The DStv Delicious International Food and Music Festival, held annually for 13 years at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Johannesburg, has been a significant platform for small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs). However, the festival faces an uncertain future as Canal+ has withdrawn its sponsorship, leaving the event without a major corporate sponsor.
Canal+ made the decision to withdraw as part of an aggressive cost-cutting plan aimed at reducing expenses by more than €400 million by 2030. The company, which acquired MultiChoice in 2025, views the festival as an expensive ‘vanity project’ that does not align with its core business priorities.
The DStv Delicious Festival has historically attracted thousands of attendees and has hosted international acts such as Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, and Wyclef Jean. The sudden loss of Canal+ as a headline sponsor has raised concerns among organizers about the scale and quality of the upcoming 2026 edition.
In a statement, it was noted that Canal+ is “dumping the popular DStv Delicious International Food and Music Festival, withdrawing as the naming rights sponsor, as it undertakes an aggressive cost-cutting exercise after taking over MultiChoice.” This withdrawal has left festival organizers scrambling for a replacement sponsor.
Details remain unconfirmed regarding how the festival will proceed without Canal+’s support, and observers are closely monitoring the situation as it develops. The future of the DStv Delicious Festival is uncertain without a major sponsor, prompting questions about its viability in the coming years.
