The Clarens Arts Festival 2026 — It Opens Today
Walking into an arts festival while rain hammers the tent and wind cuts through the square is, in its own way, a kind of argument for art. Today, that argument is being made in Clarens — and Clarenites, true to form, are showing up in droves.
The town buzzes on weekends like these. It always does. A cold, overcast April morning is not a deterrent here; it's practically a dress code.
Why does place affect us so? Plato, Kant, and Freud treated art as a noble luxury - non-essential. Aristotle, Nietzsche, and Einstein disagreed, recognising it as vital to human experience. Modern neuroscience sides with the latter: meaningful art activates the brain in patterns indistinguishable from encounters with beloved people and cherished memories. To neglect the creative impulse is, in some measurable sense, a neglect of self. Which is reason enough to be here.
The Exhibition
Under the towering tent in the town square, this year's visual artists span an exceptional range. Ryan Loubser brings his signature Fractionism - landscapes and figures broken into bold geometric compositions. Corné Eksteen's "vibrational" paintings sit at the edge of figurative and abstract, underpinned by wave-particle duality theory. Waldo Herselman paints from the silence of the Maluti Mountains directly above us. Engelet van Schoor brings spiritual oil paintings of strong contrast and drama. Tanja Davey offers abstracts and flora charged with raw emotion. Eugene Van Vrede captures Nguni cattle and wildlife in layered oils. Jodie Loubser returns with her Impressionist water lilies and detailed Victorian interiors. Christie Murray (Inka) works intuitively across oil, acrylic, spray paint and collage.
Ceramics this year are exceptional, presented under the curated exhibition Highveld Ceramics, featuring John Shirley, Eunice Botes, Dale Lambert, Sandy Godwin, Hendrien Horn - South Africa's first clay 3D printing artist - and a dozen more. The Department of Fine and Studio Arts at Tshwane University of Technology makes its festival debut with a pop-up shop showcasing sculpture, ceramics, glass, printmaking, jewellery, and surface design.
Performance and Music
Tonight the festival proper opens with the Odeion String Quartet performing Hendrik Hofmeyr's Of Darkness and the Heart with soprano Siphokazi (Nonzwakazi) Maphumulo, paired with Dvořák's Piano Quintet featuring pianist Megan-Geoffrey Prins. Over the four days: Charl du Plessis performs Bach, Beethoven, and the Beatles with live improvisation on a Steinway; Guenter Nerlich takes audiences on a musical journey from Memphis to New Orleans; Kate Rok and Lily & Bear close the festival Sunday afternoon in a garden setting with Dare & Dream; and Josh Mokoena, Heinrich Pelser and Elvis Mokoena bring jazz, Latin, and pop together in a sold-out crossover show. Theatre offerings include Amore Bekker in the one-woman cabaret Bacchus Tot Bekker; Wilhelm van der Walt in Seun, winner of five Aardklop awards; and Ingrid: 'n Vlam in die Sneeu — Lizelle Pike as Ingrid Jonker, with Chani Jonker at the piano.
Literature
The book programme is extensive. Antjie Krog discusses her new autobiographical novel with Ruda Landman. Justice Edwin Cameron and Kyle Cowan unpack crime and corruption in Breaking the Gangster State. Dawie Roodt forecasts the South African economy. Yewande Omotoso and Lindiwe Hani explore the influence of fathers. Bronwyn Williams and Dion Chang navigate the impact of AI. Dana Snyman talks rugby, travel, and army. Six of South Africa's finest performers — including Kim Cloete, Tobie Cronjé, Ruda Landman, and Fiona Ramsay - perform Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood (sold out). Opening the festival's literary programme: Free State, Free Verse - Helena Hettema, Professor Rethabile Possa, Siphokazi Jonas, and Zama Madinana performing in Afrikaans, English and Sesotho, conducted by Lomile Mokoena. Free admission.
Youth and Community
ArtStart continues its work nurturing emerging local talent. The Tshireletsa Bana Foundation, a Clarens-based non-profit, brings the work of local children to the festival floor. Kids programmes run across all four days — puppet shows, dinosaur museum night tours, nature walks, ceramic painting, and Hooked on Books theatre.
The festival runs 24–27 April 2026. The rain is beside the point.