FINAL LINEUP ANNOUNCED FOR SPLASHY FEN 2025 – PLUS A BRAND NEW STAGE!
Tickets on sale from https:// splashyfen.co.za/tickets/#
PHASE 2 LINEUP REVEALED Adding to an already exciting Phase 1 lineup, festival organizers have now confirmed the full list of performers who will take to the Splashy Fen stages. Fans can look forward to performances from: International & Local Stars: YOUNGR (UK) Darren Kiely (Ireland) Desmond And The Tutus, Mafikizolo, GoodLuck, Prime Circle, Ard Matthews Trio, Neon Dreams (Canada) Veranda Panda, Ben Rodriques, Hot Water, Perez, Cinema, Sunset Sweatshop, Nomadic Orchestra, Booshle G, Black Mamba Man, Jamie Lee Sexton, Jemma Kate. In addition, the Splashy Fen Acoustic Stage will host the #LegendsoftheFen series, featuring unforgettable sets from Cinema, Perez, Madala Kunene, Can Of Worms SA, and The Black Lapels. A FESTIVAL FIRST: INTRODUCING THE MXD FORTRESS OF FUNK As if the music lineup wasn’t enough, Splashy Fen 2025 is unveiling an all-new 6th stage – the MXD Fortress of Funk! Get ready to groove all weekend long with an electrifying lineup of funk, soul, and dancefloor anthems. JOIN US AT SOUTH AFRICA’S FRIENDLIEST FESTIVAL Splashy Fen 2025 is more than just a music festival—it’s a place where music, nature, and community unite to create lifelong memories. Secure your tickets now at www.splashyfen.co.za. = Stay connected! Follow Splashy Fen on social media for lineup updates, festival tips, and more.
For local tickets email: info@splashyfen.co.za with a copy of your utility bill to get access to our Otter Club priced tickets
SEE YOU AT SPLASHY FEN 2025!
Memories Splashy Fen Music Festival- the early years By Paul Welch
In March of 1990 Pete and Almary Ferraz gathered with Robyn Ferraz, Bart Fokkens and Maureen Smith to celebrate their birthdays that all happen near the beginning of the year with Robyn Gawler and Paul Welch at Mount Dragon Restaurant 12 kms out of Underberg on the Swartberg road, a folly of Billy Welch’s, a neo Tudor mini Castle. After many drinks Peter Ferraz was reminiscing about him and Almary going to a music festival at Woburn Abbey in England in the 1960s and his dream of having a festival at Splashy Fen Farm that had a natural amphitheatre. In retrospect we all regarded the idea as an alcohol fuelled romantic dream. Sure, enough it came together in October of 1990 much to everyone’s surprise. Fortunately, Bart was involved with folk music clubs in South Africa and the next thing Splashy Fen was born. To their surprise about 1200 Splashy Fenners gathered on the amphitheatre hill that looks down onto the stage from the rocky hill just below where the pine trees meet of todays food court before you go down to the river stage. The electricity for the stage and musicians was from an old tractor driving an erratic farm generator that laid down a steady beat to the music that would sometimes stop when the tractor was being refuelled, there was no Eskom. Robin Church colleced the entrance fee in a Tupperware at the gate. The musicians were determined to keep a good thing going and between sets I particularly remember the Silver Creek Mountain band stepping up many times. Plagal Cadence, Tony Cox and Syd Kitchen must have also filled in. Little did we know that from these small beginnings the oldest music festival in South Africa would still be going in 2025 and that I would have a lifetime achievement of not missing any Splashy festivals except for the one limited to 350 fenners because of covid in 2021. I remember telling Peter about my friend James Phillips from Rhodes University days should be invited to the next Splashy but once I described his genre of music, he thought it would not be in keeping with the folk theme. James had a stage alter ego Bernoldus Niemand who performed as “Bernoldus Niemand en die Government”, “Die Swart Gevaar” and “en die dagga rookers” who eventually performed at Splashy before his untimely death in July 1995. James was part of the “Voelvry movement” that went on a national tour of Afrikaans musicians who were critical of Apartheid. James was acknowledged by Nelson Mandela for his cultural contribution to the change in South Africa.Splashy Fen in its early years was a homegrown event with locals providing food and other stalls including Tessa Payne who made Polar Fleece Splash jackets, Colleen and Keith Riggien had a general dealers stall named Abduls and Peter Heathcote out of an army tent that sold boerie and breakfast rolls which helped him pay for his kids education and Sue Meyer who with soft serve ice creams that sorted out her debts, Alan Louch’s hot showers where the water tanks had to be checked for water levels while looking down into the showers. I made free sweetcorn fritter friendship cookies laced with dagga that I left with Dan Knight at his wood and Chicken stall for people to have. A narcotic squad member was kind enough to tell me that it was illegal for me to give friendship cookies to festival goers. Richard Robinson a nuclear Physicist who retired in Himeville offered Gluhwein laced with mountain cabbage for free from a knapsack sprayer and there was enough of a cloudy haze for people to get stoned for free. Locals were not used to seeing such unusual and exotic people coming through Underberg but all of a sudden there were Gluhwein fuelled private parties held by the older folks who went into thin air off verandahs. I remember Dave Barnett and Seamus 1998 saw the biggest turnout ever of 12 000 when Landscape Prayers was the international act, and Ard Mathews did an unforgettable cover of Rodriguez’s “Sugarman”. John Nicholson, a local Pastor had big banners warning festival goers of the evils of Splashy Fen at the turnoff to the R600 which might have been provoked by Jennifer Ferguson’s song about Lillith. In 1994 Splashy Fen happened on the weekend of 27th April now known as “Freedom Day”. Pedro Carlo was director of Splashy Fen for well over a decade before Stu Berry and Impi Concepts events took charge of Splashy Fen which has now become well organised with all the necessary infrastructure that made it no longer necessary for me to eat a whole block of cheese to constipate me. Pedro passed away in February 2025, he started White Mountain Music festival.
