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Newtown, Johannesburg festival "to thrill" Fifa World Cup tourists

2010-02-10

Newtown, the cultural hub of Johannesburg, is hosting a festival for the duration of the Fifa World Cup in June, to show the world what Joburg - and South Africa - has to offer.

The festival will offer a month of music, dance, theatre, spoken word poetry, literature, craft, film, photography, science, outdoor performances and visual art held in a variety of indoor and outdoor venues.

The Newtown Management District has received funding from the Lotteries Board for a 2010 programme for Newtown. The funding will be used to market Newtown, for a legacy project, and the Newtown Festival itself.

The funding will be used to create an atmosphere in the precinct that is fresh, energetic, creative and uniquely South African. Located in the heart of the city, with safe and easy access from Nelson Mandela Bridge and Carr Street interchange, Newtown is awash with theatres, art galleries, restaurants, museums, dance studios, craft markets, nightclubs and jazz spots.

The Newtown Festival’s primary purpose is to ensure that the 2010 celebrations are felt on the streets, in the venues, and in public spaces amongst visitors, pedestrians and commuters, with free performances being offered to create a welcoming atmosphere.

The 2010 programme will include traditional music and dance, busking, and open stage in the public space, a dance, music and theatre programme in the venues appropriate to these arts, as well as in the galleries, museums and restaurants unique to Newtown.

The objectives of the festival include involving some of the more deprived and isolated local communities. Financial support will help to boost local contemporary and traditional performers and musicians, for instance through the busking programme, which will be held in several key spots throughout the Newtown precinct.

A traditional dance programme at Mary Fitzgerald Square will create a feeling in visitors of being treated to something extra and uniquely South African. Music and dance performances in IsiBhaca, IsiGeke, Ushameni, Maskandi, Indlamu and many more will transform this public space into a popular gathering place.