Arts Festivals Call For Clarity on Funding
Long-standing arts festivals that provide thousands of jobs have received no funds this year from the arts and culture department
NAF
Makhanda: An Iconic South African City Collapses
Roads, water supply, electricity supply and finances are in disarray
Ready to Welcome Visitors and Showcase South African Creativity
The National Arts Festival (NAF) is ready to open its stages, streets and studios to the public from 26 June to 6 July 2025, with 242 productions and over 2,500 artists descending on Makhanda for an 11 day creative takeover. As the country’s longest-running arts festival, the National Arts Festival goes beyond being an annual …
National Arts Festival Promises Dynamic Programme
The National Youth Jazz Festival (NYJF) returns to Makhanda this year with a programme that boldly celebrates the history, and looks to the future of South African jazz. Running adjacent to the National Arts Festival, the NYJF gathers over 300 of the country’s most promising young musicians alongside an all-star line-up of professional jazz artists …
Powerful Adaptation of Molora Set to Stir NAF Audiences
Wits Theatre brings a gripping reimagining of YaëlFarber’s MOLORA to the National Arts Festival this June, directed and adapted by the talented Tshepang Sehole. Running on the Fringe from 26 June to 3 July at St Andrews Hall in Makhanda, MOLORA is a physical theatre work that confronts the wounds of the past and offers …
Standard Bank Young Artists Head for the 2025 National Arts Festival
Young talent is plentiful in South Africa but when talent, opportunity and creative vision collide, young artists emerge who set the benchmark for their contemporaries and change the narrative of South African culture. As we celebrate Youth Month in 2025, the National Arts Festival will celebrate the Standard Bank Young Artists – a unique and …
NAF Announces New Board Appointments
The National Arts Festival (NAF) is delighted to announce two new appointments to its Board of Directors. At its meeting held on Thursday, 22 May, the NAF Board appointed Prof Siphiwo Mahala as its new Chairperson and welcomed Mr Keith Ngesi as a new board member. Both Mahala and Ngesi are proud descendants of Makhanda …
Apply for the 2025 National Arts Festival Fringe
The 51st National Arts Festival is in production and as of 1 October, artists have a window to apply to be part of the multidisciplinary showcase through the 2025 Festival’s Fringe programme. The Fringe drives renewal and diversity in the arts, not only at the National Arts Festival but as part of an ecosystem of …
2024 Standard Bank Ovations Awards
The energy was contagious as artists from the National Arts Festival’s Fringe gathered at The Monument in Makhanda at midnight on Saturday, 29 June for a ceremony to announce the 2024 Standard Bank Ovations Awards winners. Standard Bank Ovations are awarded throughout the Festival to shows on the Fringe that stand out. Shows that have …