A new music festival in the Okavango Delta is seeking to blend entertainment with conservation, with organisers positioning every ticket sold as a contribution towards protecting wildlife and supporting communities living on the edge of the wilderness.
Poachella, scheduled for October 2 to 4 at Xudumela Conservancy along the Xudum Channel of the Okavango Delta, will bring together musicians, conservationists, adventurers, families and visitors from Botswana and abroad for what co-founder John Barclay describes as a festival built around “conservation through music.”
Barclay said the festival was created around the belief that conservation, tourism, culture and community development can coexist, with the event providing an alternative way of generating economic value from protecting wildlife and natural landscapes.
“Poachella exists to connect people with nature, through music, culture, conservation and community,” Barclay said.
The festival comes as conservation operations in the area face significant financial demands. Barclay said anti-poaching operations alone require approximately P1.4 million to maintain efforts to protect wildlife across the greater Kudumela landscape.
The area is increasingly recording wildlife including elephants, cheetahs, kudu and impala, according to Barclay, with Poachella aiming to become a meaningful contributor to the efforts to safeguard the landscape.
“Every ticket sold is an opportunity, a new partnership that helps create economic value from protecting wildlife and wild places,” he said.
Beyond its conservation ambitions, Poachella is also evolving from its inaugural edition, which was held last year under a different name.
Barclay explained that organisers initially intended to call the festival “Burning Maun”, inspired by the internationally recognised festival of Burning Man, before receiving a cease-and-desist letter from its legal team.
The organisers subsequently held last year’s event under the name Burning Maun after discussions with the festival’s representatives, before rebranding this year’s edition as Poachella, a play on the name of California’s Coachella festival.
Barclay shared that if another legal challenge follows, the organisers could simply find another festival-inspired name.
The playful branding, however, masks a serious objective: attracting people to the Delta while encouraging them to develop a deeper relationship with the environment.
The first edition attracted more than 100 campers and featured local and international performers, including artists travelling from as far as England. Barclay described the event as a successful meeting point between local visitors and international travellers.
This year’s edition is expected to place greater emphasis on perfecting the artistic side of the event and incorporating local artists, while also broadening the musical offering.
Where last year’s programme leaned heavily towards electronic dance music and DJs, Barclay said the 2026 edition will feature more bands performing during the day, with DJs taking over later in the evening.
The festival will also offer visitors opportunities to experience the Okavango beyond the music.
Attendees arriving on Friday will settle into campsites before the evening’s entertainment begins. Saturday will offer activities including swimming in the Okavango, visiting an elephant herd, game drives, guided walks and helicopter excursions, alongside a full day of live music.
The festival concludes on Sunday.
For Barclay, however, the party is secondary to the larger conservation message.
“There’s something very important about conserving this landscape,” he said. “In our view, the best use of the land is to bring people back to nature.”
He said the experience is intended to leave visitors with more than memories of music and entertainment, but also with the knowledge that their participation has contributed to conservation and the communities surrounding the Delta.
The festival’s central proposition is therefore straightforward: visitors can enjoy the Okavango while helping finance efforts to preserve it.
“As well as having a mega party,” Barclay said.
The party, he added, is ultimately the bonus to the experience.
