vibrant atmosphere. For participating entrepreneurs, the festival offered something more: a platform to reach new customers, showcase their products and pursue business growth.

Ultimately, the Eswatini Kota Festival 2026 demonstrated that a shared love of food can become a meeting point for culture, commerce and community, proving that the experience extends far beyond what is served on a plate.