There’s never been a better time to share your voice with the world! On Saturday, 17 October, Cape Town will come alive as communities from around the world join in the 15th annual World Singing Day – a global celebration that brings people together through the simple but extraordinary act of singing together.
Cape Town, South Africa (08 September 2026) – The call is out for 1,400 voices to come together as one! Cape Town’s World Singing Day is a massed singing experience that will feature guest appearances in a quintessentially Ubuntu-inspired celebration of World Singing Day on 17 October.
Capetonians from all walks of life across the city are encouraged to attend and add their unique voices to this special event, joining choirs and musicians in a powerful celebration of community and unity.
One Country. One Voice. One Day.
The theme of this year’s Cape Town event is particularly resonant in a country as diverse as South Africa.
The event celebrates what unites South Africans rather than what divides them, bringing people of different ages, cultures, faiths, musical backgrounds and communities into one shared experience.
It is an expression of Ubuntu: the understanding that our humanity is strengthened through our connection with one another. For one evening, individual voices become one collective voice.
On Saturday, 17 October at 6.30 pm, Cape Town will join communities around the world in the 15th annual World Singing Day, a global celebration that brings people together through the simple but extraordinary act of singing together.
World Singing Day takes place annually on the third Saturday of October. Founded in 2012 by Colorado musician Scott Johnson, the international movement now connects communities around the world through singing, with the central message: “Sing together. Unite the world.”
Hosted by The Heartsong Collective, a Cape Town-based non-profit community choir, and award-winning PBO Uthando South Africa, World Singing Day 2026 Cape Town will transform Groote Kerk on Adderley Street into an extraordinary audience choir experience, bringing together countless diverse voices in a celebration of South Africa’s diversity, resilience, hope and shared humanity.
In the words of Heartsong Collective Founder Lynne Poulsen: This is not simply a concert.
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Poulsen explains that the song at the heart of the event will be a South African adaptation of Matisyahu’s “One Day”.
Cape Town’s Voice on the World Stage
Cape Town’s participation places South Africa within a global day of simultaneous musical connection — from communities and schools to public spaces and large-scale gatherings around the world.
“South Africa has something distinctive to contribute. Our extraordinary singing tradition is renowned for its emotional depth, rhythmic vitality, rich harmonies and ability to communicate across cultural and linguistic boundaries. From choral and gospel traditions to contemporary and indigenous musical expression, South African voices carry a particular emotional power — voices shaped by a history of both hardship and hope, celebration and resilience,” explains Poulsen.
For World Singing Day Cape Town, that distinctive South African sound becomes part of the international chorus. Poulsen said she is particularly honoured to have SA legend Vicky Sampson supporting the event with her guest performance.
For Vicky, it is of utmost importance that every human being has the opportunity to express their fears, hopes and dreams, across the spectrum of colour, social standing, age and religion.
“Music has enabled me over many years to bridge the divide amongst us, as I have performed to people from all walks of life in South Africa, Africa and the world,” she says.
“I have felt how our music changes hearts and lifts spirits, over the years. Our music is very powerful and the world is waiting. Even during Apartheid, music played a very significant role in building our morale, giving us courage and uniting us to stand against the evils of human unkindness and intolerance. It is still doing this, even today!”
Poulsen adds that our voices carry joy, resilience, longing, celebration and hope. When those voices come together, they can move people in ways that words alone cannot.
“We want Cape Town and South Africa to remember who we are as a country, and to share that uniquely South African gift with the world, adding our voice to a global chorus, united in harmony.”
Scott Johnson, Founder and Director of World Singing Day, has described the philosophy behind the movement in simple terms:
“Music has the unique power to bring people together of all ages and backgrounds.”
That philosophy is at the heart of Cape Town’s 2026 event.
World Singing Day Cape Town 2026 has also been intentionally designed to create social impact. A portion of ticket proceeds will support the Red Cross Memorial Children’s Trust and the SA Children’s Home.
In addition, five choirs will receive sponsored participation, opening the experience to singers who might otherwise not have the opportunity to take part.
This means the event is not only about bringing people together in the concert hall. It is about widening access, strengthening community and ensuring that music can become a vehicle for connection and positive social change.
From Audience to Choir
The Heartsong Collective’s World Singing Day experience builds on the success of its 2025 Cape Town event at Kalk Bay Community Hall, where audiences were invited not simply to watch, but to become part of the music.
The 2026 event takes that concept to a much larger stage. The programme will include uplifting songs celebrating hope, connection and shared humanity, including Lionel Richie’s “Love Oh Love,” “Room for Everyone” (the World Singing Day song) and Johnny Clegg’s “Osiyeza,” alongside other inspiring community songs.
“We want people to leave feeling that, for a moment, they belonged to something bigger than themselves,” says Poulsen.
“When 1,400 people breathe together, sing together and hear their voices become one, something very powerful happens. It reminds us that despite our differences, there is so much we share.”
World Singing Day Cape Town 2026 Details:
- Saturday, 17 October 2026
- Groote Kerk, Adderley Street, Cape Town
- 6.30 – 9 pm
- Presented by The Heartsong Collective
- General public: R200
- Choir group bookings: R100 per person
- Disadvantaged choir groups: R50 per person
Tickets are available on Quicket.
For Block Bookings for Choirs, email: [email protected]. For more information, visit www.worldsingingday.org and www.theheartsongcollective.co.za
Sources: Supplied
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