For the first time in its 37 years, the Grahamstown National Arts Festival has played host to more than 200 000 revellers.
This year’s festival overall attendees increased by 7.45% to 200 711 compared with last year’s 185 805 festival goers. This marks the festival’s audience growth in seven consecutive years.
Festival CEO Tony Lankester said: “The growth is particularly pleasing given that, in 2010, we had an extended Festival and this year we have been able to show an increase even though we spanned four fewer days.”
Festival organisers partly attributed the increase in attendance numbers to sold-out shows by musicians Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Auriol Hays and productions from the Cape Town City Ballet and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, amongst others.
Chris Chameleon’s performances – which earned him the Bank Gold Ovation Award for Music – were both sold out.
Lankester said the high ticket demand was across different art forms – from music to theatre.
He said: “The festival is still seen as a playground for the artistically curious and for audiences who seek out quality performances, regardless of genre.”
The highest-grossing music show at the festival was Return of the Road Warriors.
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