Johannesburg Climate Week 2026 Brings a Week of Climate Action Talks and Activities Across the City

For its second year in a row, Johannesburg Climate Week is rallying Joburgers around climate activism and keeping citizens informed about the state of the planet and what they can do to help.

From 21 to 25 September 2026, Johannesburg Climate Week is bringing the community together in the name of social justice through six free climate events.

Johannesburg Climate Week | What's on in Joburg

What to expect from Johannesburg Climate Week 2026

As climate change intensifies, Joburg’s air quality ranks amongst the worst of any major city in the world. Meanwhile, its strained water infrastructure leads to entire suburbs going without water for weeks while huge amounts of supply are lost to leaks.

Johannesburg Climate Week asks what it means to build energy, water, food and gender justice in a city where the basic systems meant to sustain life are under major strain. And what it means to focus on the solutions communities are already working on to build resilience in the face of it all.

This year, Johannesburg Climate Week brings together activists, community leaders, students and citizens to share ideas, ride bikes, watch screenings and move around the city, exploring how climate change is deeply connected to social justice in South Africa and celebrating the grassroots solutions that already exist to these intersecting issues.

The Johannesburg Climate Week 2026 programme

Johannesburg Climate Week talks | What's on in Joburg

City In Motion: Tracing Space, Climate & Power Across Johannesburg

This is an immersive spatial justice experience exploring the connections between space, inequality and climate
justice.

Travel from Johannesburg to Soweto by train and bicycle, engage with community stories and histories, and take part in conversations and creative activities imagining a more just, inclusive and climate-resilient city.

Cost: Free entry, RSVP here

When: Monday, 21 September 2026 from 8.15am to 2pm
Where: Meet at Johannesburg Park Station, 96 Rissik St, Johannesburg

Climate and Energy Accountability Cafe

Join youth, legal experts, and civil society to launch a year-long initiative to co-develop a Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) tool that will mandate all future energy and climate decisions be assessed for their impact on children’s health, development and future.

The event combines high-level policy dialogue with art-based engagement, making the demands of children visible and undeniable to decisionmakers.

Cost: Free entry, RSVP here

When: Tuesday, 22 September 2026 from 9am to 2pm
Where: Ubuntu Hub, 163 Smit St, Braamfontein, Johannesburg

Johannesburg Climate Week planting and activities | What's on in Joburg

We Can’t See the Sunset Screening + Panel

Join for a screening of We Can’t See the Sunset, followed by a panel discussion exploring energy justice, extraction and community resistance.

The film is an Open Secrets documentary revealing the climate costs borne by communities living at the margins. We Can’t See the Sunset documents how South Africa’s energy crisis, one built on extraction, power and profit, carries the weight of both an unjust past and an uncertain future.

Cost: Free entry, RSVP here

When: Tuesday, 22 September 2026 from 3pm to 5pm
Where: Ubuntu Hub, 163 Smit St, Braamfontein, Johannesburg

Every Drop Matters: Reclaiming Water Justice in a Changing Climate

Join for a river clean-up, presentation, interactive activity and panel discussion to examine the connections between water insecurity, unequal access, pollution, flooding, climate change and community wellbeing, while creating space for shared knowledge, lived experiences and collective action.

The day concludes with a Water Justice Commitment signature Banner, where participants make a visible commitment to protecting the city’s water resources and advancing a more equitable, water-secure and climate-resilient Johannesburg.

Cost: Free entry, RSVP here

When: Wednesday, 23 September 2026 from 9am to 3pm
Where: Altrec Sports Centre, 386 E Bank Ave, Alexandra

From Soil to Plate: Reclaiming Our Food Futures

From Soil to Plate is an interactive Food Justice Day where participants explore the journey from soil to plate, unpacking questions of land, seeds, food access, climate change, indigenous knowledge and who holds power in
our food systems.

Expect food, storytelling, practical activities, participatory mapping, dialogue and collective visioning as you imagine what a just food future for Johannesburg could look like.

Cost: Free entry, RSVP here

When: Thursday, 24 September 2026 from 9am to 3pm
Where: Buhlebemfundo Secondary School, 21249 Tsakane St, Tsakani, Brakpan

Beyond the Screen: Climate, Gender & Community Action

Join for “Beyond the Screen: Climate, Gender & Community Action”, an interactive day of film, conversation and creative expression exploring the connections between climate change, gender, power and community action.

The day begins with a screening of Burning Rebellion, followed by a conversation with artists, writers and gender activists on resistance, care, inequality and social change.

Participants then move beyond the screen into a creative zine-making workshop, using art and storytelling to reflect on lived experiences, share perspectives and imagine more just futures.

Cost: Free entry, RSVP here

When: Friday, 25 September 2026 from 10am to 3pm
Where: The Bioscope Independent Cinema, 44 Stanley Ave, Milpark, Johannesburg