Back To the City Street Festival

Back to the City is South Africa's premier hip hop festival: a gathering of heads from across the country and the world, in Newtown, Jozi.

The festival is a seminal event, bringing together musicians, poets, graffiti artists and creatives from across the South African urban art spectrum. Perhaps most importantly, Back to the City has always been put together by people who live and work at the heart of the Jozi hip hop scene. Back to the City is one of the rare times when the power of South African hip hop truly comes to the fore - it's an event everyone in Jozi loves, even those who aren't confirmed heads.

This isn't a marketing event wrapped in beat. It's a gathering.

South Africa's hip hop community is naturally diverse. It includes the obvious: Mcees; DJs, poets, artists and dancers... and the less obvious: radio producers, journalists, entrepreneurs, publishers.

Hip hop is threaded into the creative fabric of the country and is a cultural and creative influence across all sectors, from theatre to television, art and advertising. The local scene may not be massive, but it is definitely powerful.

The festival has a five year heritage and is already etched into the Jozi cultural calendar - it's simple: 27 April is Back to The City day. A day when everyone gets down and celebrates, and also gets active with the associated music industry workshops and media events. 

A street event that caters to 8 000 fans in one day (and that includes a suite of creative activities from industry workshops to pillar painting) is a complete nightmare to arrange. We wouldn't be able to do it without support from business and other arts agencies. So, we'd like to thank the following brands for their support in getting the festival together over five challenging years. Handshakes to: