“Postponing the 14th Edition of the MTN Bushfire festival has been one of the hardest decisions that we have had to make.” Reported by Jiggs and Sholto Thorne.
However, as a responsible and conscientious festival, prioritising the health and safety of our beloved home – the Kingdom of Eswatini – our diverse community of guests from across the globe and our staff members, has made this decision a necessary one.
We would like to thank you, our loyal Fire Starters, for the positive and incredibly uplifting messages that you have sent us since announcing the festival’s postponement to 28-30 May, 2021. You have proven, once again, that there is strength in unity.
Our hearts go out to our dedicated team of staff members, vendors, artists, partners and sponsors who have worked tirelessly to make the MTN Bushfire festival experience yet another magical and memorable one.
To give you a clearer picture of the impact that the festival has within Eswatini, in 2019, we generated E45 million for the country’s economy. Close to 1,000 jobs were created directly by the festival, and over 900 employment positions were created through the trade, accommodation, transport, communication and manufacturing sectors. To date, over E2.2 million has been sponsored to our beneficiaries, Young Heroes and boMake Rural Projects.
Having already sold two-thirds of our tickets, this year’s festival would have had an even bigger impact on the livelihoods of our staff members, traders, creative entrepreneurs and the Eswatini tourism sector.
Before announcing our new festival dates, we were only 2 months away from the 2020 festival. MTN Bushfire had already engaged an electrifying range of music artists and creatives for its eclectic festival programme that appeals to Fire Starters from across the globe, year after year. Our list of vendors for our trading areas was finalised, and we had settled on some exciting activation plans with our partners and sponsors. We were all ready to bring our fire. So yes, this has been a harsh reality for us all.
But the show will go on! We #KEEPTHEFIREBURNING as the festival has been postponed, not cancelled. This means that all the exciting programming we had lined up for this year simply shifts to 2021. The MTN Bushfire team has been keeping the fire alive, working hard, remotely from home, to ensure that we are safe while putting together an even more explosive festival for 2021!
So, if you’ve already invested in the MTN Bushfire experience by purchasing your tickets, you’ll be happy to know that you can automatically #BRINGYOURFIRE at the 2021 festival with the same tickets (#winning!). However, we encourage you to contact our accommodation, camping and glamping service providers urgently as they have separate policies and requirements.
Don’t forget, over the last 5 consecutive years, tickets to the MTN Bushfire festival have sold out well in advance to the festival. So, we would encourage you to secure your tickets now, while they are still available at 2020 pricing. For those who cannot make it to the festival next year, you can spread your fire and live vicariously through a fellow Fire Starter by transferring your ticket to them.
Despite our usual Terms & Conditions, which state that we don’t give refunds on tickets, this is such an extraordinary situation that we are definitely prepared to refund your ticket.
Holding a festival of this size is a complicated endeavor and some of your ticket money has already been invested in the 14th edition. Some of it has gone towards the artists you want to see, who are now facing cancellations on their gigs worldwide. We also can’t forget the many people who owe their livelihoods to the festival, including the workers who have built our new expansions. In essence, you have already made a deposit on your MTN Bushfire experience. Therefore, we are offering 75% refunds on festival tickets. We ask you to be understanding in this extraordinary time.
Please visit the MTN Bushfire website, www.bush-fire.com, for detailed ticket-related information.
Our atmosphere of inclusion and celebration of diversity wouldn’t be the same without the unique fire that you bring. We cannot wait to welcome you all in 2021!
