Main Street Sunday | A different kind of Joburg comes alive

On a sun-soaked Sunday in the heart of Johannesburg, the inner city traded its usual rush for something softer and perhaps more radical.

The second edition of Main Street Sunday transformed the city into a sprawling playground of art, food, crafts, dance, skateboarding, vinyl and community. For a day, Main Street became less about passing through and more about staying, exploring and reimagining what Johannesburg can be.

Organised by Jozi My Jozi, the initiative forms part of a broader push to draw people back into the inner city, not by romanticising the Johannesburg of the past, but by imagining what its next chapter could look like.

Dawn Robertson, Creative Economy and Visitor Economy Catalyst for Jozi My Jozi, says the vision is to move beyond Johannesburg’s traditional identity as a city built around gold and finance.

“We want to see Johannesburg flourish again, not to its former glory, but in its new glory, a position that centres creativity as the creative capital, young people and education.”

The second edition appears to be gaining momentum, with Robertson saying the response shows that people are willing to rediscover parts of the city they may have previously avoided.

“People have embraced it. People that have not been into the centre of the city are back exploring the city.”

And exploration was very much the order of the day.

Among the vendors were young and independent creatives turning their skills into businesses. At one stall, handmade bags made from leather, denim and other fabrics offered a playful alternative to the traditionally serious aesthetic associated with leatherwork.

For Royal Craft founder Rasta Kagiso, events like Main Street Sunday are more than markets, they are opportunities for creatives to test, refine and grow their ideas.

“These kinds of markets help us to grow our brands. We get to network and meet new people, collaborate with other artists, and get criticism and comments on what we’re doing.”

Across the street, creativity was being passed down to a younger generation.

Antoinette Sadiki, from Safe Study in Makers Valley, brought handmade work created by children learning skills including beading, mosaic, leatherwork, sewing and knitting.

For her, showcasing the children’s work was about more than making sales.

“This is just to show the kids that their artwork matters.”

Illustrator, animator and filmmaker, Neo Shingwenyana, known online as “Lil Bob Bernstein” has been creating characters and stories since childhood. His creative journey began with a simple realisation: the comics he loved did not reflect people who looked like him.

“I loved comics, but I saw that I was not represented. It was just white people and white culture. That’s what inspired me to start my own animations and my own comic books.”

For Shingwenyana, Main Street Sunday provides something independent creatives often struggle to find: visibility.

“They give us a chance to interact. They put us together in one space and they force people to explore what’s in the city.”

That idea of bringing people together sits at the heart of Main Street Sunday.

Even organisations working outside the creative industries found a place within the day’s wider civic conversation. Defend Our Democracy used the gathering to encourage Johannesburg residents to participate in its Election Watch campaign ahead of the local government elections.

Its Executive Director, Wade Manning, says the event demonstrates the power of community participation, particularly at a time when public trust in democratic institutions is under pressure.

“The initiative by Jozi My Jozi and all the other contributing brands to bring people to the city is a community initiative to bring Johannesburg back together as one holistic community.”

And perhaps that is the most interesting thing about Main Street Sunday. Robertson says the ultimate goal is for people to do more than visit.

“We want people to come back into our city, invest in our city, open your business in the city, buy a property in the city, rent a property in the city, be part of the regeneration.”

For those still carrying an old or fearful image of Johannesburg, her invitation is simple: come and experience it differently.

“Come to the next Main Street Sunday. It’s the safest way to experience the city.”

The next edition is expected later this year.

Until then, Main Street Sunday leaves behind a glimpse of another Johannesburg, one where creativity is commerce, culture is community, and the city centre is not simply somewhere to pass through, but somewhere to play, create and belong.

Written by: Lebohang Ndashe