Be Part of the Festival
The National Arts Festival is Africa’s most significant annual cultural event, offering a robust platform for both established and emerging artists across all disciplines. Participating provides unparalleled visibility, critical engagement, and access to industry networks. There are a number of clear paths to participation in the Festival Programme.
The Curated Main Programme stands as the pinnacle of the National Arts Festival, specifically designed to showcase South Africa’s most exceptional, innovative, and critically relevant artistic work. Inclusion in this programme is a stamp of prestige, affirming your production’s high artistic excellence and professional maturity.
The Main Programme offers audiences a deeply enriching and coherent journey through the very best new and established works in theatre, dance, contemporary music, and visual arts. Being part of this selection guarantees extensive media coverage, engagement with prominent producers and critics, and placement in the Festival’s prime venues.
The call for submissions is highly competitive and typically opens between August and October each year. Artists are required to submit a comprehensive proposal package, which must include: detailed artistic concept notes, full biographies of all creative and artistic team members, a meticulously itemized production budget, and comprehensive technical riders and specifications. Submissions are formally reviewed by the Festival’s Artistic Committee.
The Fringe Programme is the beating heart of innovation and accessibility at the National Arts Festival. It operates as the Festival’s open-access, uncurated platform, designed specifically to champion emerging talent, experimental works, and self-produced projects from artists and companies nationwide.
This programme is a crucible of creativity without boundaries, giving artists the crucial opportunity to manage and present their work independently, connect directly with new audiences, and gain invaluable professional experience. For audiences, the Fringe offers the thrill of discovery—a chance to encounter the raw energy and diverse voices shaping the future of the arts.
Artists are required to submit an application for inclusion during the Open Call window (dates are published annually). Unlike the Main Programme, selection for the Fringe is based primarily on the Festival’s capacity to logistically and technically accommodate the work within its venue and scheduling resources. Effort is made to ensure a balanced representation across genre (theatre, dance, comedy, music, etc.), the places of origin of the work, and demographics, fostering a truly diverse and inclusive Festival landscape.
The Village Green serves as the National Arts Festival’s central, vibrant outdoor hub, functioning as a vital social and commercial marketplace. It offers a necessary invitation for Festival attendees to relax, refuel, and connect between performances, featuring live music, comedy pop-ups, diverse food offerings, and family-friendly experiences.
Crucially, the Village Green provides dedicated trading spaces offered exclusively to crafters and small businesses producing original, handmade, and high-quality artistic goods. It is a curated space to support independent makers and ensure that the commercial offerings reflect the Festival’s commitment to creativity.
Interested traders are required to submit a detailed application, which is evaluated on the originality and standard of the craft. Applications must include a comprehensive description of the goods, pricing structure, and high-resolution photographs of the merchandise to be sold.
Beyond the official Main and Fringe Programmes, the National Arts Festival encourages and supports a the development of a dynamic ecosystem of Independent Venues and Associated Programmes. This thriving element allows external producers, independent theatres, and community groups to host parallel events that contribute significantly to the overall Festival atmosphere and diversity.
Artists or organisers wishing to host an Associated Programme or establish an Independent Venue must formally register their intention and comply with Festival regulations regarding safety, ticketing integration, and scheduling coordination. While operating independently, these initiatives are recognised as a crucial part of the extended Festival experience, enhancing audience choice and facilitating broader community participation
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