WAV Festival 2027 announces two-city run with Ty Dolla $ign, KWN and Mafikizolo

The WAV Festival has confirmed its 2027 edition, with Ty Dolla $ign and KWN headlining and South African duo Mafikizolo co-headlining the Cape Town leg. According to briefly.co.za, it is the first time the event will be staged in two cities.

Cape Town and Pretoria dates

The Cape Town show takes place on Saturday 2 January. Alongside Mafikizolo, briefly.co.za lists Lordkez and Xowie among the live acts, with DJ sets from TXC and Juls. The report does not name the Cape Town venue.

On Sunday 3 January 2027, WAV makes its Pretoria debut at the SunBet Arena. Ty Dolla $ign and KWN are again billed as headliners there, supported by what the report describes only as a strong local presence. No other Pretoria acts are named in the source.

Briefly.co.za's opening paragraphs refer to the festival reaching Johannesburg and Cape Town, but the dates it details are Cape Town and Pretoria. No Johannesburg date is described, so readers should check the festival's official channels for the final schedule.

The WAV concept

WAV is organised by the Africa Creative Agency and is built around what the organisers call "R&B reimagined", pairing international acts with South African talent. Briefly.co.za describes Ty Dolla $ign as a US R&B artist and KWN as a British breakout act. It presents Mafikizolo, who it calls a legendary South African duo, as the local draw for Cape Town, and says the bill spans several generations of performers.

The report also mentions Mariah the Scientist's performance at the festival earlier in the year, but does not say when or where it took place.

Tickets

WAV has introduced a 4-for-3 promotion: buyers pay for three tickets when they purchase four. Cape Town tickets are sold through Howler and Pretoria tickets through Webtickets. The source gives no ticket prices.

The expansion gives the festival a presence in two cities over a single January weekend, with the same two international headliners on both nights. How the model performs will depend on sales and attendance, which the source does not address.