BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – A number of hotels in the country have revealed to have little or no space at all for this coming weekend.
This is Standard Bank Luju Food and Lifestyle Festival taking place from August 4 to August 5, 2023, at House On Fire in the Malkerns Valley of Eswatini.
Worth mentioning is that early Bird tickets were sold on a first-come first-serve basis and typically sold out within a few hours. They went on sale on May 11, 2023.
Some of the fully booked hotels include lodges located in the Malkerns area. Hotels that might still have space include Sibane Sami, and Happy Valley Hotel which are also operating on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA) CEO Linda Nxumalo said they were happy with the Luju Festival and the numbers it brings in as Tourism.
She said, this festival attracts people from all over the world and as soon as they enter the country they are contributing to the economy.
“The tourism numbers are always boosted by these events where attendance is from all over the world,” said Nxumalo.
Luju Festival is a regional and authentically local food and fashion festival that celebrates the local, the wholesome, the creative and the delicious, proudly showcasing the amazing, diverse tastes of Southern Africa.
The 2023 edition, with the support of Standard Bank Eswatini, will be a uniquely Southern African affair with event partners and participants from Mozambique, South Africa, Lesotho, and Botswana.
Young Standard Bank Artist Award winners from across the region will be featured as, once again, the festival promotes food, fashion, and music.
These music, art and performance exchanges reflect Standard Bank’s commitment to the support of arts mobility and the promotion of creative/cultural tourism. These festival partners will feature at some of the various Luju stages and activations, ensuring a dynamic and diverse experience for festivalgoers.
The exciting food and fashion themes for The Standard Bank Luju Food and Lifestyle Festival have also been finalised with eclectic and innovative programmes being planned across the 2-day event.
These uniquely curated programmes will also once again be accompanied by a high-quality range of African and global sounds from top artists from the Southern African region and beyond.
House On Fire Communications Officer Simon Dawson said this year LUJU explores food as both an art medium and an edible eccentricity.
He said the festival will merge high end gastronomy and African design, facilitating collaboration between visual artists and chefs to collectively design, create and serve a tasty visual feast.
“With themed tasting and pairing zones, interactive activities, as well as a strong focus on sharing artisanal and craft expertise across food and beverages, the Luju Culinary Arts programme will provide immersive, inspiring and, above all, delicious experiences,” he said.
He further added that celebrating the transformative power of Fashion. The African Fashion Renaissance starts with introspection. “Craft mastery and sustainable materials become mediums for the reclaiming of ancestral stories. Through interweaving these tales of our past, we re-imagine a future. From individual expression to the collective consciousness, fashion has the power to shift and shape future generations,” he said.
