Create a walking tour to celebrate the vibrant stories of your neighbourhood…
The 2025 edition of #JoziMyJoziWalks call for entries is now open
06 August 2025, Johannesburg – Civil movement Jozi My Jozi, in collaboration with Johannesburg In Your Pocket and Gauteng Tourism Authority, is reviving the successful community neighbourhood project, Jozi Walks. The 2025 edition is launching as #JoziMyJoziWalks, to coincide with World Tourism Day in September. Focusing on the inner-city and surrounding suburbs to celebrate Johannesburg’s neighbourhood stories, the community-led free walking tours take place across the weekend of 27–28 September 2025, in partnership with local community activists, influencers, tourism entrepreneurs, walking tour operators, and heritage specialists.
“JoziMyJoziWalks is a community-led walking festival, designed to showcase the city’s diverse neighbourhoods through immersive, story-rich walking routes led by local champions. This unique event celebrates local culture, heritage, art, and entrepreneurship, creating authentic experiences for both residents and visitors alike,” explains Dawn Robertson, Visitor and Creative Economy Catalyst for Jozi My Jozi.
The initiative reaches out to communities to create a series of walking experiences across the city’s neighbourhoods over one weekend. It is a fire-starter to celebrate neighbourhood pride and small tourism businesses we are partnering with #jozimyjozi to bring this to life.
Walking tourism is one of the fastest-growing segments in the travel industry, offering sustainable, low-impact, and immersive experiences. They encourage exploration at a human scale and support local economies and small businesses directly, whilst aligning with global trends towards experiential and responsible tourism. We believe that real connections happen on foot, not in cars – and we know that Johannesburg’s best tour guides already live here. So, do you have what it takes to curate and host a walking tour of your favourite Joburg neighbourhood?
“If so, we want to hear from you, as applications for this year’s event are now open,” says Robertson. “We are on the search for 12 neighbourhood champions to lead immersive two-hour walks, free to the public, that celebrate local art, heritage, food, and township creativity while also potentially opening up new permanent tourism routes across Johannesburg.”
The 2025 edition of JoziMyJoziWalks will focus on the following neighbourhoods: Alexandra, Brixton, Chinatown in Cyrildene, Fordsburg, Joburg Inner City including Newtown and Maboneng, Kensington, Lorentzville, Melville, Orange Grove, Sophiatown, Soweto, Troyeville, and Yeoville,
Each route should highlight unique stories, public art, food, and hidden businesses. The event is capped at 600 local visitors across the 12 walks over the two days to ensure intimate, high-quality experiences, with the spin-off fostering community pride and economic upliftment by directly involving residents and entrepreneurs in the neighbourhoods.
“What makes the 2025 edition of JoziMyJoziWalks so special for the ‘tourists’ is that the guides live in and know all the hidden gems within their neighbourhoods better than anyone else, and each curated route is deeply rooted in the local culture and history. The walks will also support community-led tourism and help to create sustainable jobs while exploring the real Jozi that we all love. The experiences will stay with our visitors long after the walk is over because it is not just what they will see, but what they will feel that leaves its mark,’ comments Robertson.
Applications are now open to host a sponsored walk in your ‘hood over the World Tourism Day weekend from 27 – 28 September. An initial briefing meeting for interested hosts will take place from 10:30 – 12:00 on Thursday 07 August at the Jozi My Jozi offices, 44 Main Street, Marshalltown. You can also join the briefing session online using the following link:
Proposals for the 2025 edition of Jozi My Jozi Walks must be submitted by Monday 18 August 2025. Fill out the application form here. A total of 12 successful applicants will be selected, who will be expected to attend a series of workshops and briefing sessions during August and September. Walking tour hosts will also receive a sponsorship amount to assist them in curating and executing their walking experience.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zeHJHbV9ujGSFxjAjS8zf0azCNHvQxsF/edit
#Johannesburg2025 #JoziMyJoziWalks #joziwalks #neighbourhoodstories #WeThePeople #JoinTheMovement
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