ALL ROADS LEAD TO SPLASHY

Splashy Fen Music Festival geared to celebrate its 20th ‘Big Splash’ this Easter.

All roads lead to the southern Berg this Easter for the annual Splashy Fen Music Festival, which is geared to celebrate its 20th ‘Big Splash’ with a fantastic four-day programme of more than 90 live acts on two stages. Supported by East Coast Radio and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, the festival is held near Underberg and runs from April 9 to 13.

Acts to look out for include Goldfish, Watershed, Syd Kitchen, Dan Patlansky, Squeal, Sugardrive, Hot Water, City Bowl Mizers, Stealing Love Jones, Tony Cox, Nibs van der Spuy, Chris Chameleon, Madala Kunene, The Rudimentals, Shawn Phillips, The Simon van Gend Band, Cofield Mundi, The Arrows, Avatar with Steve and Tara Fataar, Napalma, Guy Buttery and Sheep Down.

However, music isn’t the only reason to get to Splashy! Other drawcards include a host of fun outdoor activities for the whole family – from swimming, tubing and fishing in the river or dams to hiking, paintball, horse trails, nature walks and visits to nearby tourist attractions. There’s also a full children’s entertainment programme and crèche run by Ocean View Montessori School. A new annual tube race will also be introduced this year, and people are encouraged to bring along tubes and other inflatables. Prizes will go to the winner and the most imaginative entrant.

In addition to the general camping included in the ticket price, there’s also a separate family campsite which is the ideal spot for festival-goers with young children. People wishing to stay in this area will need to pay a R100 surcharge (per car) at the main gate. Access will be on a first come, first served basis and space cannot be pre-booked.

For those wishing to make their stay even more comfortable, there’s the tent ‘hotel’ option, where you can enjoy hassle-free camping at reasonable bed-and-breakfast rates. Kreef Hotel’s tented camp offers separate ablution facilities, private parking, porters and 24-hour security. Each of the spacious, lockable tents has either a double or two single mattresses and guests just need to bring their own bedding and pillows. A buffet breakfast is served every morning, after which the kitchen is available around the clock for self-catering. There’s also a cellphone and laptop charging service and you can even sms the kitchen to have coffee delivered to your tent! For more information or to make a booking, visit www.kreefhotel.co.za.

Festival-goers can also look forward to a colourful choice of authentic arts and crafts, as well as a wide selection of food outlets offering everything from Chinese stir-fries to pastas, pizzas, seafood, Indian cuisine, speciality coffees, German schnitzel and frikadelle, vegetarian meals, vetkoek and some of the country’s biggest names in fast food.

Another new addition is a bigger beer garden and bar area, operated once again by the Sani Round Table, with all profits being donated to local charities. On-site ATM facilities will also be available around the clock.

Every year, thousands of people of all ages make the journey to Underberg in the scenic southern Drakensberg to enjoy the unique experience that is Splashy Fen.

Tickets are available at selected Game stores (R400), Computicket (R450) and at the festival gate (R500). Children under 12 pay R50 – tickets at the gate only. The price includes camping for the entire long weekend. For more information, visit www.splashyfen.co.za or contact Pedro at 082 892 6176.