On Sat, May 24, 2025, Hillbrow becomes your playground as Hey Hillbrow! Let’s Dlala! (dlala means "play" in isiZulu) takes to the streets for its sixth edition. 

Launched in 2017, this joyful street parade celebrates the magic that public performance brings to public space – spreading energy and laughter, while shining a light on the incredible work local organisations and individuals continue to do in this historic, dynamic, yet unfortunately neglected, neighbourhood. The day was inspired by the life of Joburg public art "super-heroine" Lesley Perkes, who died in 2015 and whose dreams for Hillbrow others have continued to manifest.

A lively collaboration between local organisations  Dlala Nje, Shade, Dlamini Foundation, Johannesburg Society for the Blind, Innovation of Excellence, Lefika La Phodiso, Fight with Insight, MES, and the Windybrow Arts Centre, this year’s street parade is curated by the ever-inventive Tamzyn Botha, director of Shade Brixton, alongside actor, director, and theatre-maker Daniel Buckland.

Expect a mesmerising mix of music, performance, art, and aerial wonder as the Ezase Vaal Brass Band leads the procession and cirque-arts group The Cirk dazzles above. With costumes crafted from reclaimed materials, it’s a fabulous tribute to the dreamers, reclaimers, and changemakers shaping Hillbrow’s past, present, and future.

The parade kicks off from the Windybrow Arts Centre (cnr Nugget and Pietersen Streets), flowing into a music-filled afternoon with performances by the Thamsanqa Vuthela Band, Madagascar’s The Dizzy Brains, and Styles Da Deejay.

Come dream, dance, and dlala on Sat, May 24 from 10:00 – 14:00. See some photos from the 2024 parade here.