GROOVE BIENNALE III RETURNS FOR ITS 2026 FINALE, CELEBRATING JOHANNESBURG’S ALTERNATIVE MUSIC, DESIGN AND CREATIVE COMMUNITIES
Groove Biennale’s 2026 journey continues its relationship with Jägermeister through Night Embassy, the brand’s global platform dedicated to supporting, celebrating and protecting nightlife culture and the communities that make it possible.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – 22 SEPTEMBER 2026 — Groove Biennale is set to close its third edition with a final gathering on Thursday, 8 October 2026, at Residency in Selby, Johannesburg, continuing its commitment to creating spaces where alternative music, design, identity and community can meet.
Presented by DORMANTYOUTH, the bi-annual architecture and music festival supported by Jägermeister’s Night Embassy, has established itself as a platform for the sounds, people and creative communities shaping Johannesburg beyond the mainstream.
Following four days of public programming during its April residency, Groove Biennale III returns for its closing chapter as part of Design Week South Africa, bringing together artists, DJs, designers, thinkers, makers and audiences for an experience rooted in the festival’s central themes of queering, worldbuilding and placemaking in South Africa.
The October programme moves across sounds including Gqom, Ballroom, Jersey and Baltimore Club, House, Techno, Chicago Footwork and Electronica, creating a meeting point between local and global alternative club cultures. Rather than treating nightlife solely as entertainment, Groove Biennale considers the dancefloor a place for cultural exchange, experimentation, belonging and creative expression.
The festival particularly creates space for diverse nightlife communities, queer and Ballroom communities, curious creatives, and emerging and established creative professionals to encounter one another through music, art and conversation. This focus acknowledges South Africa’s history of racial and social exclusion and the inequalities that continue to shape access and opportunity within the creative sector. Groove Biennale’s approach is rooted in equity — creating greater visibility and opportunity for historically marginalised communities while remaining an inclusive space for cultural exchange.
The final edition will extend beyond the dancefloor through Post Eco (Sound) System, an installation presented by DORMANTYOUTH and BUJIN, with LIKKYLIKS as a special guest
Its relationship with Johannesburg’s queer Ballroom community continues through its collaboration with VNJ Ball, which returns to co-curate the musical component of the programme following the festival’s previous Sci-Fi Ball collaboration.
The festival is equally committed to creating tangible opportunities behind the scenes, with paid opportunities for young creatives from historically underrepresented and marginalised communities working across event production and staging.
Says Ephraim Manana, Senior Culture & Experiential Marketing Manager at Jägermeister South Africa: “For us, inclusivity is about creating meaningful access and ensuring that the future of nightlife and culture is shaped by a diversity of voices, perspectives and lived experiences.
South Africa’s history means that access to creative opportunities has not always been equal, and through the Night Embassy, we want to play an intentional role in opening doors for emerging creatives from historically underrepresented communities. It’s not only about who is on the stage or on the dancefloor, but who is behind the scenes creating, producing and ultimately shaping the culture.”
As Groove Biennale III reaches its final chapter on 8 October 2026, the collaboration celebrates the people who create culture after dark and reinforces a shared belief that nightlife is culture, and the people shaping it deserve the space and support to thrive.
More than a festival finale, the gathering is an invitation to experience Johannesburg through the people continually imagining what its cultural future could look and sound like.
EVENT DETAILS
Event: Groove Biennale III – Final Festival Event
Date: Thursday, 8 October 2026
Venue: Smoking Kills Bar, 78a 4th Avenue, Melville, Johannesburg, South Africa
Tickets: Available via Quicket
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