Set to become one of South Africa’s biggest culinary extravaganzas, the inaugural Mzansi Food & Drink Show will rock the Kyalami International Convention Centre from 15 to 17 June 2024.

This is the brainchild of RX Africa, the company behind some of the country’s premiere events, including Decorex, Comic Con Africa, Africa Travel Week and FAME Week Africa, and the Ring of Fire Chilli Festival.

The three-day event will incorporate two previous independently held events, the popular Fire & Feast Meat Festival and the successful Coffee & Chocolate Expo, as well as three new additions – the Fine Food & Wine Show, the Bar & Good Spirits Showcase and the Mzansi Food Market.

Says Hanli Goncalves, Portfolio Director of the Mzansi Food & Drink Show: “As a foodie nation with vastly different dishes and tastes in the melting pot, South Africans are ready for a food and drink show of this stature and we will be serving up the biggest and the best culinary show on the African continent.”

The Mzansi Food & Drink Show will be the platform on which local culinary personalities will strut their stuff, Goncalves asserts, adding that it will highlight the latest food and drink trends and innovations, with something for the whole family and for all tastes.

“Visitors can attend food and drink tastings, cooking demos, masterclasses, special offers and a marketplace filled with gastronomic delights. “Taking place over a long weekend that includes Father’s Day on 16 June and Youth Day on 17 June, this will be the perfect occasion for the Fire & Feast Meat Festival in particular to entertain dads and lads with all things outdoor, meat and braai,” she says.

Carol Weaving, Managing Director of RX Africa adds: “We are in the business of building businesses so everyone can thrive whoever and wherever they are. As Africa’s leading exhibition and event organiser, RX Africa works with relevant government entities, stakeholders and industry movers and shakers to connect trade, consumers, investors and business to bring about the best events on the African continent. The Mzansi Food & Drink Show will definitely be one of them.”

Weaving notes that the first ever Ring of Fire Chilli Festival will set the Joburg winter ablaze with a hot line-up for chilli enthusiasts, food lovers and families, with live demonstrations, chilli-themed workshops, food stalls serving up fiery delights and stands selling all things chilli.

“Whether you’re a seasoned chilli lover or a curious newbie, this festival promises to be a sizzling adventure,” she asserts.

South Africans are all about the spice…
Dishes with chillies such as piri-piri chicken and piri-piri prawns are South African favourites and the hot stuff ranks among Africa’s most famous flavour, and one which has been exported from Southern Africa to the world, thanks to companies such as Nando’s.

According to a South African Uber Eats Cravings Report, extra hot chilli sauce tops the list of special requests when South Africans order takeaways, and the Mzansi Food & Drink Show has taken note with some off-the-scale events, including:

Ring of Fire National Championship: Witness the fieriest chilli enthusiasts battle it out with the Pod Challenge for the coveted title. Who can handle the heat and emerge victorious? Be there to find out.

Hot Wings Challenge: Think you can take off with the spiciest wings in town? Prove your mettle in this tongue-tingling challenge. Warning: Tears may flow!

Best Sauce Challenge: Sample an array of zesty sauces and vote for your favourite. From tangy to volcanic, these sauces will set your taste buds ablaze.

Hot Chip Challenge: Brace yourself for the hottest potato chips you’ve ever encountered. Can you handle the burn?

Challenge your Children: Dads, step up! Take on spicy challenges alongside your children. Who will be the ultimate family chilli champ?

It’s not just about chilli:
Unlike previous food festivals, the Mzansi Food & Drink Show will offer visitors a number of diverse and exciting shows all under one roof, including:

• Coffee & Chocolate Expo – a celebration of the irresistible combination of coffee and chocolate.
• Fire & Feast – a carnivore’s heaven providing a mouthwatering experience of meats of all types, as well as braais, butcher demos and outdoor delights.
• Fine Food & Wine – here visitors can elevate their palate with exquisite food pairings and premium South African wines.
• Bar & Good Spirits – showcasing a range of popular spirits as well as mixology skills and craft beverages to cool the chilliest tongue.
• Mzansi Food Market – a marketplace filled with gastronomic delights, new products, tastings and samples for those with an insatiable appetite to stock their pantry with the best foodstuffs in the country.
  Prepare your taste buds for an explosion of flavour at the Mzansi Food & Drink Show’s Ring of Fire Festival and make sure you’re among the “hottest possible” brave and “spicy is so me” beautiful!
  Take action, flaming foodies – and get tickets for the year’s biggest and best culinary extravaganza https://www.mzansifoodanddrink.com/