SPLASHY THEN AND NOW:

It started more than a quarter-century ago, and has grown into one of the country’s best-loved music festivals.

Splashy Fen began in 1990 – the old picture was taken in 1996 – and now attracts thousands of people from around the country to the Underberg farm that gave the festival its name.

Bart Fokkens and the now late Peter Ferraz came up with the idea around a dinner table.

It was originally held over two days, aimed at having ‘a really good time with a few musicians playing around campfires, joined by some truly passionate music lovers’.

Instead of the anticipated attendance of 200, they attracted 1 200 enthusiasts. There was a makeshift stage, a tractor-powered generator and a few portable toilets.

Every so often the music would stop for 20 minutes while the tractor was refuelled, but nobody complained. The foundation for today’s mellow Splashy vibe were laid, as seen in this recent picture, supplied by Al Nicoll Photography, of people enjoying the warmth of a bonfire on the first night of the festival.

The Independent on Saturday appeals to readers who have old pictures of Durban to send them to us for consideration. If any readers are featured in the old picture, we will do our best to recreate the scene with them in it again. Readers sending pictures digitally – images should be about 1MB – can address them, with the relevant information, to satmail@inl.co.za

If the pictures are in hard copy format, they can be posted to The Editor, Old Pictures, The Independent on Saturday, PO Box 47549, Greyville, 4023.