Activity Description

The Evolution of Maboneng – Where Johannesburg’s Past, Present, and Future Integrate.

Walk in the heart of Johannesburg’s most iconic cultural precinct on this 2-hour walking tour that traces the bold transformation of Maboneng—from a forgotten corner of the city to a globally recognised symbol of urban regeneration, creativity, and African possibility.
• We begin our journey at CURIOCITY Johannesburg, once a printing publishing house for The Pacific Press, now converted by entrepreneur Bheki Dube into the first design-led hybrid hostel/hotel (history meets the modern).
• Falko One’s iconic mural – a mosaic of faces inspired by the faces of Maboneng, the mural is composed of many smaller human faces. Created as part of the I ART Joburg initiative in 2012, this piece is a striking celebration of identity, diversity, and the collective soul of Johannesburg.
• Stroll through Fox Street, an urban corridor of freedom, and learn about the history of the first suburbs of Johannesburg.
• The Human Intersection sculptures by Kim Lieberman, where humanity and urbanity meet. These works don’t shout—they whisper the presence of those who make up the city. They’re not heroes in textbooks, but everyday people whose lives intersect with the street, the skyline, and the story of Johannesburg.
• Arts on Main and The Centre for the Less Good Idea by William Kentridge. Maboneng’s creative engine is where the urban regeneration spearheaded by the disruptive visionary Jonathan Liebmann began in 2008. Now the nucleus of the neighbourhood learn about a place where risk, play, and collaboration are the point, and where Joburg’s future-facing culture is actively being made.
• Jewel City, a once-closed complex of diamond offices now transformed into a mixed-use urban village filled with colour, commerce and community.
• On Van Beek Street, we take in the work of renowned artist Nelson Makamo, whose portraits of African youth have captured hearts across continents. Then, gaze up at the architectural poetry of Hallmark House, designed by Sir David Adjaye—a beacon of African futurism set against Joburg’s jagged skyline.
• We continue to the Drivelines Building, a repurposed shipping container complex reimagined into sustainable housing, and the historic Cosmopolitan Building, where stories of Jozi’s golden era echo through restored Art Deco bones.
• We end back at CURIOCITY, where the energy of past and present fuses. Here, you’ll leave with more than photos—you’ll carry the heartbeat of Joburg’s evolution, the spirit of its people, and a fresh lens on how cities can be reimagined by those bold enough to believe.

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