We just come back from Grahamstown where we spent 5 days at the National Arts Festival. Normally, Grahamstown is a relatively quiet town which is mainly known for its university. However, once a year, an arts festival takes place which brings thousands of visitors into the town to watch hundreds of shows in the “main” (official) and “Fringe” program (unofficial).

We choose to watch up to 6 shows a day on the festival.

Tickets for Grahamstown festival

We watched drama, comedy, dance, music, film and lectures. And that was just a fraction of what there is to see at the festival!

During the festival, any possible location in the town is converted into a venue. From the “cultural center” the monument …

The Monument in Grahamstown

… over the botanic garden …

Botanical Gardens Grahamstown

… to churches

Church plastered with posters

The festival is one of the highlights of our stay in South Africa. Karl likes to describe it as “the most fun we have had in South Africa”. We cann´t wait to go back next year. And, who knows, maybe next year we will have some time to visit the Jazz festival, the exhibits, the village green and the other stuff we did not find time for this year!