The Mandela Bay Arts Festival opened on 21 February with a bold and colourful celebration of local talent across different genres, backgrounds and themes. Even the surprise return of Stage 6 load shedding didn’t stop the fun, as organisers kicked into a well-devised back-up plan to keep the lights on.
Monica Newton, CEO of the National Arts Festival, who are the Festival’s production partners, said the Mandela Bay Arts Festival was off to a great start despite the electricity setbacks, “Having been through all kinds of emergency situations at the National Arts Festival, we have come prepared for the load shedding, so don’t sit at home in the dark, come and join us!”
The first weekend was a hit with local audiences coming out to support their own. The Soil, who made a whistle-stop at the Mandela Bay Arts Festival, was sold out for their concert at The Athenaeum on Sunday night and shows like Rising Stars, Sing Out Loud, Press Start – An 8-bit Musical and jazz artist Lefa Mosea were among the shows that pulled in the crowds. All of these shows appear again later on in the Festival.
