Even if you don’t know the history and culture behind these festivals, the aesthetics alone would hold your attention. Here are 10 of the most visually stunning South African festivals.
Web Source: SouthAfrica.Info
Every February, the FNB Dance Umbrella puts on a festival showcasing dance choreography and dance performances by groups ranging from community-based troupes to international dance companies. The costumes and movements are a thrill to watch, and the festival has launched many choreographers and dancers into international careers.
Be careful where you sit down at this prickly festival! Each year, the Cuyler Hofstede farm hosts a food festival that showcases the best of many traditional South African dishes from potjiekos to fish braai, but the festival superstar is the stunning prickly pear. This gorgeous, colorful fruit is everywhere — in art displays, in bouquets, and of course in creative dishes.
This festival isn’t your traditional idea of beautiful but it is captivating. Sometimes called the National Festival of Science, Engineering and Technology, this festival is the setting for around 600 events, with the most stunning including a laser show, sunset shows, robotics competitions and a film festival. More than 35,000 visitors attend this imagination fest.
Africa’s answer to The Burning Man festival, this festival is all about radical self expression, and you’ll see it in the outlandish costumes, massive man-made monuments, artwork, body paint — you name it. The entire festival ground looks like a fantasyland.
The Knysna leorie is a green bird, and this festival captures the showy nature of the feathered beauty. It’s a gay festival in a coastal town, and it’s a non-stop party. Pink feathers, boas, head dresses and of course beverages abound, and several parades go on throughout the four-day festival.
The National Arts Festival is the oldest, largest and most popular arts festival in South Africa. It offers constant culture for 10 days with live music, singing groups, theater performances, dance companies, film screenings and much more.
If you want a real rugged South African experience, this festival is not to be missed. You’ll see cattle shows, a game auction, horse jumping, dog shows, a four-by-four competition, traditional South African food, massive camp fires and so much more evoking a long-lost era. You’ll swear you’ve gone back in time.
This might be the most beautiful thing any avid carnivore ever beholds. Hantam Vleisfees (translation: meat fest) is a festival dedicated entirely to the celebration of meat. You can try it almost any way you like, from meat braaied, stewed and curried to meat sosaties (kababs), in potjies (traditional three-legged, cast-iron pot) and in pita. You can even purchase rare cuts of meat like a full sheep’s head, for unbelievably low prices. The festival is also the setting for the Miss Vleisfees competition, a showy event of dancing and entertainment based around an enormous feast.
This festival celebrates the yearly migration of the southern right whales which travel thousands of miles to the Cape’s south coast to mate and give birth. As if the coastal town of Hermanus isn’t charming enough, it offers some of the best land-based whale watching in the world.
The Ficksburg Cherry Festival is one of the oldest festivals in South Africa, dating back to 1969. Today it attracts more than 20,000 visitors looking to enjoy the gorgeous small town of Ficksburg, and the unforgettable cherry and asparagus tastings and tours. The festival also features live music and the Miss Cherry Blossom and Miss Cherry Pip competitions.
