The 2023 National Arts Festival closed on Sunday, 2 July, and organisers say it was better than expected. Not only was it a busier Festival than 2022, the first one that was staged live post-Covid, but the low levels of loadshedding meant that the Festival did not have to constantly rely on expensive back-up generators.
Festival CEO Monica Newton said that, despite the tough economic climate, the Festival saw brisk bookings, “We definitely saw an increase in visitors to this Festival. While we have not counted physical bodies arriving in Makhanda, ticket sales are up over 50% on last year and we are very pleased with not only good ticket sales, especially for Fringe artists, but also with the truly positive feedback and warm reception we received from audiences this year.”
From the point at which tickets sales went live in May till now, over 90,000 unique users visited the website. Website visitors indicate that visitors to the Festival were primarily from Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, East London, Tshwane, eThekwini and of course, Makhanda.
Consistent with the audience profile of previous live editions, the bulk of web traffic (54%) was attributed to women and 49% were under the age of 35 with 51% over the age of 35. The Festival recorded social media reach was over 1,1 million. Fringe productions totalled 59% of all ticket sales.
Artists were also supportive of this year’s Festival and for many it was a big success. One of six productions from the Northern Cape, The Legendary Queer Sisters won a Standard Bank Ovation Award. Performer Emmanuel È’mma Rattle said, “It was a great experience. The Festival gives us a platform for international recognition as well as through social media and networking.”
National Playwright Award (sponsored by HEINEKEN Beverages) winner Sibongakonke Mama’s first play Ibuhlungu le ndawo was received with resounding critical acclaim. Speaking after the show had finished its run, Mama said, “The National Arts Festival was good for listening to, and engaging with, audiences and understanding their experience of the work. In addition to being beautifully affirming and encouraging, these interactions allowed me to sharpen some questions for myself and the work. Witnessing the extent to which people are moved can be overwhelming, but it is a necessary sobering in that it emphasises just how responsible we ought to be in our practise as artists”
2023 Gold Standard Bank Ovation winner, Rob van Vuuren said, “The National Arts Festival changed my life and I am thrilled for my work to be recognised at a festival that means so much to me personally. It’s a huge honour to be singled out amongst an exceptional body of work on the Fringe and I look forward to the exciting new work the family of artists I am proud to consider my peers will be bringing to the fest next year!
The exceptionally cold and wet opening days of the Festival put a damper on the Village Green and Church Square markets in the first few days of the Festival but trade recovered as the sun came out and 53 000 visitors enjoyed some sunshine and shopping. Rainy cold weather did not keep audiences out of theatres however, with many shows selling out. Gregory Maqoma’s extraordinary production Exit/Exist sold out twice, South African dance icon Mamela Nyamza’s HATCHED ENSEMBLE played to capacity houses, strong attendance was noted at the Boston Youth Philharmonic Orchestra’s two performances and there were three sell-out shows for 2022 Standard Bank Young Artist for Music, Msaki. Nadia David’s Hold Still also enjoyed two full houses. On the Fringe, top selling shows included Bronze Standard Bank Ovation Award winner, A Vegan Killed My Marriage, The Story of Fire, Shrek the Musical JR and Gold Standard Bank Ovation winner, The King of Broken Things.
The Schools Festival programme and Youth Jazz Festival brought over 500 learners to join various programmes at the Festival. These opportunities for young people to come to the NAF are vital to the Festival’s accessibility; inspiring future Festival audiences and the next generation of artists, performers, and of course, brand managers and CEOs.
The Festival will now focus on its 2024 edition and a celebration of its 50th year. Says Newton, “It is a rare privilege for an arts institution in South Africa to mark 50 years. Our Festival in 2024 will not necessarily aim for bigger. As we’ve learnt from this Festival, a more tightly curated programme is more satisfying for audiences and artists, but we are using this milestone as an extraordinary opportunity to look back at the 50 years of the Festival’s role in the arts ecosystem, reflecting on how the Festival is part of the story of the arts in this country, and exploring what the next 50 years of the Festival will be.”
The 2024 National Arts Festival will take place from 20-30 June 2024.
Makhanda experienced daily water supply throughout the Festival and it is hoped that through the efforts of the Amatola Water Board and Makana Municipality, long-term solutions will soon mitigate the water supply crisis experienced by the town during recent years. The large scale Social Employment Fund project which assisted in keeping Makhanda clean before and during the Festival will continue into 2024 with the prospect of improving the lives of residents and the experiences of visitors.