The 25th Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees is making Stellenbosch a beehive of activity. The Woordfees was ushered in on Friday, 10 October, during a media event at the SU Museum. The annual Woordfees Long Table followed the launch event in Ryneveld Street. Meanwhile, over 22,000 are expected to visit the town of Stellenbosch for the arts and culture festival! You can look forward to over 400 items on the festival programme. The festival runs from 11 to 19 October.

“For me, the secret ingredient for the Woordfees is a commitment to the literary and to discourse, without being exclusive,” says the director of the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, Saartjie Botha.

The 25th Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees is making Stellenbosch a beehive of activity

The director of the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, Saartjie Botha, says that to be able to celebrate a quarter of a century is a milestone for any arts festival in South Africa. Stellenbosch University (SU) is the birthplace and founding sponsor of the Woordfees. The University has acknowledged the essential role of the arts in the practice of good science at the media launch.

 

“The Woordfees specifically is constantly renewing itself,” says Henriëtte Loubser, editor-in-chief of Netwerk24 and head of Afrikaans news at Media24.

Henriëtte Loubser, editor-in-chief of Netwerk24 and head of Afrikaans news at Media24, said that the Woordfees is a place where a whole spectrum of Afrikaans-speaking people come together with their different, diverse views and interests, each with their own lived reality. She says, at these festivals, they find one another, they spend time together, they gain new insights, they find shared understanding, and what they experience subconsciously can be interpreted for them on a theatre stage. These are things they can’t always express in words.

MORE ABOUT: The tickets to the shows, films and concerts, as well as the free events

Woordfees Long Table

Meanwhile, the Long Table event took place under the oak trees between the old buildings of Ryneveld Street. There was festive food and cheerful guests.

The award-winning food writer, chef and TV personality Herman Lensing was in charge of bringing his unique flair and warmth to each table, seating about 500 guests.

The host was Carla McKenzie, and providing entertainment this year were Moonshine and the Nomadic Orchestra.

One of the largest arts festivals in Africa

The story of the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees began in 2000, when it was an all-night celebration of Afrikaans word art. It has, over the past 25 years, grown into one of the largest arts festivals in Africa. According to the organisers, the 25th festival is a celebration of diverse yet unifying stories with the theme Share and more than 400 items on the festival programme.

MORE ABOUT: The tickets

The Senior Vice President of sales and marketing at Toyota South Africa Motors, Leon Theron, says it makes perfect sense for them to be involved with the Woordfees.

Theron concluded, “At Toyota, we feel very strongly that a large company like ours should be involved with our languages and our arts, because it creates an incredible platform. This platform is especially for young people with talent to showcase themselves.”

You can come Share in a meaningful experience. This can be a spring party bursting with art, music, drama, and entertainment, from 11 to 19 October.