EVOPHORIA: A LUXURIOUS MARBLE CIRCUS THAT FELT LIKE AN ESCAPE FROM REALITY

26–27 September 2026 | Ground, Muldersdrift

There are events you attend, and then there are events that make you feel like you've temporarily stepped out of your normal life and entered an entirely different world.

Evophoria was that for me.

What a feeling!

From the moment I arrived at Ground, the venue in Muldersdrift, I knew this wasn't going to be your ordinary lifestyle event. Evophoria felt like an escape from the world and, quite honestly, from reality itself. It was overwhelming — but in the best possible way.

There was SO MUCH happening.

So many experiences. So many stations. So many brands. So many things to explore. And every time you thought you'd seen everything, you'd turn a corner and discover something else.

It was big. It was extravagant. It was colourful. It was playful. It was luxurious. It was a little bit chaotic at times — but in a way that made you want to keep exploring.

Honestly, marvellous is probably the word.

WALKING, EXPLORING & ACCIDENTALLY GETTING YOUR STEPS IN

One thing I didn't expect from Evophoria was just how much walking we'd be doing!

The different experiences and activations were spread across the venue, which meant you were constantly moving from one station to another. You'd find yourself walking towards one experience, getting distracted by another, stopping to check out a brand activation, grabbing something along the way, dancing for a bit and then continuing your adventure.

Brands such as Samsung, Heineken, Vaseline, Schweppes, Pantry and many more were part of the experience, each adding their own flavour to the event.

And let me tell you...

By the end of the day, I had clocked more than 10,000 steps!

Who knew you could get your steps in while having this much fun?

Kill two birds with one stone!

I didn't even realise how much walking I had done because I was too busy enjoying myself.

THIS WASN'T JUST AN EVENT — IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE

What I really appreciated about Evophoria was that there was always something to do.

You could dance. You could explore. You could discover different brand experiences. You could watch performances. You could take pictures. You could simply walk around and take in the atmosphere.

There was something for different kinds of people.

And because of the scale of the event, it genuinely felt like a mini world had been created inside Ground.

You weren't just attending an event.

You were exploring Evophoria.

And I think that's what made it so exciting.

THE MUSIC?

Of course, we have to talk about the music because some serious names graced the stages.

I really enjoyed the performances from Scorpion Kings, DBN Gogo, Shimza, Thukzin, Lebza TheVillain and so many more.

Each performance brought its own energy, and there was something about being surrounded by thousands of people who were all there to dance and enjoy themselves that made the atmosphere even more electric.

But there was ONE thing that took the performances to another level for me...

THE FIREWORKS!!!

YHOOOOOO!

THE FIREWORKS!

This was probably my favourite part of the entire experience.

Every time a performance reached a certain moment, the fireworks would accompany the music and the entire atmosphere would transform.

It honestly felt like I had entered another dimension.

I'm struggling to even explain it properly because some experiences really don't translate through words.

Imagine being surrounded by music, lights, thousands of people dancing, an incredible production and then suddenly the sky lights up with fireworks as the artist is performing.

WHAT?!

It was cinematic.

It was dramatic.

It was beautiful.

It was one of those moments where you just stop for a second and think, "Okay... this is actually happening."

And honestly, no photograph or video could fully capture what it felt like standing there experiencing it in real time.

You just had to be there.

THE EVOPHORIA FEELING

There was something very freeing about the whole experience.

For a few hours, you weren't thinking about work.

You weren't thinking about responsibilities.

You weren't thinking about tomorrow.

You were just there.

Dancing.

Walking.

Exploring.

Eating.

Drinking.

Discovering.

Taking pictures.

Laughing.

Listening to music.

And experiencing something completely different.

That's what I mean when I say Evophoria felt like an escape.

It created this little bubble where reality felt very far away.

And maybe that's what a great lifestyle event is supposed to do.

It should give you a story to tell afterwards.

It should give you moments you remember.

And Evophoria definitely did that for me.

BUT THEN... THE TRAFFIC

Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room.

THE TRAFFIC LEAVING.

Yhooooooo!

Everything was going so beautifully until it was time to leave.

My Uber arrived at around 21:30...

And guess what?

We only left at around 22:30.

ONE HOUR.

And the reason?

Cars were barely moving.

At some point you could only sit there and watch the line of vehicles wondering when exactly you were going to escape lol.

After spending the entire day walking, dancing and exploring, the last thing you want is to spend another hour sitting in traffic trying to leave the venue.

It was honestly frustrating.

I think traffic management and the exit experience would definitely be something worth looking at for future editions, especially considering the scale of the event.

Because if you're creating an experience this big, the experience shouldn't end the moment people leave the venue — getting home should ideally be part of that smooth exit too.

But...

Did the traffic ruin the entire experience?

No.

Was it frustrating?

Absolutely!

But everything that happened before that was simply too good to erase the memories.

THE FINAL VIBECHECK

Evophoria was BIG.

It was bold.

It was immersive.

It was luxurious.

It was entertaining.

It was energetic.

It was colourful.

It was an experience that kept giving you something new to discover.

From the brand activations to the performances, from the walking trails between experiences to the dancing, and especially those incredible fireworks, there was a lot to love.

And perhaps the biggest compliment I can give Evophoria is this:

I left with more than 10,000 steps on my phone, a whole lot of memories in my head and the feeling that I had spent the day somewhere completely outside of reality.

That is what events are supposed to do.

So, Evophoria, thank you for the escape. Thank you for the music. Thank you for the madness. Thank you for the fireworks. Thank you for giving us something so big and different to experience.

We definitely hope to see you again next year.

Just...

PLEASE SORT OUT THAT EXIT TRAFFIC!

VIBECHECK RATING: 9/10

9/10 — and honestly, that one point is only because of the traffic leaving.

Other than that?

Beautiful. Beautiful. BEAUTIFUL.

Until next time, Evophoria.