Hermanus FynArts Festival Franschhoek Literary

Festival celebrates 16th year

The charming village of Franschhoek will again be transformed into a literary hub from Friday 19th – Sunday 21st May 2023, when the Franschhoek Literary Festival celebrates its 16th year since inception.

Running for three days, a content-rich programme packed with informal discussions, lively debates, insightful conversations and inspired talks will bring together a cross-section of South African and international authors.

This year’s Franschhoek Literary Festival has a notable selection of international and pan-African authors taking part in the programme’s 80 plus sessions with about 100 authors.

The Festival will also offer Afrikaans literature as part of a rich and engaging programme. Afrikaans makes its appearance for the first time at the festival through a mix of sessions in Afrikaans and Afrikaans authors and books.

“The programme captures the times that we are in,” says Elitha van der Sandt, Franschhoek Literary Festival Director. “It digs into the dark corners as strife and upheaval creatively found its way onto the pages.”

“There is something to stimulate the intellectual curiosity of all book lovers, from traumatic and painful stories to ones that are lighthearted and fun.

“There are stories set in the wild and for those wild at heart, sparking meaningful engagement between author and reader.”

“The three-day festival provides a space for a cross-section of South African and international authors to gather to inspire, delight, inform and challenge audiences. The festival programme is curated for all South Africans and visitors who love to read books. It is attended by a cross section of book lovers, as well as writers, authors, publishers and booksellers. For more information visit www.flf.co.za

36ONE MTB Challenge

The 36ONE MTB Challenge is unquestionably one of the toughest events on South Africa’s cycling calendar. Known as the Ultimate Race, it circumnavigates the Klein Karoo, taking in 4 930 metres of climbing in 361 kilometres, between the 12th and the 14th of May this year. It does however also boast a halfdistance option, measuring just 189 kilometres with 2 900 metres of climbing, which is comfortably more than the 100 milers in the country.

This is in part due to the generous cutoffs, and in part due to the incredible support riders receive out on the route. The full distance features 11 water points, including the three check points, which help nurse solo riders and teams around the course. Especially from Check Point 2, at Volmoed, onwards many are just riding water point to water point, or oasis to oasis. Which is fine, because each one is set up to ensure the next stretch is a manageable challenge.

Hermanus will again be abuzz with visitors when the annual FynArts Festival returns to this popular seaside town from 9 – 18 June 2023 with a stimulating and entertaining arts and culture programme spanning the full ten days.

This unique fusion of an arts festival and winter school offers festival-goers a range of visual arts exhibitions, including painting, sculpture and ceramics; theatre and music performances, from soloists and intimate house concerts to ensembles and orchestras; a series of talks and presentations on arts-related and actuality topics; culinary arts, from wine tastings and talks to chef’s demonstrations and special dinners; and a variety of workshops that include everything from sculpting, painting and crafting, to writing, photography, cooking and flower arranging.

For more information visit www.hermanusfynarts.co.za

Despite the imposing nature of the tests put forth by the 36ONE MTB Challenge courses, both are infinitely finishable.

“The big unknown for 2023 is how gravel bikers will fare against the mountain bikers,” Henco Rademeyer, of Dryland Event Management, mused. “They will certainly be faster along some stretches of the course, but on others the mountain bikes will maintain a big advantage. We’ve had gravel bikers contesting and winning the Half for a few years now, but the full distance is a different beast. Perhaps the undulating but fast run, past Lategansvlei, in the final 30 kilometres will help someone on a gravel bike break Drikus Coetzee’s record of 13 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds?”

“The other change for this year is the location of the Half start,” Rademeyer confirmed. “Like the full 36ONE MTB Challenge, it will be starting at Kleinplaas Holiday Resort in Oudtshoorn. This means the route will be 8.5 kilometres longer, but it will be logistically much easier for the Half riders as they now also start and finish at the same point.”