On 28 March 2026, we will close 7th Street and a small portion of 4th Ave in Melville for a day-time only (10:00-18:00) community arts festival – The Happening… just like we did last year!
The Happening invites everyone in the local community, as well as the broader Johannesburg and Gauteng to participate in this day and make the arts come alive.
Perform or Show
We invite you to join in the creation of magic on the streets. You can participate in any creative way you like – dressing up, show-casing your hobby and art, volunteering, bringing gifts, and expressing yourself in any way you can think of!
At 12pm we will do a PARADE, starting at the bottom of 7th Avenue next to Saffron Guesthouse. YOU can be part of the parade – dress up in your most outrages gear, bring an instrument or drum, bring a mutant vehicle, parctise your dancing skills or walk on stillts … juggle with something … the options are endless … al you need to do is be there by 11:45 am !
Can you sing a song, tell a story, recite a poem, explain a difficult concept, or maybe showcase your hobby? We will be having an open mic stage, where you can either book a slot, or simply pitch up and take a stand!
For the first event we held, we had plenty of space in the street to exhibit art. And we mean any type of art! Unfortunately the City of Joburg no longer allow us to have art in the street 🙁 We are talking to them to see if we can change that … watch this space
There will be mutant art vehicles, graffiti and other forms of public art, as long as it can fit on the side walk, or in a store.
Volunteer
We believe in gifting, and as such everyone working to make this event happen does so as volunteers. We need volunteers to help set up art, hang signs & bunting, assist in our community day, and a host of other small things. If you can spare a bit of time to help us with this, that would be awesome!
Restaurants & Shops
We invite businesses & restauranteurs to bring art, music and fun into their space.
Examples of business participation in 2019:
- Six Cocktail Lounge invited Jazz musicians to entertain guests
- Ziggy’s Pet Pamporium hosted Doggy Fancy Dress Competition
- The Dung-Beetle Crew hosted a Spray-off, spray-painting the trolleys of the African Reclaimers Organization, who were responsible for clean-up at the event
- Hosting an art exhibition
If you have space in your business / restaurant and would like to offer this space to a potential artist, let us know, and we can match you with someone looking for space.
Market
We recognize that people have to make a living in the city, and therefore we have stalls at The Happening where artists can sell their craft as well as their art.