We.Are.One.

The festival of Holi as described by Wikipedia; "...Every year, thousands of Hindus participate in the festival Holi. The festival has many purposes. First and foremost, it celebrates the beginning of the new season, spring. Originally, it was a festival that commemorated good harvests and the fertile land. Hindus believe it is a time of enjoying spring's abundant colors and saying farewell to winter. It also has a religious purpose, commemorating events present in Hinduism. During this event, participants hold a bonfire, throw colored powder at each other, and celebrate wildly...".

The South African organisers lost the rights to call their version of the festival Holi One and changed it to We Are One. The spirit of the day however remained unchanged. We all arrived in white (as it is traditional to do so). We were given our five bags of powder and headed straight to the bar. The countdown to the first explosion of colour was about to commence and we headed for the open field. 3-2-1 and colour filled the air in a mass powdered rainbow. Everyone around us was in the most elated and brilliant mood. There were no ill-feelings or bad tempers from anyone throughout the day. People just celebrated being coloured in. We pelted each other with powder and danced throughout the day. It is incredible to see ego and insecurity go out the door when people let their guard down. People truly embraced the concept of being free and being one. Everyone was equally dirty and equally as colourful. I don't think my pictures truly capture the beauty of the day, but it will give you a fair idea of what went down. If you were there I hope you felt the same way that I did. Enjoy!

Ramfest - Anticipation Stations

I am getting quite excited for Ramfest which is being held next weekend at Riversands Farm in Fourways. 

There is one reason for that excitement. Rise Against. If you have been following my blog you will see that I have a bit of an obsession with them that dates back to biblical times. I reference them countless times. They have been the band that I go to when I am having a hard time coping emotionally and the band that gives me the extra lift when I need some positivity. I have been listening to them since I was 14 years old, that's come 13 years. To say that I adore them is an understatement and I think I am going to pull a swooning Michael Jackson fan when they come out. I kid you not. I get goosebumps every time I listen to them. My dream has literally come true and I think I am still in shock that they are playing in 9 days time. 

Bring Me The Horizon is also playing a set just before Rise Against. This is huge. My sister and I have been huge fans for a long time. We had a discussion regarding who would be in our perfect festival line-up. In the metal act BMTH was the band. Our dream line-up is happening. I cannot wait. It is going to be epic! 

I'm going to lather my pale skin with sunblock, take me some liver pills and wear some sensible shoes as I do not want anything to ruin this experience for me. It is going to be amazing, from beginning to end. 

Feted Festival

On Saturday we; my mother, father, sister, her boyfriend, Caroline and myself, drove out to Hartbeespoort in search of what we were told is a great food and wine festival. After being lost for a short while we discovered that we have in fact been driving on the wrong side of town, so we asked the local shop owner if they knew where the school might be. I eventually found it on my phone's GPS. We were simply a kilometre away, yet the local stores and restaurants had not heard of the most prestigious school in their area. Lo and behold we entered the Cambridge Food Festival. We were given a plastic bag with flyers and a plastic wine glass upon entry. I turned to Caroline and said "Let's find a stall to fill this sucker". So we missioned off in search of wine and food in the wind, sunshine, and freezing cold. Upon entering the field we were underwhelmed to say the least by the sheer lack of stalls. What was pronounced as gourmet cuisine on the radio (702) was merely Boerewors rolls and stuffed burgers. There were however stalls from local duck farms serving up pates; the Silver Orange restaurant was there, with their famed chocolate spring rolls and duck samoosas. Some local wine farms were scattered around, from whom we bought a glass and then a bottle to keep us warm. We did sample delicious home-made cakes, rusks, toffee and olives. I think the issue is that the fete was oversold as a festival. It was sweet but not worth the drive. I have sampled better food at the Neighbourgoods Market, for the same price, and have used less petrol and time getting there. It was however a lovely day out. The Hartbeepoort is a wonderful part of South Africa.

Oppi fucking Koppi

This was my first (and last) Oppikoppi. It was called Sexy.Crooked.Teeth and I saw one man who seemed to take the theme to heart, sipping on Tassies wearing lowcut jeans, no shirt and bearing his purple crooked teeth. It was an experience. It was dusty, it was busy, it was smelly, it was packed, it was vibey, it was chilled, it was hot, it was chilly. For a sold out festival (16 000 people) there were definitely not enough facilities. One set of ablutions and 40 showers is not quite cutting it I would say. It was so full, we had to camp off the farm. And being a self-proclaimed Jozi City Princess this would just not do. Despite all my bitching, I really had a lot of fun. The food was amazing. Try the Potjie Palace if you go. The band set up and performances were incredible, especially Danceyou'reonfire, Rambling Bones, Wrestlerish, Blk Jks, and of course Billy Talent. Now on that thought. Die Heuwels Fantasties put on the worst performance I have ever seen in my life. From what I heard from friends in fellow bands, Pierre Greef got drunk and lost his voice. This to me is unacceptable. We paid to watch and he is being paid (well) to play. Enough said. My love for them has waned, I feel sorry for the other members of the band. 

All in all it was a fun experience. The not having to worry about anything. Being able to drink and not drive. Meeting new, sometimes a bit crazy, people. Spending time with my boy. Spending time with my friends. It all seems like a bit of a blur and even composing these pics in the correct order was a bit confusing. haha. 

NIGHT 1

        

Dance You're On Fire

 

DAY 1 / NIGHT 2

        

Rambling Bones

    

 

Facing The Gallows

Electro Stage - Haezer

DAY 2 / NIGHT 3

  

Wrestlerish

Billy Talent