Joburg’s favourite car-free Sunday is back, and this time it’s bringing all the sparkle. On Sunday 29 November, Jozi My Jozi, together with partners including Young Urbanists, Johannesburg In Your Pocket, Gautrain and the City of Joburg, hands over Main Street in the Johannesburg CBD to the people for the third edition of Main Street Sundays, themed “It’s Giving Festive”.

Along seven blocks from Gandhi Square to 44 Main, the street will be closed to all vehicles and filled instead with makers and markets, food and fashion, music and street performance, cyclists and skateboarders, games and playgrounds, and activities for every age. Entry is free, and the fun runs from 10am to 6.30 pm – longer than ever before.

There’s a good reason to stay late. As the sun goes down, the whole street will come together for a public countdown to the switching on of the inner city’s festive lights. Families, friends, visitors, traders, creatives, musicians, performers and artists who spend the day on Main Street will be there to see Joburg light up for the festive season.

Main Street is already one of the inner city’s most welcoming spaces, with open piazzas and heritage features that invite people to slow down and explore the city on foot. On 29 November, it becomes something extra special: a full day of celebration in the heart of the city.

“This third edition of Main Street Sundays is both a festive civic experience and a practical public-realm prototype. It is a living demonstration of how a people-first Main Street can support movement, social connection, local enterprise, visitor confidence and a stronger sense of belonging in Johannesburg’s inner city,” says Dawn Robertson, visitor and creative economy catalyst at Jozi My Jozi.

“It is not simply a road closure or a conventional festival; it opens access to public space, culture, trade, wellbeing and discovery for all who visit it.”

Main Street Sundays has quickly earned its place on the Joburg calendar. The first edition in April drew more than 5 000 people, activated more than 45 local businesses and passed without a single major safety incident. The Women’s Day edition on 9 August, which celebrated and acknowledged women across the city, attracted a crowd of a similar size, according to organiser estimates.

The festive edition promises to be the biggest celebration yet.

The November edition is all about festive giving – making gifts, giving one’s time and expertise and bringing gifts to underserved communities, kids in particular, living in the inner city. Themed zones along the seven blocks of Main Street turn this idea into a full day out, with something new to experience around every corner.

The journey starts at the Welcome to Jozi zone, where everything a visitor needs – from maps and information to merchandise and community organisations’ stands – is set up.

Make a Gift Jozi workshops invite visitors to roll up their sleeves and create handcrafted gifts for the special people in their lives, with direction, help and live demonstrations from local crafters, makers, designers, upcyclers, printmakers and artists, among others.

Next door, the Grow Jozi zone connects giving to education and social causes shaping the city, showing how a little generosity goes a long way.

Further along, Know Jozi brings local tour guides and heritage tours to the street for anyone curious about the stories behind the inner city’s buildings, history and culture.

Hungry? Taste Jozi has it covered, with the best of the city’s food traders and kitchens serving up flavours to surprise the taste buds and fill the tummy.

Fancy some music along the way? Hear Jozi provides a platform for local musicians, aspiring artists, dancers and performers to showcase their talents as the heart of the city becomes a mobile musical hub that builds cultural energy and emotional memory.

Our younger visitors get to enjoy a special space of their own at Play Jozi, where they can play safely, explore and be entertained.

At Move Jozi, the street belongs to everyone on foot or on wheels: walkers, cyclists, skaters, wheelchairs and prams are all welcome.

As evening settles over the city, the grand finale is the countdown to Light Up Jozi, when we switch on the inner city’s festive lights.

Together with all the activities on offer, Jozi My Jozi is encouraging everyone who attends the free day out to bring a wrapped gift, labelled for boys or girls and the appropriate age. These will go a long way towards brightening a young child’s holiday season and could range from school shoes, stationery or uniforms to toys, clothing, sports equipment and food hampers.

Gogos and grandkids. Suits and students. Besties, parents, teens, colleagues and everyone in between. Main Street Sundays opens the city to every generation, with one simple invitation: come out, play, celebrate your city and share in the gift of giving.

The call goes out to traders, too. Jozi My Jozi is inviting makers, creators, artists, performers, thrifters, fashionistas and foodies to apply for a stall and sell their wares to the festive crowds. The street is for every generation of talent, from established artists who remember the CBD in days gone by to young creatives building their careers here right now.

“Main Street Sundays has become a date Joburgers plan around,” says Robertson. “People keep telling us about the last time they were in the city, and for some, it was a long time ago.

“On 29 November, we’re inviting them all to come and experience Main Street with their children, their parents, their families and their friends. Make a day of it: create a special gift, eat well, listen to music, shop, chill and stay for the switch-on of the festive lights. Jozi is ready and excited to welcome you.”

Main Street Sundays is free, open to all and completely car-free. Simply show up, or better yet, register here, so the team can plan for the crowds and make sure the day runs smoothly and safely.

“This is a Sunday for everyone,” says Robertson. “We’ve created a space where the people of Jozi come together, not separated by suburb or circumstance, but united by one street, one city, one Sunday. Come and experience what makes our city truly special.”

For the day, Main Street will be closed to all vehicles along Main Street from Gandhi Square to Ntemi Piliso Street in Marshalltown. Leave the car at home: walk, cycle, skate or hop on public transport, including the Gautrain, to get there.

The full programme, transport options and parking information are available at jozimyjozi.com/events/main-street-sundays.

Follow the build-up on social media at @jozi_my_jozi and join the conversation with #MainStreetSundays and #JoziMyJozi.