By Tiaan Booyens
The town is blooming and nearly bursting at the seams this week with great weather on the way and the Toyota US Woordfees in full swing from 10-16 October. The Woordfees, one of South Africa’s biggest arts festivals, is back in town after a two-year hiatus and will liven up Stellenbosch “in a joyous celebration of writers, books, theatre, music, visual arts, dance, discourse and films,” according to their official website.
“If you’re a tourist coming to Stellenbosch for the first time, I think the Woordfees is the place to be,” says Ingrid Heydenrych, a member of the Woordfees PR and Marketing team. “The Woordfees is very lekker if you want to get to know Stellenbosch.” The programme offers a range of enticing lifestyle events. Among them are walking tours of the town and beautiful surrounding gardens, local art exhibitions, wine bar tours and – of course – the famous Street Soirées!
“You definitely have to check out a few theatre productions. ‘Die sewe doodsondes’ is a production that we’re extremely excited about. It’s a huge show that will be put on at the open-air Oude Libertas Theatre,” says Heydenrych. Be sure to peruse the full programme available at the bottom of this article for a full list of the plays available in different languages.
The Woordfees also plays host to some of the biggest names in local music talent with its outdoor shows at Jan Marais Nature Reserve. Karen Zoid, Spoegwolf, Early B, Francois van Coke, and Bongeziwe Mabandla are only some of the big names making an appearance throughout the week.
“The classical music element of the programme is also great if you want to see musicians involved at Stellenbosch University and some of the best classical musicians in the country,” says Heydenrych, “as well as the Stellenbosch University Choir, whose shows always sell out very quickly.”
The week will include a film festival with intimate screenings of critically acclaimed local productions, as well as a writer’s festival where you can see your favourite authors in panel discussions or at book signings. “Part of that, is the Naggesprekke series (Evening Discourses) where there are specific conversations around Stellenbosch, like Kabous Meiring’s discussion on ‘what is a university town?’… and what is the future of the town,” says Heydenrych.
“There are festivals that take place all over the country, but what makes the Woordfees so special is that it walks hand-in-hand with Stellenbosch – with the community in Stellenbosch – and you almost can’t think of Stellenbosch without also thinking of the Woordfees,” she said. “What makes this year’s Woordfees even better, is that it’s the first time it has been presented as a spring festival, so you can experience Stellenbosch during the prettiest time of the year.”
Woordfees Programme
https://woordfees.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Feesgids_2022_laeres.pdf
