Milk + Cookies festival wrapped up its second instalment in Johannesburg with a bang. This year, the music festival set its ambitions high with a two-city stint, Cape Town and Johannesburg and they ensured to deliver
The Johannesburg Expo Centre (Nasrec) came alive as headliners Gunna, Majid Jordan, and Elmiene delivered a worthwhile performance for fans.
With thousands of fans in attendance, the energy reflected Johannesburg’s signature intensity, ambitious, fast-moving, and deeply rooted in culture. Milk + Cookies’ first rodeo in Mzansi can be taken as a learning experience, as they took all the criticism and praise and applied them to deliver a worthwhile festival.
The day unfolded with standout performances from emerging and alternative voices, before building momentum through sets by Blxckie, Fiflaaa, Jinji, Pona x Nkly, and Elmiene — whose South African debut marked one of the night’s most anticipated moments. As evening set in, Canadian duo Majid Jordan delivered a moody R&B masterclass, setting the emotional tone before the final stretch.
The intensity peaked as A-Reece took the stage, commanding the crowd with lyrical precision and presence, before Gunna delivered an electrifying, high-energy headline performance that had the audience reciting every word of his chart-topping hits.
True to the Milk + Cookies ethos, the night didn’t end with the international act — DJs Speedsta and Kent, alongside Jazzwrld & Thukuthela, closed out the festival, returning the spotlight to South Africa and sending the crowd home on a distinctly local high.
Running parallel, the Move Mzansi Stage powered by Extreme, delivered a “festival within a festival,” spotlighting Johannesburg’s underground and alternative scenes with performances by Uncle Party Time, Omagoqa, Asvnte, DJ Capital, Tango Supreme, and Lelowhatsgood, capturing the raw, unfiltered pulse of the city.
Milk + Cookies began in Atlanta in the United States, but organisers are on a mission to not only bring good music vibes to Mzansi but also empower through its “Music Week” component.
“Milk + Cookies started in Atlanta as a community idea – not just ‘let’s throw an event,’ but ‘let’s build something people actually want to be part of,’” says Chase Freeman, Co-Founder and Head of Marketing.
“Coming back to South Africa for a second year wasn’t about chasing a market; it was about honouring a relationship. We saw last year how naturally Atlanta’s hustle blends with SA’s culture. This year is about reinforcing that connection.
“It’s not us coming in to build something new; it’s us collaborating with what’s already here and putting more resources behind it.”
Music Week included Wunna Run Club, where fans got to take part in a 5km run with Gunna, a two-day Writing Camp, uniting South African and international artists, producers, and songwriters in sessions and the Dot Connector panel, which convened global executives, innovators, and emerging creatives for a day of candid dialogue.
“We came up through a non-traditional path, and Milk + Cookies was born from that energy – the idea that culture is something you build with people,” says Gregory K. Burton Jr., Co-Founder and Creative Director.
“South Africa is leading the conversation globally right now. We don’t want this to be a one-night moment. That’s why we’re expanding into Music Week, because the long-term goal is to build a platform that creates access and opportunity, not just a stage.”
Johannesburg’s finale followed a powerful opening chapter in Cape Town, where Milk + Cookies returned to Kenilworth Racecourse for a sold-out show that drew more than 12,000 fans.
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