South Africa Blog

The largest street festival of its kind in Southern Africa, the annual OBZfestival kicks off on the first weekend in December, bringing a celebratory mood to the cultural heart of the Mother City.  

Taking place from Friday evening November 30, until Sunday evening December 2, the festival remains a highlight of Cape Town’s cultural calendar and offers visitors a chance to sample the best in the city’s cultural life and the ideal opportunity to celebrate the advent of summer. 

Since it’s inception in 1994, the festival has established Observatory as the city’s creative hub by providing an annual platform for Cape Town’s musical talent and other artistic pursuits. Festival goers can expect even more at this year’s event with the organizers’ keen understanding of the sub-cultures that exist within the city. 

This year a number of entry points have been planned – both physically and culturally – which cater to all tastes and ages. “We are changing the profile of the festival from one that caters mainly for students, to one that has a strong arts and culture core which will appeal to Capetonians and visitors of all ages and tastes,” says festival producer, Christopher de Vries. 

 Aside from offering visitors the chance to see the city’s top musicians in action, the festival promises patrons a host of other entertainment activities that includes the best of Obz nightlife, a film festival, art installations, and exciting playgrounds for the kids, as well as an extensive Craft Market with stalls brimming with great food and innovative products.

 OBZfestival 2007 also includes a mini documentary film festival – OBZfilm; OBZchill – the ultimate in chill out venues, OBZlive – the live music stage showcasing both emerging and established bands; as well as the Lazy Sunday jazz concert which offers music lovers the finest in local urban jazz.

The organizers have also expanded the festivals’ physical footprint to incorporate many of the green public spaces within Observatory without losing the quintessential Observatory atmosphere. They have also taken into account the need for additional parking and have demarcated secure parking areas alongside Liesbeek Parkway, and Jones field on the corner of Kotzee and Main Roads – both within easy walking distance of the festival’s hub.

Festival director Koketso Sachane said the vision for the festival’s future is to grow it into the league of London’s Notting Hill Carnival, which celebrates that city’s rich cultural products.  “Observatory has a huge, vibrant and diverse population and has long epitomized all that is creatively cutting-edge in the city of Cape Town. Where some suburbs are losing all their personality due to unheralded development, the Observatory Civic Association, the Observatory Business Forum and ward councilor Cedric Thomas are consistently working to meet the challenge of keeping a balance between urban growth and cultural heritage,” says Sachane.

“Our belief is that music and cultural festivals can play an important role in enhancing tourism and cultural industries in any city, and can also serve as a vital creative link between brands and their consumers,” he explains.

This year the festival boasts four stages – with a line-up of top artists catering for almost every musical taste imaginable. “Close to 150 performers will descend on Observatory to showcase their best material this year,” says De Vries.  “We’ve designed the line-up in a manner that is unique for a music festival – we’re mixing up the styles to provide audiences with a musical variety that truly reflects and the essence of Observatory and Cape Town.”

Four of the suburbs most popular clubs and live music venues – Barmooda, Armchair, Rootz and Stones – are also coming to the party and promise patrons a night to remember. Over a hundred musicians will be featured during the weekend, ranging from classical to hip-hop, and from rock to reggae. This mixture of genres is something the organizers have consciously chosen to attract a more diverse patron base.

Says De Vries: “Observatory is thankfully maintaining those aspects that make it so unique. It remains one of the most fascinating cultural pressure points of our city and Capetonians have a responsibility to nurture and keep this suburb alive for future generations.”

The Obz Festival officially opens Friday, November 30 and runs until Sunday 2 December. Activities in parks and near residential areas shut down at 21h30, while the main music stages continue until midnight.

For a full line-up of artists and further information visit www.obzfestival.com
To find a place to stay in Cape Town visit: www.cape-venues.co.za
For other Festivals and Events see Cape Town Events