Arts Festival Makhanda 2027
Dates taking place: June - July 2027 (Dates TBA)
Location: Makhanda (Eastern Cape), South Africa
Have you ever wanted to maybe just stand in the middle of a little South African city while a jazz band plays around the corner, a circus performer is juggling fire and the best part: a stage 10metres away, someone is making a rousing speech of potato-based love metophors? Well, congratulations! You’ve just described Arts Festival Makhanda 2027. This is an event like none you have ever tasted, and that is the highest compliment!
Biggest Arts Festival in Africa!
Every year, maybe in late June and early July Makhanda (little town university city located in the Eastern cape of South Africa), does something really really awesome, something extraordinary, like a Transformer meets Optimus Prime. The world knows Makhanda to be a charming little town, artsy and quiet. For 11 whole days, Makhanda becomes the cultural heart of the entire continent. This festival has been running since 1974, and let me tell you, it is more interesting, more dynamic and even more beautiful than most of the festival's attendees. The world has deemed this festival to be the largest, oldest and most prestigious festival in Africa. Makhanda is in an arts festival league of its own!
If you need help with your next event, incentive, meeting, conference or group to South Africa, please
A Program That Doesn't Run Out of Surprises
The Arts Festival Makhanda 2027 offers an unprecedented amount of diversity. The Main Programme? The meticulously selected and arrayed line up of theatre, dance, live music, jazz, comedy, film, visual art, and so much more! The Fringe? Well, it’s the Main Programme’s wild, loud, uninvited, and crasher cousin, and, without a doubt, the life of the party! When combined, they have about fifty venues in the city hosting hundreds of productions. Here’s the beauty of it: it’s something you’ll never see it all and never experience it all, and yet, no it’s not a tragedy.
Prepare for all the things including and not limited to: circus acts that are essentially a theatre and acrobatics hybrid, dance productions that creatively incorporate South African and other forms in novel ways, comedy shows designed to rekindle your childlike wonder, and also incredibly deep jazz stages and a more than sufficient amount of comedy. And more. These things are all there, and in addition to them, never forget the long hours spent in the sprawling craft and food market, workshops, talks, film screenings and other things that will break the bank in the best way possible!
More Than Just Entertainment
The festival means more than just consumers - it builds community. Since 1981, the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards has jump-started the careers of promising South African artists, and the Fringe Ovation Awards were established to bring attention to new works of creative innovation that may otherwise go unnoticed. There is even a dedicated children’s arts festival running parallel to the main festival; the children also deserve access to the world’s best culture. The whole festival depends on a massive volunteer and local workforce, reviving the economy of Makhanda. The Festival. Just. Is.
For Travel Agents, DMCs and Corporate Incentive Planners
Let's talk business now. If you’re working on building a group itinerary and Arts Festival Makhanda 2027 hasn't been factored in yet, we need to have a chat. It is 11 days of guaranteed excitement. We're certain that clients will remember it for years to come. For corporates, this well-organised event has a deeply South African soul, one that is boundless and true, and offers culture and conversation in abundance. Makhanda is conveniently located along the Eastern Cape's broader tourist corridor and within easy reach of Port Elizabeth. DMCs, now is the time to package and sell this offering - your clients (and us) will be grateful.
For more information about the event visit this page.
If you would like to see more events like these visit our events page!
