The Bathurst Pineapple Music Festival staged at Summmer Hill Inn last weekend has been hailed a success with organisers saying it has set the perfect platform for an annual hosting of the entertainment spectacle.
Showcasing a vast array of musical talent from predominantly the Nolukhanyo Township, which included gumboot and cultural dancing presented by the Abantwana group, junior ball room dancers, rappers, breakdancing and well-known soloist, Anthony Caplan, ensured the party went on in to the wee hours of the morning on Sunday.
Besides the entertainment for children, the stallholders, which included take-away kiosks, enjoyed trade over the two days of the event. Featured on Sunday were talks relevant to the sustainable use and growing of pineapples – reported on separately.
Coordinator of the festival on behalf of the Bathurst Residents and Ratepayers Association, Thea Venter, said they had seen a gap in the market to showcase the talent and cultural attractions in the community.
“There was a similar festival many years ago and it was Elizabeth Milne’s idea to revive it,” said Venter. We do have a lot of talent in Bathurst and it is not always being showcased. It was our idea to bring the whole community together. Bathurst is not just the community on this side of the hill, but includes Nolukhanyo,” said Venter.
“It was an ideal opportunity for everyone to show off their talents, in whatever form.”
Venter said organisers were pleasantly surprised by the response from the public, especially as it concerned the Saturday programme of entertainment.
“Saturday was very well attended … it started off slowly but definitely picked up later in the day and I think the party carried on until the early hours of Sunday. It’s too early to give numbers but speaking too stallholders, they were happy with the turnout,” she said.
The ballroom and cultural dancing events presented by the youth of Nolukhanyo proved a head-turner for the early morning crowd.
“The Saturday performances were great, I wasn’t even aware that Bathurst had the talent that was on display … I didn’t know there was a ballroom group and that the kids could perform like that; they were great, the outfits were stunning and I think the participants themselves really enjoyed it. And that was part of the outcome; to show everybody what they can do.”
Venter made special mention of fellow-coordinator, Funeka Xhanti, who organised all the participants and represented various cultural dance groups in the township.
“It was Funeka who brought all the coaches together of the various dance groups; we had the local athletics team running around the Bathurst area informing people about the festival and the local soccer team who helped us with guiding traffic in and out of the venue.”
Xhanti said though coordinating an inaugural event was a huge task, she was delighted with the outcome.
“People were getting up from their chairs and dancing which showed they were really happy. The dancers are very, very happy as well as coaches and even the parents of the young participants. “I got so many messages on my WhatSApp from various performers saying ‘please if there are any other events please inform us’,” said Xhanti.
“What I enjoyed about the festival was the display of diversity. You know Bathurst is just a small community but we are one.”
Xhanti said however they needed more exposure through similar events to showcase talent on offer.
“The only problem here is there is a shortage of exposure; if you have a talent here it is difficult to get notices; there are no promoters.
“For example, Popsit was asked by a PE band to sing with them … the audience was very excited and thrilled with the ballroom dancing and it was great to hear that. Even parents of the participating youth were so happy with the event,” said Xhanti.
“Bathurst has the big famous pineapple but what is the use you have this attraction and you do nothing about it? For example, Knysna has the oyster festival and look at how big that has become?
“This is just the beginning but I think this is a very good platform for what is to come in the future. It is the first hosting and we know where to improve for future festivals.”
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, February 27, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
