National Arts Festival returns with over 250 productions across Makhanda

South Africa’s biggest arts and culture event is back as the 2026 National Arts Festival returns to Makhanda from 25 June to 5 July.

Now in its 52nd edition, the festival will bring together more than 2,000 artists across over 250 productions spanning theatre, music, dance, comedy, visual arts and film.

This year’s theme, Come Together, Create New Worlds, explores topics ranging from artificial intelligence and cultural memory to identity and indigenous knowledge, with several new productions already generating buzz ahead of opening day.

Among the anticipated highlights are Kraal, a two-part theatre production by Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre Jason Jacobs, autoplay, described as Africa’s first AI-informed opera, and Dear Museum!, a performance examining colonial histories and cultural storytelling.

Festival organisers say audiences can expect a mix of established productions in the Curated Programme alongside experimental and emerging work in the Fringe section, continuing the event’s tradition of showcasing South African creativity on one of the country’s largest cultural stages.