That performance, in the first ever break with tradition, was staged at Wells Estate near Motherwell in a bid to improve broader access to the festival.
However, with ticket prices ranging between R180 and R350, the poor attendance was attributed to the high cost.
But festival organisers Soul Good – which this Easter from April 19 to 22 marks its seventh and last year of contractual involvement in the flagship event – asserted on Wednesday that, weather permitting, the city was set to field one of its best festivals yet.
“This is the 29th Splash Festival so the event has come a long way,” Mungur said.
“All activities will be taking place in Summerstrand.
“All entrances are free to the public and we will be introducing a range of new items.”
Mungur said the 2019 event would be headlined by artists DJ Ganyani, Sdudla noMa1000 and Snotkop, who would form part of the 30-strong complement of music artists appearing throughout the festival.
About 280 food, art and crafts stalls and an enclosed food court, complete with a large screen and stage to provide a complementary or alternative venue should the weather be bad, will also form part of the offering.
This is along with sports like beach volleyball, wrestling and jetski racing.
The traditional fireworks display will take place on Saturday April 20, while an Easter egg hunt and a range of other activities for children will also be staged.
“The 2019 event has got a very strong environmental and conservation theme, which is something we are very proud of,” Mungur said.
He said that the organisers had already seen an extremely high number of applications from stall-holders wanting to participate.
Asked whether the popular Ironman Africa Championship, which will be staged from the same venue this weekend, less than two weeks before the start of Splash, would affect attendance, Mungur said he believed the timing between the two events should rather be mutually beneficial.
“We believe the high number of stall applications for the Splash is because there was no timing conflict with the KKNK Festival [in Oudtshoorn] which took place late last month.
“What is really good is that we have also managed to attract applications from a high number of premium stall-holders this year.”
Mungur said with little marketing spend available, the event was being marketed largely through social media and word of mouth.
Municipal sports, recreation, arts and culture executive director Noxolo Nqwazi said she was confident that the 2019 Splash programme would meet expectations.
“We assess events when they are completed and focus on improving them,” she said.
“We will not be splitting the venue for this year’s Splash, which will not be confined to just Hobie, but will run over into the adjoining Pollok Beach.
“We would rather consolidate all the activities into one area, save on costs such as security, and give the public a better festival.”
Nqwazi said one item – an experimental gospel segment hosted by the festival over the past two years – would not be on the programme and would make way for other mainstream entertainment.
“We are particularly thrilled about our partnership with the department of environmental affairs this year,” she said.
“The conservation and environment segment of the festival will bring a new, exciting dimension to the event.”
Visitors could also look forward to a thrilling wrestling component.
Regarding a recent SMME bid to secure work ahead of the upcoming Ironman event, Nqwazi said similar issues around the Splash Festival were not anticipated.
“We are and will be engaging with SMMEs and the organisers are already employing local SMMEs, so we do not expect any issues around this.”
Sharks add bite to Splash Festival
Image: Eugene Coetzee
Festivalgoers will be sinking their teeth into a raft of eclectic entertainment, ranging from a shark dissection to DJ Ganyani, at Nelson Mandela Bay’s R2.5m 2019 Splash Festival, which will be held at Hobie Beach over the Easter Weekend.
“[Festival organiser Soul Good has] partnered with environmental entities such as the department of environmental affairs and the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board to produce a new element – the Conservation Station,” Soul Good project manager Darren Mungur said.
“This is an exciting addition to the event and will include, among other things, a fantastic hi-tech audiovisual production of a shark dissection.”
One component of the 2018 Splash festivities – a performance by leading South African hip-hop artist Cassper Nyovest – drew controversy after it bombed out with only around 150 people attending.
That performance, in the first ever break with tradition, was staged at Wells Estate near Motherwell in a bid to improve broader access to the festival.
However, with ticket prices ranging between R180 and R350, the poor attendance was attributed to the high cost.
But festival organisers Soul Good – which this Easter from April 19 to 22 marks its seventh and last year of contractual involvement in the flagship event – asserted on Wednesday that, weather permitting, the city was set to field one of its best festivals yet.
“This is the 29th Splash Festival so the event has come a long way,” Mungur said.
“All activities will be taking place in Summerstrand.
“All entrances are free to the public and we will be introducing a range of new items.”
Mungur said the 2019 event would be headlined by artists DJ Ganyani, Sdudla noMa1000 and Snotkop, who would form part of the 30-strong complement of music artists appearing throughout the festival.
About 280 food, art and crafts stalls and an enclosed food court, complete with a large screen and stage to provide a complementary or alternative venue should the weather be bad, will also form part of the offering.
This is along with sports like beach volleyball, wrestling and jetski racing.
The traditional fireworks display will take place on Saturday April 20, while an Easter egg hunt and a range of other activities for children will also be staged.
“The 2019 event has got a very strong environmental and conservation theme, which is something we are very proud of,” Mungur said.
He said that the organisers had already seen an extremely high number of applications from stall-holders wanting to participate.
Asked whether the popular Ironman Africa Championship, which will be staged from the same venue this weekend, less than two weeks before the start of Splash, would affect attendance, Mungur said he believed the timing between the two events should rather be mutually beneficial.
“We believe the high number of stall applications for the Splash is because there was no timing conflict with the KKNK Festival [in Oudtshoorn] which took place late last month.
“What is really good is that we have also managed to attract applications from a high number of premium stall-holders this year.”
Mungur said with little marketing spend available, the event was being marketed largely through social media and word of mouth.
Municipal sports, recreation, arts and culture executive director Noxolo Nqwazi said she was confident that the 2019 Splash programme would meet expectations.
“We assess events when they are completed and focus on improving them,” she said.
“We will not be splitting the venue for this year’s Splash, which will not be confined to just Hobie, but will run over into the adjoining Pollok Beach.
“We would rather consolidate all the activities into one area, save on costs such as security, and give the public a better festival.”
Nqwazi said one item – an experimental gospel segment hosted by the festival over the past two years – would not be on the programme and would make way for other mainstream entertainment.
“We are particularly thrilled about our partnership with the department of environmental affairs this year,” she said.
“The conservation and environment segment of the festival will bring a new, exciting dimension to the event.”
Visitors could also look forward to a thrilling wrestling component.
Regarding a recent SMME bid to secure work ahead of the upcoming Ironman event, Nqwazi said similar issues around the Splash Festival were not anticipated.
“We are and will be engaging with SMMEs and the organisers are already employing local SMMEs, so we do not expect any issues around this.”
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