04 / a new direction for observatory festival:
After a year of absence, the Observatory Festival was re-launched in December 2010 as the Observatory Festival of Arts. The Cape suburb Observatory is one of the most diverse residential communities of artists and free-thinkers in South Africa and has proudly hosted the festival for 14 years.
Whilst still retaining the musical core of previous Observatory Festivals, the 2010 festival paved the path for a more diversified arts festival by extending the content to theatre, film and visual art. One of the core objectives of the festival is to develop new audiences for contemporary and traditional art forms, by hosting a unique cross-section of music, visual arts and performance.
The festival was opened with a blessing ceremony performed by Khoi representatives and offered a programme reflecting the diversity of cultures and artistic disciplines residing within the country today: PJ Powers, The Rudimentals, Adamu, Steve Newman and D’bi Young are only a few of the artists who graced the stage with their performances. All pubs, clubs, restaurants and retail outlets were operational during the festival and offered additional in-venue entertainment, including documentary films. The Theatre Arts Admin Collective presented a stellar line up of 16 theatre family orientated productions and The Western Province Chess Association hosted a rapid chess tournament. Apart from the greater emphasis on art and culture at this year’s festival, the event was also marked by the increase in safety and security measures: Families with young children felt free to roam through the festival precinct and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere around the main stage on the Village Green.
The Observatory Festival of Arts 2010 has therefore positioned the festival in a new direction. Some of the plans for the future include growing the visual arts component and regularly hosting smaller themed events. Many Observatory residents have expressed their interest to see how the festival will develop into a cultural establishment. Let’s see what 2011 holds!
