SOUTH AFRICA · LIVE MUSIC
Key Facts
- —The country South Africa is a country at the southern tip of Africa, and Cape Town, on its south-western coast, is its legislative capital.
- —Why it matters WAV is a one-day R&B festival created by Africa Creative Agency, and it brings two international headliners to Cape Town.
- —Why now The festival is on Saturday 2 January 2027, 71 days from today, and tickets are on sale now.
- —What happened The festival plays Green Point Track at 11 Fritz Sonnenberg Road from 12:00 to 23:00 local time, with Ty Dolla $ign, KWN and Mafikizolo on the bill, and tickets sold by Howler.
- —The numbers General tickets cost R849 (about US$51) and Golden Circle tickets R1,499 (about US$91), before fees.
- —What it means for you Noon in Cape Town is 5 a.m. Eastern time and the show ends at 4 p.m. Eastern, and US citizens need no visa for stays of 90 days or less.
- —Still open Set times, the order of acts, capacity, booking fees and later price phases are not confirmed.
WAV Festival Cape Town takes place on Saturday 2 January 2027 at Green Point Track, with the American singer Ty Dolla $ign and the British singer KWN as its international headliners. Tickets are on sale through Howler, a South African ticket seller, from R849 (about US$51) before fees.
For US readers, the show falls in the Cape Town summer and on the first Saturday of the year, so it suits a New Year trip to the Western Cape. This page gives the date, the venue, the line-up, the prices in US dollars and the entry rules, and it says what the organisers have not yet confirmed.
All rand amounts are converted at a market rate of R16.50 per US dollar on 23 October 2026. Prices and line-ups can change, so check the Howler listing before you buy.
WAV Festival Cape Town on 2 January 2027
The organiser lists the festival on Saturday 2 January 2027 from 12:00 to 23:00 South African time at Green Point Track, 11 Fritz Sonnenberg Road, Green Point, Cape Town. The festival is for people aged 18 and over, and the organiser’s website describes it as R&B reimagined through an African lens.
WAV is run by Africa Creative Agency (ACA), the festival’s founder, whose chief executive, Colin Gayle, said in October that WAV was going to the next level in 2027. The festival began in Cape Town on 2 January 2026, when its first edition was headlined by the American singer Mariah the Scientist, with the rapper Wale as a special guest.
Hype Magazine, a South African music outlet, reported on 7 January 2026 that the first edition drew more than 8,000 people to the same venue. That figure comes from the organisers and we could not check it against an independent count.
Who Is Playing at WAV Festival
The two international headliners at WAV are Ty Dolla $ign, an American R&B and hip-hop singer and producer, and KWN, a British R&B singer. Both also headline the second show of the weekend in Pretoria on Sunday 3 January 2027.
On 23 October 2026 the organisers added Mafikizolo, a South African group they call music icons, to the Cape Town bill. The same announcement named Lordkez, WizTheMc, Lusanda, Thando Zide and Xowie as performers.
Special guest DJ sets are planned from TXC and Juls, with DJ Loyd and Sir Vincent also on the bill. The organisers have not published a stage plan or an order of play.
The Bernini Golden Circle is a premium area presented with Bernini, a cider and drinks brand that is the festival’s official cider, beer and ready-to-drink partner. Howler sells it as its own ticket tier.
Tickets and Prices in US Dollars
Howler lists two Cape Town tickets, both called Phase I. General costs R849 (about US$51) and Golden Circle costs R1,499 (about US$91), and Howler adds booking fees at checkout.
A 4-for-3 group deal gives four General tickets for R2,547 (about US$154), or R636.75 (about US$39) a person, also before fees. The listing data on the Howler page shows the offer running until 11:59 p.m. on 26 October 2026, so it ends in three days.
The organiser’s FAQ page, which pairs the 2027 date with 2025 deadlines from the first edition, says earlier tickets cost less and prices rise as more are released. It also mentions a 10% booking fee, so confirm the fee at checkout before you convert the final total.
Tickets are in rand, and a US card is converted at your bank’s rate, which can add a foreign-transaction fee of its own. Buy only from Howler or the organiser’s own site, because the organiser warns against resellers.
Time Difference to the United States
South Africa uses South African Standard Time, which is two hours ahead of UTC all year, because the country does not change its clocks. In January New York is five hours behind UTC, so Cape Town is seven hours ahead of Eastern time and ten hours ahead of Pacific time.
The listed hours of 12:00 to 23:00 on Saturday 2 January therefore run from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time and from 2 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific time. Anyone planning to watch a social-media stream from home should note that no livestream has been announced.
Getting There and Entry Rules for US Citizens
The US State Department’s South Africa page says US citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays of 90 days or less. It also says travellers must have two consecutive blank visa pages in the passport on every arrival and will be denied entry without them.
The same page does not state the passport validity rule clearly, so check it with South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs before you book. We have not checked flight routes or fares to Cape Town for the first weekend of January.
The State Department also advises increased caution in South Africa because of crime, and urges particular caution in the central business districts of major cities, especially after dark. It notes that brush fires occur in many areas, especially in the Western Cape, during the summer months of December to February, which is worth checking against local alerts before an outdoor event.
Howler says parking is available at the venue but encourages guests to use e-hailing services such as Uber. The organiser’s FAQ page says there is no festival shuttle but that taxis and Ubers are available, though parts of it date from the first edition.
Entry Rules at Green Point Track
Howler lists the festival as 18 and over, and bans weapons, your own alcohol and your own food. The organiser’s FAQ page asks guests to bring a passport or driving licence whose name matches the e-ticket, which is swapped for a wristband at the gate.
That page also said payment at the festival is by card only, with no cash machines and no lockers on site. Parts of that page date from the first edition, so treat these rules as a guide until the organiser publishes the 2027 festival guide.
WAV Pretoria on 3 January 2027
The second show is WAV After Dark in Pretoria on Sunday 3 January 2027 at SunBet Arena, with Webtickets selling tickets from R749 to R2,299 (about US$45 to US$139) before fees. Webtickets lists the start at 18:00, a minimum height of 1.3 metres for the standing area and no entry under 18.
Pretoria is a different ticket and a different line-up, so a Cape Town ticket does not cover it. Hype Magazine named Ty Dolla $ign, KWN, Lordkez, Lusanda and Xowie for that show.
What It Means for You
A US visitor can build a Cape Town New Year trip around the festival on Saturday 2 January 2027 without a visa, if the stay is 90 days or less and the passport has two consecutive blank visa pages. The lowest ticket is about US$51 before fees, and a group of four can bring the per-person price to about US$39 until 26 October.
Because the show runs from midday into the night in South Africa, plan sun protection and check how you will get home after dark. For more on the city, see our Cape Town city guide and the South Africa section.
Two other Cape Town shows fall close by, and our reports cover Tyla at Green Point Track on 4 January and Dave Koz in Cape Town on 23 January. For the wider scene, read South Africa Culture, the Key Figures to Know in 2026.
What Is Not Known
The organisers have not published set times, the order of the acts, the stage layout or the festival capacity for 2027. Howler shows the 12:00 to 23:00 window, but gate opening times are not stated.
It is not confirmed when the next price phase starts, what it will cost or what booking fees apply to the Howler tickets. The organiser’s FAQ page still shows 2025 dates, so its rules on refunds, name changes and wristbands may not apply to 2027.
We could not reach the organisers, and the line-up news comes from their own announcements as carried by South African outlets. No independent report on ticket sales for the 2027 edition has been published, and the lead acts could change.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is WAV Festival Cape Town in 2027?
WAV Festival Cape Town is on Saturday 2 January 2027 at Green Point Track, 11 Fritz Sonnenberg Road, Green Point, from 12:00 to 23:00 local time. That is 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time.
How much are tickets in US dollars?
General tickets cost R849 (about US$51) and Golden Circle tickets R1,499 (about US$91) on Howler, before fees. A 4-for-3 General deal costs R2,547 (about US$154) for four people, or about US$39 each, until 26 October 2026.
Do US citizens need a visa for South Africa?
The US State Department says US citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays of 90 days or less. Travellers must have two consecutive blank visa pages in the passport on every arrival.
Sources: Howler, WAV Festival Cape Town event page; Howler, WAV Festival Cape Town ticket page, 23 October 2026; WAV Festival, official site; WAV Festival, FAQ page; Webtickets, WAV After Dark (Pretoria), 3 January 2027; Hype Magazine, WAV Festival adds Mafikizolo, 23 October 2026; Hype Magazine, WAV returns with Ty Dolla $ign and KWN, 5 October 2026; Hype Magazine, WAV debut in Cape Town, 7 January 2026; YoMzansi, WAV announces Cape Town and Pretoria shows, 5 October 2026; US State Department, South Africa travel information; Exchange rate: R16.50 per US dollar, 23 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error