Exciting changes at this year’s arts showcase

New experiences, changes to programmes and opportunities to make new memories during the 11-day epic showcase highlighting the talents of hundreds of local, national and international artists and performers are all on the cards for everyone attending the 44th instalment of the National Arts Festival (NAF).

Festival CEO Tony Lankester said this year would bring exciting changes while embracing the true nature of the NAF.

“Every year the festival derives its flavour and gees from the selection and variety of works that appear on our stages. The work reflects the mood of the country, the preoccupation of our artists and also represents some of the best work by South Africa’s brightest creative talents,” Lankester said.

Unique and unpredictable, the NAF had mounds to offer with “a lot of shows, a lot of choice, thousands of opportunities to make new memories and reasons to keep coming back”.

One of the significant changes to this year’s offering is the move of the Village Green to Victoria Girls’ High School, which Lankester said would give festival organisers the opportunity to revitalise the space and do some new things.

“Our beer tent is being overhauled and the offering upgraded, there are plenty of performance stages featuring local and international buskers, and a strong focus on family and kids’ entertainment.”

Another new addition to this year’s programme is the Digital Arts Mini-Festival – Creativate – which explores the space where creativity and technology converge.

“It’s a series of talks and workshops, exhibitions and performances, crammed into the first four days of the festival.

“We think this new offering marks a significant departure from what we’ve done in previous years,” Lankester said.