Department Of Arts And Culture Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a town of about 70,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about 110 kilometers (70 mi) northeast of Port Elizabeth and 130 kilometers (80 mi) southwest of East London.
Grahamstown is the largest town in the Makana Local Municipality and the seat of the municipal council. It also hosts Rhodes University, the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court, a diocese of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, and 6 South African Infantry Battalion.
History Of The National Arts Festival
Grahamstown has been associated with carnivals and festivals for more than 180 years as British immigrants established the tradition of celebrating landmark anniversaries on a grand scale.
When a movement gained ground last century to erect a memorial to these pioneers it was agreed that it should be a “living” monument presenting festivals, conferences, and other gatherings.
An Inaugural Festival was held in 1974 when the 1820 Settlers National Monument was officially opened, with the exception of 1975, a festival has been organized every year since then. The Festival was a project of the Grahamstown Foundation for 28 years and in 2002 became a Section 21 Company with an independent board of directors.
It however still operates out of the 1820 Settlers National Monument where it rents office space and performance facilities.
From the beginning the programme was not confined to one venue, other facilities in the city were also used. A trend that developed as the Festival grew and today approximately 50 venues are scattered throughout the Grahamstown area.