The 2026 return of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) has been postponed. This was revealed in a statement by festival organisers, which stated that they needed more time to ensure that HIFA's return was done right.
The festival had been slated to return in August this year, with subsequent editions returning to HIFA's typical early May dates.
"For almost three decades, HIFA has belonged not only to those who created it, but to everyone who has performed, volunteered, partnered with, supported or simply found joy in it. The response of recent months has been a beautiful reminder of that enduring place HIFA holds in the lives of so many people," read HIFA's statement.
"Reviving a festival with HIFA's history, ambition and scale is a significant undertaking. As preparations have progressed, it has become clear that giving ourselves more time is the most responsible way to ensure that HIFA returns with the artistic excellence, organisational care and sense of occasion that our audiences expect and deserve."
The Harare International Festival of the Arts was founded in 1999 by Manuel Bagorro, and operated annually until 2018. Before its hiatus the festival had become one of the biggest arts events in not only Zimbabwe but Southern Africa.
While no new dates for its return have been announced, festival organisers have stated that they continue to work on HIFA's return.