CraftFest is back. The fun, family festival that celebrates everything that is craft is brought to you by the Independent on Saturday and the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market.
So pencil in the date ‒ the public holiday on June 16 from 10am to 5pm.
The last planned festival, in March 2020, was abruptlty halted by the hard Covid lockdown, so it’s been a four-years break for the event which celebrates real people creating authentic handcrafted goods.
Editor Zoubair Ayoob is excited that the festival is back.
“In conjunction with the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market, it’s our fun day out in the country. It’s also a chance to celebrate real craft, made with care by real crafters, whether it’s food, drink or merchandise. It’s a family day out and we have some real treats for the kids.
“Plus we’re showcasing some of the country’s top entertainers. I will look forward to meeting readers there.”
Christine Standeaven, who runs the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market, is really excited. “CraftFest is for the family. We also have an amazing play area. This year, once the children are through the gate with their armbands, they will be able to play on whatever they want.
“We will have a brilliant line-up of musicians. Our food range is a little bit different and we have some nice newbies on the block. Different food styles have come in and we’ve managed to secure quite a few of them. With our crafters, we see how these people are doing it for themselves ‒ thinking, working, making.
“Gather everyone around, bring your friends, your parents, your children, and let’s have a great day together.”
Craft brewers will be out in force. Here’s your opportunity to taste their wares, relish some more unusual brews and meet the characters behind them. The Gin Bar celebrates some of SA’s top craft distillers, from gins and rums to unusual cocktails and mocktails. And the Champagne Bar is the place to hang out, to see and be seen.
Our food offerings celebrate the best in craft, with food made with love and care. Feast on traditional South African food, including a good potjie. Taste Italian street food, Moroccan lamb on the spit, or Turkish delicacies. Halaal food also features, while the Mielie Man and Falafel Fundi will serve their simple but delicious delicacies.
For those with a sweet tooth, pancakes, brownies, fudge and designer donuts all feature as do top coffees and hot chocolates. There’s also biltong, freshly roasted nuts, fine chilli sauces, and slush puppies and candiefloss.
This year we have brought some of South Africa’s finest musicians to CraftFest. Durban-based Tanner Wareham is a live loop artist and a veritable one-man-band influenced by Bob Marley and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, while Phillip Taylor, the front man for Black Whiskey, is known for his charismatic stage presence. Pretoria-based folk rock duo Bad Peter will give it their all, a guitar demonstration second to none. Local soul and Indie artist Freddie L will entertain in his unique style, while those who remember the 2019 CraftFest will be pleased Pretoria’s Pedro Barbosa is back. The man with a big voice and even bigger stage presence really got things pumping.
Browse among the crafters who use their own ingenuity to create amazing products from woodwork and leather goods, to clothing, jewellery and bead work and décor items. Children’s clothes, plus-sized clothes and vintage clothing all feature. In keeping with greener times, catch stores selling used books, or records, or funky junk or even antique tools.
In the dedicated kids’ zone, all the rides and jumping castles and slides are free. Standeaven said all parents had to do is sign an indemnity form and the child will get an armband allowing entry to the rides. All rides are manned but parental supervision is still required.
“The swings, quad bikes, merry go rounds are all permanent fixtures at the market,” she said. She also hoped the BMX track now under construction would be ready, but more about that later.
Booking is by the Howya app, a new one-stop entertainment and lifestyle app that keeps everything at your fingertips. Download it from the Google Play store or iStore and get your tickets.
There are some early bird tickets available at R150, so download the app today. Tickets are R180 adults, children over 12 are R90, and children 4-12 R50. Adult tickets include a free CraftFest glass
The Independent on Saturday