Munch & Sip is heading to Harare for the first time, but not with another large-scale festival. Instead, the food and lifestyle brand is introducing the Munch & Sip Pantry, a more intimate format that will take over Parklands Business Venue in Borrowdale on Saturday 10 October.
The event follows several years of editions in Bulawayo, where the festival grew into a major fixture on the city’s social calendar, drawing thousands at its peak.
The move to Harare marks a deliberate shift in scale and character. The Pantry is designed as a curated event rather than a conventional festival, with a limited number of vendors, demonstrations, tasting sessions, activities and live performances.
A different Munch & Sip
The Pantry emerged from a rethink of the original festival model.
The organisers describe it as a separate product within the Munch & Sip brand, but smaller, more selective and built around the quality of the day rather than attendance figures.
That difference will be visible in the way the event is laid out.
Rather than a single field dominated by stalls and a stage, the venue will be divided into areas including the Food Lovers Garden, Paint & Sip Garden, Big Sippers area, Show & Tell Area and Garden Bar.
The event is intended to feel closer to a well-hosted Saturday gathering than a mass-market festival.
While the event in its traditional format targeted huge crowds, this seems to be the opposite, with organisers trying to lure a more laid-back, mature audience.
Demonstrations, tastings and classes
The programme puts considerable emphasis on participation.
The Show & Tell area will provide space for live chef demonstrations, product presentations and other brand-led sessions.
There will also be tasting and display stalls where selected brands can present their products in a more structured setting.
For guests with the higher ticket tiers, the programme goes further. The Big Sipper ticket includes a sushi-making class, mixology session and wine tasting, while Fun Lovers ticket holders have access to Paint & Sip.
Local music for the afternoon
Music will provide the soundtrack to the event, with the organisers opting for an entirely local line-up.
Rather than running at full volume throughout the day, the music is intended to build towards the final part of the afternoon, when the event moves into its golden-hour close.
The artists have not been announced yet, with the lineup set to be released in the run-up to the event.
Munch & Sip Pantry tickets
There are three ticket categories.
General tickets cost US$15 and include venue access, live entertainment and access to vendors.
Fun Lovers tickets cost US$40 and add Paint & Sip.
The Big Sipper ticket is US$80 and includes Paint & Sip, a sushi-making class, mixology and wine tasting.
Tickets are available through Click ‘n Pay. Buyers can purchase them by dialling *788# or by sending a WhatsApp message to +263 785 552 326.
Payment can be made through EcoCash, InnBucks, Omari, OneMoney, ZimSwitch, Visa or Mastercard.
