NEWS FLASH: All it takes to unlock the Virtual National Arts Festival experience is a ticket or pass – and this weekend the festival is giving you a very special offer on a Festival Pass (includes all the content from the curated programme and the Standard Bank Jazz Festival, but excludes the vFringe) to see you through until the 16th of July.
The Festival Pass was R600 but is now on offer at just R400! So head to the checkout from today to get your Amazing Deal.
The Virtual National Arts Festival has announced that the feast of arts content created in the eleven days of the first ever online Festival will still be available till 16 July.
This means that new audiences can also still buy tickets and passes and get to enjoy the country’s biggest and most diverse arts offering, along with a growing and expanding vFringe, which will be continuing until 31 July.
• Please find a full list of works on the curated programme.
The online space definitely has its advantages, as Artistic Director Rucera Seethal points out, “Creating a Festival in the online space means we have a rich and exciting body of work gathered in one place and we are able to continue sharing that in a way that we would not otherwise be able to with a live festival.”
Virtual National Arts Festival ‘Unmissables’
Some of the unmissable shows include the works of the
- Standard Bank Young Artists; Jefferson Tshabalala, Lulu Mlangeni, Sisonke Xonti, Nthato Mokgata and Blessing Ngobeni.
- Audiences have also flocked to SWAN SONG; a collaboration between Buhle Ngaba and Nicola Pilkington,
- PEST CONTROL by Mamela Nyamza and of course,
- Standard Bank Jazz Festival performances from incredible acts like Thandiswa Mazwai, Mi Casa and Grammy-award winner Jacob Collier.
- Adam Donen chose the Virtual National Arts Festival for the world premier of his radio play, NIXON IN AGONY, and
- Featured Artist, MADOSINI is celebrated in an 11 episode documentary series called SONGS ARE LIKE THE GRASS.
The vFringe continues to release more work; each show produced entirely by the artists and 90% of the ticket revenue going to artists directly. The Standard Bank Ovation Awards recognise excellence in vFringe shows and will start to be awarded this week, culminating in a live awards ceremony for the overall vFringe Standard Bank Ovation winners on 31 July 2020. Artists can continue to sign up to the vFringe with a cut-off date of 25 July for work to be considered for the Standard Bank Ovation Awards.
Speaking about the Festival to date, National Arts Festival CEO, Monica Newton said that the reaction from the public had been very positive, “Since 25 June, visitors have joined us from all over Africa and the world and while the new platform was not without its teething problems, we have already presented hundreds of hours of entertainment to our audience. We are thrilled to see that the vFringe is doing really well, with Fringe artists finding it a great platform to securely stage and market their work. Mounting the Festival with just over 100 days to prepare has been an incredible challenge for the team but we have learnt that there is ongoing value in an online arts platform. With the arts community locally and abroad grappling with the devastation of coronavirus pandemic, we do see significant opportunities in the digital space now and in future”.
Ticket and pass holders can return to the platform at any time until the 16 July to watch on demand shows and audiences can also still buy single tickets and passes for the curated programme up until 16 July. vFringe tickets, which are all single purchases can be bought up until 31 July.
WHAT: All the Virtual National Arts Festival content can be found HERE
WHERE: Online in the comfort of your home
HOW: Go HERE to select what you want to see and buy your tickets or pass.
Follow the Virtual National Arts Festival on
• Twitter (@artsfestival)
• Instagram (@nationalartsfestival)
• Facebook (@nationalartsfestivalmakhanda)
• YouTube (National Arts Festival)
