Glimlag Fees is gearing up for its sixth anniversary, and this year the festival is bringing a major new partner along for the ride.

CFAO Mobility has been announced as the headline sponsor and official mobility partner of Glimlag Fees 2026, bringing a collection of familiar automotive brands into the festival experience.

The festival takes place on Saturday, 3 October, at the Benoni Northerns Sports Grounds and has become an established fixture on the East Rand entertainment calendar.

As part of the partnership, the CFAO Mobility Carnival dealership portfolio will have exclusivity within the automotive category at the festival. The lineup includes Volkswagen, Suzuki, Omoda/Jaecoo, Kia, Renault, and CFAO Mobility Toyota East Rand.

Music, Brands, and A Full Day Out

According to Wian Smith-Venter, founder and CEO of The Marketing Zoo, the team behind Glimlag Fees, the festival has grown considerably since its beginnings six years ago.

“Glimlag Fees started with a simple idea: to bring people together through music and entertainment. Six years later, it has developed into a platform where festivalgoers, artists, major brands, local businesses and entrepreneurs all form part of the same experience,” says Smith-Venter.

“Welcoming CFAO Mobility as our headline sponsor this year is an important next step for us. It enables us to invest further in the experience we create for festivalgoers and to continue building a festival that has earned its place on the East Rand.”

That experience is not limited to the stage. CFAO Mobility’s vehicle portfolio will form part of the wider campaign leading up to Glimlag Fees, as well as the festival-day experience.

For festivalgoers, that means another layer of activity alongside the music, food, entertainment, and brand experiences taking place throughout the day.

The Festival Behind The Festival

There is also a lot more happening behind the scenes than the crowd gets to see.

Technical crews, security services, logistics providers, marketers, décor suppliers, food vendors, stallholders and other service providers are involved long before the first artist takes to the stage.

For local entrepreneurs and small businesses, Glimlag Fees can also provide access to thousands of potential customers in a single day.

“What happens on stage is only the part people see,” says Smith-Venter.

“Behind the festival is a large group of people working to make it possible. Every time the festival grows, that network grows with it – from the people who build the site to the stallholder trading on the day. Wherever we can source locally and involve local people and businesses, we try to do so.”

The festival’s community involvement extends beyond the event itself, with school visits, local promotions and opportunities for emerging talent forming part of the Glimlag Fees campaign.

The festival also supports the Smile Foundation, which facilitates life-changing surgeries and medical care for children with facial differences and other medical challenges.

Who Is Playing At Glimlag Fees 2026?

This year’s artist lineup includes Spoegwolf, Kurt Darren, Demi Lee Moore, Steve Hofmeyr, Tamlyn Wessels, Dirk van der Westhuizen, Danny Smoke and Martin Bester.

And it is not just about the music.

Festivalgoers can also look forward to stalls, children’s entertainment, a beer garden, food and a variety of brand experiences.

For Smith-Venter, the goal remains to create a day where people can enjoy themselves while building something that has a wider impact on the community.

“Ultimately, Glimlag Fees should, of course, be a day where people enjoy incredible music and spend quality time with family and friends,” says Smith-Venter.

“But six years later, we can also see how far the impact surrounding that one day extends. It is important to us that the festival grows alongside Benoni and that its value is felt by more than just the people inside the festival gates.”

Glimlag Fees 2026 takes place on Saturday, 3 October at the Benoni Northerns Sports Grounds. Tickets are available through Tixsa.

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