GEORGE NEWS - The vibrant and colourful Africa Day Festival returns to George from Friday to Sunday 23 to 25 May, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Outeniqua Mountains in the Witfontein Nature Reserve.
Widely regarded as one of the Southern Cape’s most enriching heritage events, the festival offers an authentic learning experience while delivering an economic boost through innovative heritage tourism.
According to one of the organisers, Hein Scheepers, Africa Day is a prime opportunity for the local communities of the Garden Route to leverage the heritage tourism economy signified in the celebrations of Africa Day.
Centering George as a world-class tourism destination, Africa Day invites companies, municipalities, institutions, cultural collectives, faith groups and grassroots communities to host independent or interlinked celebratory events with the vision of building a heritage tourism ecosystem that stretches the entire Garden Route.
“This innovation will ensure reasonable economic benefits to the creative, cultural and hospitality sectors in the area. The well-established three-day Africa Day Festival would be the heart of a heritage tourism ecosystem in the Garden Route built around the festivities of annual Africa Day celebrations,” says Scheepers.
Africa Day is an international public commemoration with celebrations taking place globally.
“People travel from far to attend the Africa Day celebrations in hopes of experiencing cultural spaces and learning.”
Scheepers says the festival offers both the public and private sectors a unique opportunity to invest in the key tourism pillars of arts, culture, heritage and wellness. “It’s also a chance for businesses, communities and government departments to promote the core values and ideals that inspired the formation of the African Union,” he says.
Marcus Africa attended a previous festival with his parents. 
Lynette Jacobs, Fizel, his mother Andrea Leen and her 10-month-old son Zion camped out at the festival with Kaylee and little Makkonen da Silva. ‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
