By Betsy Bender
The National Arts Festival in Grahamstown celebrates the cultural and artistic history of South
Africa. One of the biggest events in the country, the festival is in July on the Eastern Cape and every art form is represented during the diverse festival, including theater, dance, opera, fine art, crafts, classical music, jazz, poetry readings, lectures and workshops. Organized by the Grahamstown Foundation, the festival was launched with 60 events in 1974 but over the years it has expanded to include more than 600 events, features about 1,800 performances and attracts more than 100,000 attendees. Although tickets are usually available at the door, some events do sell out. The official festival website provides downloadable guides with descriptions of all the activities and detailed information about the artists and venues. Although tickets are usually available throughout the festival, follow the instructions on the website to reserve your tickets for the main festival and fringe events.
Main Festival
The main program of the festival features theater, musical and dance performances as well as visual arts exhibitions. Artists in this portion of the festival must submit a proposal and be approved by a festival committee for inclusion in the main program. With more than 200 events in the main program of Grahamstown Arts Festival, festival goers should look through the online festival guides available to help determine which performances or activities will appeal to them.
Fringe Programme
Held in conjunction with the main program festival events, the fringe program is open to everyone. Although there isn't a set selection criteria applied to the applicants, all fringe performers must register and pay a registration fee. All costs associated with fringe productions or exhibitions are the responsibility of the artist but fringe artists receive 81 percent of their box office receipts. Thanks to the open application process, more than 400 events are offered during the fringe program, and festival goers can attend a variety of events, including children's theater, film, dance, cabaret, visual art, performance poetry, musical performances and comedy.
Spiritfest
A special section of the fringe program, Spiritfest celebrates religion through the arts. South Africa is home to an array of cultural and religious entities and the Spiritfest program offers festival attendees the opportunity to participate in several interdenominational acts of worship, including the festival Eucharist, a Taize candlelit service with instrumental music as well as a liturgical dance workshop and a musical lecture. The majority of the events are at the Grahamstown Cathedral and are free to the public, although donations are welcome on behalf of the Cathedral Restoration Fund.
About the Author:
Betsy Bender is a media consultant with experience in publishing, event management, media relations, digital media and television production. Specializing in entertainment, travel and sports, Bender has worked with high-profile personalities, facilitated publicity campaigns for network television programs and traveled to more than 100 cities in eight countries, including Russia and Australia.
