Splashy Fen Music Festival in Himeville, Underberg District, Drakensberg

Established in 1990, Splashy Fen is the longest-running music festival in the country and each year brings thousands of people together for what has become the ‘ultimate outdoor experience’.

Happening over the Easter long weekend in Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal, this five-day event offers a multi-genre line-up of some of the country’s hottest acts, all the outdoor activities one could wish for, as well as arts and crafts, a wide assortment of food and drink outlets, children’s entertainment, camping facilities and a tent hotel. Splashy Fen has something for everyone; in fact there’s nothing else in South Africa quite like it!

The festival is held on the farm Splashy Fen, which is situated 19 kms from Underberg in the Southern Drakensberg Mountains. The focus of the music in the early years was folk and light folk rock, as well as black music styles such as mbaqanga and iscathamiya. In the past few years the focus has broadened to include mainstream and alternative rock and pop, including some of the country's most popular current acts. Only genuine original music is played at Splashy Fen, and this has played a part in creating a fusion of styles and cultures and a feeling of shared co-existence between previously disparate artists. Splashy has thus played an important role in the shaping of an authentic South African contemporary music culture.