The annual Gin & Trout Festival returns on 28 February 2026, offering a refined lifestyle experience that celebrates the harmony between premium gin, trout, lamb, and elevated cultural expression.
The festival director, Tšokolo Makeka, said the event is curated for discerning guests who value exceptional food, fine beverages, thoughtful design, and immersive atmosphere.
The Gin & Trout Festival is not a party-first event, but a composed journey of taste, discovery, and connection, where food, drink, fashion, and sound intersect seamlessly.
Designed primarily for professionals, entrepreneurs, creatives, and cultured tastemakers aged 35 to 50, with a secondary appeal to the 25 to 35 market, the festival attracts a mature audience seeking premium experiences without excess—luxury without pretension.
Makeka said a curated linear marketplace featuring premium local and regional brands, the Strip Market, blends artisanal food, fashion, craft, and lifestyle products into an elegant promenade that invites guests to stroll, discover, and connect.
The culinary heart of the festival, this official kitchen prepares freshly cooked trout and lamb dishes throughout the day, allowing guests to purchase and enjoy thoughtfully developed meals that celebrate local ingredients with contemporary flair.
The social spine of the festival and home to the gin stalls, Libation Lane, showcases a selection of premium gins, inviting guests to explore diverse botanicals, expressions, and serves within a vibrant yet polished environment.
“This year’s event brings a tasting café dedicated to rare and international gins. Designed for collectors and connoisseurs, the café offers guided tasting flights that highlight craftsmanship, provenance, and nuanced flavour profiles,” Makeka noted.
The wine café will feature 10 Black-owned South African wine brands. Guests are invited to taste, learn, and celebrate African excellence in winemaking through an intimate and educational experience.
A headline chef competition pitting Team Lesotho vs Team South Africa will also take place, hosted by social media sensation, Xolile Vesile.
Competing chefs battle across three courses using gin, trout, and lamb, delivering high-energy culinary theatre infused with national pride.
There will also be a participatory cooking challenge for passionate food lovers. Contestants will work with Lesotho-sourced ingredients in a fast-paced, flame-driven showdown celebrating creativity, skill, and local produce.
In conclusion, Makeka said the Gin & Trout Festival is where taste meets intention. “It is social without being noisy, indulgent without excess, and luxurious without being inaccessible. It will be a single-day escape for grown, discerning audiences who value quality over chaos.”
