National Arts Festival Opens with Standing Ovations and Celebrations

Makhanda’s annual celebration of the arts has launched with exuberant energy, sold-out performances, a good turnout that has set the tone for one of the Festival’s most anticipated editions yet.

The opening days of the Festival drew enthusiastic crowds, with audiences responding warmly to a range of works that spanned the ambitious, the intimate and the deeply moving. The Village Green welcomed close to 12 000 visitors over the first weekend, assisted by the warm winter weather. Accommodation in the town was fully booked.

Sold-out performances were also a feature of the weekend, with tickets for 2026 Standard Bank Young Artists, Manana and Lee-Ché Janecké’s show both snapped up, and full houses for theatre legend Andrew Buckland and satirical comic, Dan Corder, among others. Rave reviews came in for Dear Museum: The Truth of the Matters It Seems Everything was Better When We Were Not Telling the Truth and Ireoluwa by Amandla Danca Teatro and Bisi B Creations. Long standing Festival favourite, Tony Miyambo, returned to NAF with Commission Continua and Kafka’s Ape. Audiences were also riveted by AI dance piece, autoplay, and The Cry of Winnie Mandela. The Black Power Station was yet again a welcoming hub for young festival-goers and music lovers.

The Litfest, part of the Eastern Cape Showcase, was another magnet for audiences with sold talks and literature by Eastern Cape authors for sale.

Exhibitions that opened over the weekend included the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Art, Bronwyn Katz who presented her work Ta a-b kobab ada kāxu-da, ti khoe-du’e. Simnikiwe Buhlungu was announced as the winner of the MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award at the opening ceremony held at the Monument Building during the Festival. Presented by UJ Art Gallery in partnership with the MTN SA Foundation and with institutional support from Iziko Museums South Africa, the MTN x UJ New Contemporaries Award (NCA) exhibition – Holding sp(l)ace for the in__between is curated by Amogelang Maledu and includes the work of Buhlungu, Zara Julius, Thato Makatu and Unathi Mkonto.

Msaki brought something beyond performance to the Festival’s first weekend. Taking the stage with her ALTBLK>>Pan African Collective, she used the platform to call for harmony and unity beyond borders — a direct and considered response to the anti-migrant sentiment being stirred within South Africa. The concert also highlighted the plight of many African performers who are denied visas into other countries even when invited to perform at Festivals. A Sudanese member of the band, who was denied a visa, joined the concert remotely for part of the concert.

The Ovations Awards, which recognise outstanding work on the Fringe, have begun to emerge from the weekend’s programme with 18 productions recognised with daily Ovations that will culminate in bronze, silver and gold awards on Saturday 4 July. Supported by the Mzansi Golden Economy Programme, Art Talks are adding experiences and conversations through a series of workshops and conversations with artists. Scheduled across the coming days, Art Talks offers the chance to move from experiencing a work to understanding it: the ideas, the process, the questions it is trying to ask. Full details are available on the website.

With more than a week of the Festival still to come, there is much to look forward to.

Festival CEO, Monica Newton, said:

“What we have seen in this first weekend is a hopeful indication of South African audiences’ ongoing appetite for the arts. There is a quality to the work, and a quality to the engagement with that work, at the NAF that is genuinely extraordinary. We are proud of every artist who has brought their work here, and grateful to every audience member who has met it with such generosity. This is only possible due to the support of the Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Standard Bank, the National Lotteries  Commission, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (MGE) and Sarah Baartman District Municipality – as well as additional sponsors and partners. While we look forward to welcoming visitors from across the world this week, we hope our Eastern Cape neighbours will come and spend a day with us too.”

The Festival was also pleased to confirm that the opening weekend passed without incident. The team extends its thanks to the many stakeholders who have worked to ensure that Makhanda is a welcoming and safe environment.

Economic and Cultural Impact

The Festival generates significant economic activity within Makhanda and the Eastern Cape region with substantial local employment creation across hospitality, technical services and cultural sectors. The event continues to serve as a critical showcase for South African creativity on an international stage.

The National Arts Festival takes place from 26 June – 6 July in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape. The full programme can be viewed here. Tickets can be purchased online here.

About National Arts Festival
The National Arts Festival is South Africa’s largest multi-disciplinary arts event, operating continuously since 1974. Held annually in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), the Festival presents new and established work across theatre, music, dance, comedy, literature, visual art, and experimental forms. The Festival serves as a key platform for South African cultural production, artist development, and international cultural exchange.

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