If it wasn’t for Nigerian superstar Burna Boy’s Saturday performance, DStv Delicious International Food and Music Festival would’ve been a flop.

The much-anticipated event of the year kicked off to a horrible start, from attendees complaining about the long queues to gain entry into the venue or making use of the bathrooms – to the terrible experience of standing for long hours just to buy food which clearly defeated the whole purpose of a food festival.  

The chaos, however, didn’t end there. The queues to the VIP area came to a standstill due to fake and unauthorised tickets flagged by event organisers. But that wasn’t the only issue, general access tags along with VIP tags ran out, which led to more delays in gaining entry into Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Johannesburg, which caused a traffic jam on the roads leading to the venue.    

To add more to the ordeal, festival-goers also had to queue for long hours in the scorching sun to load their howler tickets which caused more delays. Some took out their frustrations about the poor logistics and management on Twitter.

The number of complaints lodged on social media prompted the event organisers to issue an apology on Twitter on Saturday, which read: “We are aware that the VIP entry is taking longer than expected. Additional security processes are being implemented due to fake tickets and unauthorised tickets."

While the event organisers did all they could to salvage the situation, it was headline act Burna Boy who became the “redemptive highlight of the disappointing day one".

The Nigerian superstar stepped on stage wearing a cool red and white fur jacket with a matching shirt and formal black pants. As his voice met the microphone, his vocals lit up the Grand Prix Circuit, leaving an unbelievable once-in-a-lifetime ambience in the air.

After performing two songs, Burna Boy paused his band to tell the crowd “how good it felt to be back in SA after a seven-year hiatus”. This is after the Kilometre singer vowed in 2019 that he’d never set foot back in the country ever again over xenophobic attacks at the time. But what a turning point it was for South Africans to come in huge numbers to support one of Africa’s most celebrated international artists.

Burna Boy went on to perform most of his hits, from Ye to a little snippet of his verse on rapper AKA’s song All Eyes on Me, but it was his current hit Last Last that captured the hearts of the crowd as a loud singing of the lyric “Shayooooo” filled up the circuit, a moment in history worth experiencing.  

While day one was redeemed by Burna Boy, day two of the festival was a lot smoother. Festival-goers experienced a more relaxed and efficient day even though the queues to the food and drink stalls were a tad long but bearable.

American singers Angie Stone and Babyface set the mood for the perfect Sunday “Soul Session” that fit the mood of the day. As Stone paid homage to our “black brothers” with her song Brotha, legendary Babyface mesmerised the crowd with his '80s and '90s two-step dancing. He went on to sing hits such as Every Time I Close My Eyes, Never Keeping Secrets and many more. He also sang songs he wrote for New Edition, Bobby Brown, Tevin Campbell and the late great Whitney Houston.      

Despite some celebs nowhere in sight, SMag was able to spot a few familiar faces who were dressed to impress at the weekend.

Media personality Thando Thabethe went for a more “cool girl chic” look. She wore a leopard print silk top and a long black semi-see-through skirt which was inspired by the blazing hot SA weather. Celebrity chef Siba Mtongana on the other hand wore an elegant pink short bubble-like dress that she says was both comfortable for her to cook in while looking stunning for the VIP guests she was cooking for in the DStv lounges.

Chef Nti looked glamorous in a colourful sparkling Diane-Paris dress that she matched with a fawn summer hat.   

On the streets of the festival, we spotted Tik Tok sensations Banele Ndaba, affectionately known as Moghelingz, and Sphokuhle Ntshalintshali.  

Ndaba channelled a more fun look he described as a “perfect balance of both peach and pink”. He wore an all-pink outfit that comprised a shirt, sleeveless jacket and shorts.

Ntshalintshali simply wanted to bring “Coachella” to SA with her look, seeing that she was unable to attend that event. She wore a purple and black jumpsuit that revealed all the necessary parts – surely one of the best looks of the festival.