First Sunday at Victoria Yards

Name: First Sunday at Victoria Yards
Start: 2025-10-05
End: 2025-10-05
Location: Victoria Yards

Sunday Oct 5 10:00–16:00 … 16 Viljoen St, Lorentzville

Victoria Yards provides a delightful respite from the city that surrounds it. Photo: Victoria Yards.

There's a delightful, vast, and creative outdoor area in the Victoria Yards complex. Photo: Victoria Yards.

Discover unique, handmade goods, food, and art. Photo: Victoria Yards.

Always a fun event, First Sunday at Victoria Yards is an opportunity to explore the beautiful urban gardens, maker spaces, and artist studios at this complex of formerly light industrial buildings on the east side of the City Centre. Located opposite the headquarters of South Africa's most famous chicken brand, Nando's, in the gritty suburb of Lorentzville, Victoria Yards provides a delightful respite from the city that surrounds it.

First Sunday Highlights on Sun, Sep 7

Here’s what to look forward to this September edition of First Sunday at Victoria Yards – a day of colour, craft, cupcakes, creativity, and cool encounters with Joburg’s most exciting makers:

Colourful handprinting on a tote bag. Photo: Supplied.

Play, create, and make memories with FMK at a hand printing class. From R250 per person, you can learn to design one-of-a-kind t-shirts, caps, and hats. Alongside wearable art, free your imagination at the games and colouring station. Bookings for individuals or birthday sessions are welcome via WhatsApp at 084 338 4724.

Make your own natural, vegan-friendly, cold process soap. Photo: Supplied.

Discover the art of soap making with Tru Beauty Africa For R350 per person, you’ll learn to create 100% natural, vegan-friendly cold process soap, choosing your own designs, colours, and fragrances using essential oils and botanicals. Perfect for ages 10 and up, this all-inclusive workshop lets you craft a custom soap for yourself or as a gift. Enjoy 10% off pre-bookings or groups of three or more via WhatsApp at 084 882 6558.

Paint your own pot and take spring home with you. Photo: Supplied.

Let your creativity bloom at the Spring Pot Painting workshop with Devolutionery from 09:00 to 16:00. Enjoy a colourful day of art as you paint your own pot plant, with light snacks and refreshments included. Pre-book your spot for just R250 via WhatsApp at 081 811 1127. It’s the perfect way to celebrate spring with creativity, connection, and fun. Limited spaces available!

Learn buttercream piping & fondant flower making. Photo: Supplied.

Sweeten your skills at the Cupcake Decorating Workshop with La Meli Confectionary, from 10:00 – 12:00. Learn piping techniques, craft fondant flowers, and take home two pretty-as-a-picture cupcakes. R320 per person (with a 10% discount for pre-bookings or groups of three or more). Book your spot via WhatsApp +27 72 579 8205.

Make feeders, wind chimes and more. Photo: Supplied.

Celebrate the season of growth and harmony! Join Etherealize.inc Studios for hands-on activities like DIY bird feeders, cyanotype sun prints, fairy gardens, and wind chime painting. Say hi and receive a free pack of bird seeds to keep your garden alive with birdsong. Don’t miss it!

Ink, skin, and story. Photo: @chowmein_at.wurk on Instagram.

Experience the art of slow, simple handpoke tattoos by Chǎomiàn this all-day corner invites you to watch, learn, or try your hand at poking. Walk-ins are welcome, or book ahead to secure your spot for R400 (materials included). No rush, no pressure – just ink, skin, and story.

Victoria Yards Market is growing with a new pop-up in the upstairs courtyard! Explore vintage, antique, and thrift finds, enjoy food trucks, and soak up live music. A perfect addition to your First Sunday.

Art, food, fashion, music, and culture at Vic Yards

With its community ethos and bountiful gardens, a visit to Victoria Yards is a highly recommended family outing and a day filled with art, food, fashion, music, and culture.

On First Sunday at Victoria Yards, resident artists open their studio doors to the public, presenting an opportunity to meet the artists and get a look behind the scenes of their creative process. Amongst those you should look out for are prominent artists Daniel "Stompie" Selibe, James Delaney, and Dario Manjate.

You can also explore fashion studios, furniture design workshops, and incredible African craft and design shops keeping traditional artisanal pottery, wood carving, and beadwork skills alive.

There's also a market with an eclectic range of 40 stalls, plus plenty of food and beverages available, including the excellent Foakes Coffee Bar & Roastery, charcuterie at Curado (opened July 2024), Joburg's best fish and chips The Fish and Chip Shop, and Sobae's refreshing and seasonal sorbet.

Shop handmade crafts, vintage and thrifted clothing, accessible art for a cause, and more.

Apart from First Sunday, Victoria Yards offers tours of their gardens and artisan studios daily. The Discovery tour and walkabout runs for half an hour and starts at 10:30 daily and, to visit the different artisan studios, join hour-long Artisan tour at 11:00 daily. You can also organise a private tour of Victoria Yards with Angela at a specific date and time; contact her on +27 78 477 5810.

Prices start from R50 p.p. for a 60-minute tour, and this includes visits to the various studios at Victoria Yards, and a tour of the Jukskei River rehabilitation project. Groups of up to 16 people can be accommodated per guide. School groups are also accommodated.

Follow Victoria Yards on Facebook and Instagram.