If last year was the warm-up, this year’s Milk + Cookies was the full sprint.

Coming off a 2025 high that gave us Kaytranada, the festival didn’t just aim higher it multiplied the moment. One international headliner became three: Gunna, Majid Jordan, and Elmiene all touching down in one weekend. On paper, that’s enough to carry any festival.

But on the ground?
The locals stole the show.

There’s something special about the first outing of the year, the optimism, the reset, the feeling that the calendar has finally opened up. Arriving with friends, Milk + Cookies felt less like a concert and more like a cultural checkpoint: a reminder of how deep South Africa’s music bench really is.

I arrived late and unfortunately missed Blxckie, but the energy I walked into made it clear the day was already in full swing.

Loatinover Pounds and 25K delivered performances that didn’t ask for permission, they claimed the stage. These are artists who should be on every major festival lineup, no qualifiers needed. A shout-out is due to DJ Speedsta for bringing them out and reminding us that great curation is an art form.

Then came one of those moments that stops you mid-thought.

Every time DJ Kent plays, the same question quietly returns: what if he’s actually one of the best DJs in the world? Not locally. Not continentally. Globally. The control, the emotional intelligence, the way his sets breathe and by the time he brought out Elaine, it felt less like a guest appearance and more like a celebration of South African R&B’s current golden run.

One of Milk + Cookies’ biggest strengths is its understanding of energy. Two stages, two worlds: hip-hop heads fully locked in on one end, amapiano lovers floating on the other. No one had to compromise their vibe and everyone was catered for.

That’s the magic of Milk + Cookies. It doesn’t treat local artists as a warm-up to the “real” show. It places them in conversation with international acts side by side, not beneath. And in doing so, it quietly proves what many of us already know: South African music doesn’t need validation, just platforms that understand it.

Walking away from the weekend, one thing felt certain: If this is how the year starts, SA music in 2026 is about to be special. We have range. We have depth. And we have festivals like Milk + Cookies that know how to bring it all together.