The Journey to Jazz festival is so much more than music. Being a celebration of the human spirit and cultural delights, it offers locals and visitors to Prince Albert a wide range of extended activities in addition to incredible performances on offer from a world-class line-up of artists. Yes, there’ll be something for everyone from 1 to 5 May, 2024.
Voordeur Collection
This year, Journey to Jazz turns the spotlight on local resident and internationally acclaimed textile designer and entrepreneur, Frances VH, who is the festival’s featured artist for 2024. Frances, and her studio have produced a collection specially curated for the festival called the Voordeur Collection, a woven textile fabrication that pays homage to the walls, doors, blooms, and everyday happenings on Prince Albert’s Botterblom Straat.
“This work weaves together curtains that hover over the gap in the wall that makes space for the ‘Voordeur’, the door we use as a physical divide for who and what we let in and that which we would rather keep out,” comments Frances VH.
Cultivating connection
Kim Winter, who is curating this year’s festival activities for Journey to Jazz, shares that Prince Alberters have a saying they live by: “Groet is’n moet” (greeting is a must), which is why we are one of the friendliest towns in South Africa and why we have designed our activities programme around welcoming our festival goers to make them feel at home while they are here.” She also mentions that the town’s other ethos, stemming from one of its bygone residents, Outa Lappies, is to make something out of nothing.
Journey to Jazz Meet and Greet Programme
The festival offers two hands-on artistic workshops – Connect with Clay where you can tune in to the meditative practice of making pinch pots with Sue Savage, or participate in an Embodied Drawing Workshop – Drawing with Mindfulness with Rebecca Haysom. Both workshops emphasise play and process, and are suitable for anyone with a bit of curiosity. All materials are provided.
Also, on offer during the week will be the Prince Albert ‘Markie’, and outdoor space in which to gather, for a quick, light bite, shop local produce and arts & craft.
Experience the magic of the cosmos come to life with a special Night Sky Tour under the blanket of stars as the mysteries of the universe are unravelled. The town’s Fransie Pienaar Museum will also open its doors for a magical evening for a Night at the Museum which involves a quintessential Karoo Roosterkoek and Witblitz (locally made moonshine) by the fire, and a look at the Outa Lappies exhibit for inspiration. For those with an intrepid spirit, why not experience Prince Albert’s night-time Ghost Walk, including a visit to an unusual graveyard!
The Prince Albert Gallery is also set to host tours of its latest showings, which include Wehrner Lemmer’s sculptures The Glistening Earth and Johan Bloom’s abstract landscapes Landscape of Awe – The Swartberg Series, both a celebration of the natural world.
With nature very much in mind, local ecology expert, Honorary Professor Sue Milton-Dean will guide walkers on a 2 km trail with spectacular Karoo desert scenery and fascinating endemic succulent plants.
Getting into shape for any of the cultural activities on offer or just to keep up with the beat, Journey to Jazz offers festival goers the opportunity to kickstart their mornings with a fabulous mat Pilates session, to the tune of jazz music, or a forest, yin or kundalini yoga session on Wednesday or Friday mornings during the festival.
How about the Prince Albert parkrun on Saturday, 4 May starting at 8am at the Odendaal Stadium. For the Mountain Biking enthusiasts, join a social ride with young developmental cyclists to explore 42km on back roads and across private farms. Please note this is not technical – please bring own bike and helmet. Duration: approx. 2.5 hours and all proceeds go to Prince Albert cycling development project.
With so much to do and see, it’s no wonder the festival has also arranged for tasty activities to wet the whistle, including Koffie en Biskuit at the Hope Warrior Coffee Shop at the PACT Centre in Botterblom Straat, and a sublime wine tasting at Fernskloof Vineyard’s tasting room on Church Street.
Journey to Jazz tickets for all activities are available on Quicket.co.za along with tickets to the various music performances happening in venues across the town.
A small commission from the activity tickets goes towards supporting the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) whose work in upskilling and developing the town’s youth is exemplified in the staging of Journey to Jazz.
What: J2J 24 – Journey to Jazz Festival 2024
When: 1 to 5 May, 2024
Where: Prince Albert
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