The 2026 SA National Koi Show comes to Durban North, 1 and 2 August
The Absolute Asphalt SA National Koi Show runs 1 and 2 August at Crusaders Sports Club, Durban North, and Minurphy will be there both days. Dates, times, entrance fees, and what to expect on the floor.
The Absolute Asphalt SA National Koi Show runs Saturday 1 August (08:00 to 17:00) and Sunday 2 August (09:00 to 15:00) at Crusaders Sports Club, 10 Ranleigh Crescent, Durban North. Entrance is R30 for adults, R10 for children under 12, and free for under 6s. The show is hosted by the SAKKS KZN Chapter and judged under ZNA standards. Minurphy will be at the show across both days, so come and find us. Published 31 July 2026.
The national show alternates between Johannesburg and Durban each year, so this is KZN's turn, and it is the first time it runs at Crusaders. It has moved from the Shongweni Club to Durban North specifically to sit closer to the city and pull in more of the general public rather than only the established hobbyists.
For us this one is local. Our factory is in Durban, most of the vats on the KZN show circuit came off our floor, and the venue is a short drive away, so we will be there for both days.
Show details
| Saturday 1 August | 08:00 to 17:00 |
| Sunday 2 August | 09:00 to 15:00 |
| Venue | Crusaders Sports Club, 10 Ranleigh Crescent, Durban North |
| Entrance | Adults R30, under 12s R10, under 6s free |
| Hosted by | SAKKS KZN Chapter, judged under ZNA standards |
| Title sponsor | Absolute Asphalt |
| Sponsors | Marujyu, OptiKoi, Finco, Hikari, WCB Imports |
| Web | sakks.co.za |
What is on the floor
This is a national show, so the standard is higher than a chapter show and the entries come from further afield. One Durban North keeper alone is benching 35 fish out of two ponds holding 134 000 litres between them, which gives you a sense of the scale some of these collections run at.
Judging is under ZNA (Zen Nippon Airinkai) standards, the international body for nishikigoi judging. If you have never watched a benching session, it is worth planning your Saturday around it. Seeing a Kohaku, Sanke, or Showa scored on pattern, conformation, and skin quality in front of you teaches more in twenty minutes than a month of reading forum threads. Most judges are happy to talk to anyone genuinely interested.
It is not only koi, either. The show floor also carries bonsai, orchids, and a knife vendor, so it holds up as a family outing even if only one of you is there for the fish.
Worth doing if you keep koi
- Talk to breeders face to face instead of over WhatsApp
- Buy young stock from someone who will tell you exactly what bloodline you are taking home
- See how serious keepers rig transport vats, aeration, and water management
- Compare feed and equipment across the sponsor stands in one afternoon
Practical notes if it is your first show
- Bring cash. Stalls at outdoor venues do not always run cards reliably.
- Closed shoes. There is grass, and there is splashing near the vats and bagging stations.
- If you are buying fish, bring a clean cooler and ask the seller to bag with oxygen for the trip home. Most will do it free, but ask before you pay.
- Walk the floor twice before you buy. Prices and quality vary widely between stalls, and the seller who answers all your questions clearly is usually the one to buy from.
The vats under the fish
Every fish at a show has to get there and be held in water that will not hurt it, and that is the part we build.
Our koi vats are RF-welded 800 gsm PVC. The welder bonds the PVC into a continuous sheet, so there are no stitch holes to weep under the pressure of a full vat and no loose fibres working into the water. A stitched seam holding 500 to 2 000 litres will weep, and over a four-hour run from Durban to Johannesburg that weep becomes a flood. We have supplied regional koi societies for more than 20 years, and SABS documentation on the PVC is available on request if your insurer ever asks.
Sizes are cut to what you actually need rather than off a rack. Holding vats generally run 2 to 3 m diameter at 0.8 m depth for quarantine or show prep. Transport vats run shallower and wider, sized to a specific trailer bed, with optional bird netting for the drive. Send the internal dimensions of your trailer or the footprint you have and we build to it.
We also repair vats, regardless of who made them. A perished seam or a split corner on an otherwise sound vat is usually a re-weld, not a replacement, and it costs a fraction of a new one.
Come and find us
We will be at Crusaders across both show days. If you keep, breed, or move koi, come and talk to us on the floor. Bring the awkward questions, they are the ones worth asking:
- What size vat do I actually need? Tell us your trailer bed or the footprint you have and we will work it out with you on the spot.
- Can this one be saved? Send a photo of a leaking or perished vat, or describe the failure, and we will tell you honestly whether it is a re-weld or a replacement.
- What went wrong last time? If a vat has failed on you, we would genuinely like to hear how. It is usually the seam, and it is usually a stitched one.
We can quote on the day. If you would rather sort it out before you arrive, WhatsApp 083 631 5329 and we will pick it up at the show.
Cannot make it?
If you cannot get to Durban North this weekend, the koi vats and ponds page covers standard sizes, materials, and lead times, and our guide to moving koi safely goes deeper on what separates a proper transport vat from a water container.
A standard 2 m holding vat is 3 to 5 working days when the PVC is in stock. A custom transport vat with bespoke dimensions and a net cover is 5 to 10 days. If you have a show deadline, say so when you enquire and we will work around it.
See you at Crusaders on 1 and 2 August.