TOP LINE-UP FOR WHITE MOUNTAIN

The annual White Mountain Festival is coming up over the Heritage Day long weekend and promises a stellar line-up catering for music tastes as diverse as the musicians who will be on stage this year, performing everything from acoustic rock to blues, folk, world music, bluegrass and maskandi.

Included on the bill for this four-day festival held at White Mountain Lodge near Giant’s Castle are Just Jinjer’s Ard Matthews; the legendary Vusi Mahlasela; acoustic guitar maestros Tony Cox and Nibs van der Spuy, as well as former Tree 63 frontman, John Ellis, who recently embarked on his much-anticipated solo career.

Other must-see acts are Cape Town’s Jack Mantis Band; the king of Zulu traditional music or maskandi, Phuzekhemisi; plus Shannon Hope, Margaret’s Daughter, Barry Thomson, Machineri, Meri Kenaz, Joshua Grierson, Shomon, Jaspar Lepak, Shannon Kenny & Alan Judd, Redhand Blues Band, The Kickstands and Tresor, to name a few.

Aside from the music, other attractions range from abseiling, paintball and helicopter flips to fishing, boating, hiking and a zip line across a nearby 100m-wide gorge. There’s also a variety of food stalls, colourful arts and crafts and a beer market featuring several local breweries. In addition, festival-goers can look forward to home-cooked meals in the lodge’s restaurant and late nights in the rustic 150-year-old pub.

Coinciding with the start of the school holidays, the festival runs from September 23 to 26 and is known for its relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere and idyllic setting in the foothills of the Giant's Castle Nature Reserve – just 34km from Estcourt on tarred roads and 200km from Durban.

With all of this on offer, how many more reasons do you need to pack up the family and head to White Mountain for a long weekend of fun and music in one of the most scenic spots in the central Drakensberg? Tickets R450 at Computicket (R550 at the gate) which includes camping facilities for the entire festival. Children under 12 pay R100. Day tripper tickets are also available at the gate, which opens at 08h00 on September 23.

For more information and the full programme, visit http://www.whitemountain.co.za/wmff/index.php or call Pedro at 031 563 0824.

Crafters wishing to trade at the festival can apply via the website or email details to festival@whitemountain.co.za