The Festival That Never Was
Phil Chard is also the co-host of the highly successful and long-running podcast, 2 Broke Twimbos. The podcast also has a deep dive newsletter where Phil expounds on the topics he discusses on the podcast. Below is a copy of the latest newsletter where he discusses why HIFA 2026 may not have happened
HIFA was nine days out with no lineup, no venue, no sponsors
HIFA's failure to return is a sign of the event space in Zimbabwe
These are our opinions, not reporting. Nobody has published a funding explanation for the postponement, and HIFA hasn't given one.
Here is the timeline, and the timeline is the whole story.
In April, HIFA announced it was back. Themed "Up." Scheduled 3 to 9 August. Dates already pencilled for 2027 and 2028, a comedy series planned to tour monthly from June, and talk of turning HIFA into a year-round platform. This was not a soft return. This was a flagship announcing itself after eight years in the dark.
On 25 July, nine days out, the PR representative told NewsDay preparations were on course, and the full programme reveal would land on Thursday 30 July.
On Thursday 30 July, the exact day the programme was due, HIFA postponed.
No new date.
The statement said that "reviving a festival with its history, ambition and scale is a significant undertaking, and that more time was the responsible choice."
A festival does not discover it needs more time nine days out. They probably knew that long before. They may have been hoping for a miracle or have not planned appropriately.
You don't need inside information to work out what. Leading up to the festival, there were several concerning communication gaps — no lineup. No venue. No ticketing. No launch partners. That last one is the tell, and it's the one that should have had everybody's ears up in April.
HIFA at full size ran three or four music stages, a theatre programme, dance, poetry, comedy, satellite events and more. All of these had sponsors attached to them. Even the green rooms for artists and VIP tents were branded. That was a big financial windfall that allowed attendees to get a great deal (even though HIFA tickets were not cheap for Zimbabweans, they were cheap when pegged against global events offering the same experience and line-up).
Big international artists were flown in alongside local ones. HIFA was regularly counted among the biggest arts festivals on the continent, and it would not have been profitable without sponsors. Not "less profitable." Not profitable.
Dan shared a story of how he became an MC at HIFA in 2013. In that story, he revealed a tidbit about how thin the margins were for HIFA, even at their peak. In that year, HIFA experimented with putting a dedicated MC on every stage instead of one across the festival. Dan auditioned and got the fashion stage (a shocker to anyone who has seen him dress). There was no budget for this gig, but Dan would get full access to every part of HIFA for free. He took it, and thought it was a good deal — which it was. That's a festival at the peak of its reputation, unable to find a fee for a stage host.
When HIFA announced a return date with no partners attached, we can assume that they believed the brand would do the work. Announce the return, and sponsors come running. They obviously did not. Was it because HIFA is not as valuable as it once was? Was it because the brand was not returning with its original leadership team? Was it because even the sponsors that wished to hop on board did not offer enough to allow the festival to break even? In our experience, it was likely a combination of all the above.
Afro Nation starts selling next year's tickets the moment this year's ends; they do not announce the lineup. At this point, the brand and experience sell themselves. People attend for those; the lineup is just a bonus to convince potential attendees who were on the fence. In South Africa there's a major concert right now that has sold out its entire house and still doesn't have a title sponsor, and its problem is the luxury one: why spend on activations for tickets you've already sold? Though by the time you read this newsletter, that will have changed. But the point remains.
Zimbabwe doesn't work like that, and it makes putting together any form of an event incredibly difficult. Here, public interest does not reliably convert into sponsorship. We have both sat in meetings where the offer on the table was "we'll bring some giveaways for your attendees," or sponsorship is tied to a discount based on how much money you spend with the potential sponsor. There are major events in this country running right now with no cash sponsor at all, where the "mobility partner" gave them a car to collect people from the airport.
This is also in addition to the incredible upfront expenses and risks of running an event in Zimbabwe. Before you even begin selling tickets to an event with an international act, you are looking at spending close to US$6,000 in compliance and regulatory fees!
National Arts Council, ZIMRA, Censorship Board, Police Clearance, all need to be paid before you can even announce your event. This is also in an economy that is heavily cash-dependent and usually buys tickets close to the event or at the gate on the day. There is a reason why most local promoters have receding hairlines.
The other thing HIFA was probably banking on was trust, and trust doesn't transfer. The name on the poster mattered less than the name behind it. Manuel Bagorro built that festival and its relationships. Sponsors, artists and attendees trusted him and his vision, even if they did not know his name. If Manuel had announced a return, the money would have moved on the strength of that alone.
Running an event, a brand and motivating people to part with their hard-earned money is a complicated undertaking.
SHAMELESS PLUG
Dan and Phil are really good at running events and solving all the problems listed above. Get in touch if you need help solving them
