Festival Director Michael Garbett joins Yolanda Maartens in the OFM Art Beat and highlights that the festival has been providing a platform for diverse voices, genres and cultural expressions for a quarter of a century. Frieda van Niekerk also joins the conversation with some insight in this year’s arts market. The festival is on from 15 - 19 July on the Bloemfontein campus of the University of the Free State.

The 2025 festival programme offers 72 productions, of which 51 are part of the Main Festival, 18 of the Vrynge programme and three interdisciplinary projects. Literature and book lovers can look forward to 21 book talks and eight panel discussions.

Mariaan Moller, Michael Garbett, Anchen Lintvelt, and Elzette Boucher-Krüger.

This year, the festival brings talent from all over South Africa and the world to Bloemfontein. The Western Cape delivers 32 productions, Gauteng 15, the Free State 17 and the Eastern Cape four. Four international productions are being staged thanks to partnerships.

The programme is available here https://vrystaatkunstefees.co.za/events/ and tickets are available from Webtickets.

OFM