The Plett Arts Festival is going virtual this year and will be themed La Vida Local, putting the spotlight on artists from the Garden Route town from June 19 to 30. 

With funding support from Western Cape tourism, trade and investment promotion agency Wesgro, Plett Tourism is organising a festival with a difference that will give at least 20 artists a platform so they may also earn some money from ticket sales for the virtual events. 

Plett Arts Festival director and Plett Tourism manager Cindy Wilson-Trollip says strange times call for innovative thinking, and keeping the arts alive remains crucial. 

Lockdowns have forced arts organisations around the world to think outside the box by throwing their doors wide open online. 

“People have been entranced and transported by these performances which, under normal circumstances, are largely the preserve of the elite. The arts have been a balm for the suffering during the ‘incarceration’ of people all over the world,” Wilson-Trollip says. 

South Africa’s performers have also been live-streaming up a storm to earn a living and maintain morale. 

Plett Tourism has curated jazz, opera, popular classics, sacred and gospel music under the “Plett in Concert” banner, to be live-streamed at 7pm most evenings while the festival is under way. 

Every Friday festinoes will also get to kick back with chilled sundowner vibes branded “Plett Sunsets”, delivered by Surf Café. 

Drama lovers will enjoy homegrown theatre and performance on The Fringe. 

There will also be a chance to Zoom in on music and art masterclasses, while gallery curators and artists-in-residence will give insider views of their world. 

House, rap and jazz will be covered the “Plett Legends” slot, so “visit” with your friends or hang out on your own for some late-afternoon sounds.

The festival will also focus on the work of emerging local filmmakers – graduates of the Ikasi Creative Film School – who will share their short films on Plettflix.

“The creative industries account for a significant percentage of revenue stream for most towns, and for Plett Tourism, the Plett Arts Festival has grown to become a calendar favourite along the Garden Route,” Plett Tourism CEO Marius Venter says.  

“Continuing Plett Tourism’s vision to showcase arts and culture in the area is part of our vibrant community’s lifeblood. 

“During these unprecedented times, we hope to showcase our local and national talent to inspire that Plett feeling,” Venter says.  

Wilson-Trollip  adds: “With this year’s ‘no travel, no touch, stay home’ ,[La Vida Local] seemed a fitting tongue-in-cheek take on the madness which keeps us locked and local.

 “The streaming process is challenging and a learning curve for all, but it seems like it will be here to stay in the new normal.”   

The Plett Arts Festival events will be live-streamed on a private channel, or will be accessible on YouTube and Zoom. Tickets are open and you can register at pletttourism.com.

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