End of September Culture Guide

One of the clearest indications that the year is almost over is the arrival of the Windhoek Show.

The fireworks tease New Year’s Eve. The lights, the beer garden and the Ferris wheel go up and there’s just no denying that ‘Dezemba’ is on its way.

While payday weekends are notoriously budget-breaking, there’s something extra about the last days of September.

The weather is generally together. The jacaranda trees are in bloom and event planners all over the city are coming for our wallets.

From next week’s Windhoek Show and the Doek Literary Festival to this weekend’s Road to India Food Festival, Zest’s Good Food and Wine Experience, the Franco’s Acoustic Friday and the Goethe-Institut’s audiovisual ‘Echoes of the Future’, here’s what may be worth your coins.

This evening is all about music as Acoustic Friday returns for its monthly edition.

The ticketed event will take place at the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre featuring Y’Cliff and his band. Blending R&B, jazz and soul, the ‘Drowning in My Feelings’ and ‘Namibian Queen’ singer will take the stage from 19h00, and tickets are N$150 at the door.

Another invite for this evening comes from Goethe-Institut Namibia, which will be hosting ‘Echoes of the Future – An Audiovisual Installation Experience’.

The event brings together artists from Germany and Namibia in a shared process of live performance and creation that draws on the country’s respective sonic cultures.

Join Namibian artists Cassidy Karon, Devitchi, Spiiriit, Lvminvs., Banger Drums, Qûes and Berlin-based DJ Nika Herero at the new Goethe centre (6 Simeon Shixungileni Street) in Windhoek from 18h30. Entrance is free.

Ongoing since Wednesday, the Road to India Food Festival is currently under way at Indus Indian Restaurant in Klein Windhoek.

Foodies can enjoy a selection of Indian street food including momos, pani puri, Mumbai’s vada pav, Kolkata’s kathi rolls and Durban’s bunny chow, a shout-out to South Africa’s Indian community.

The festival is on until Sunday, 27 September.

There’s a little more for the foodies at Zest’s Good Food & Wine Experience this evening. Hosted by chef and Wild Thyme Group’s culinary director Regan Wilson, the inaugural event promises “exquisite food, fine wine, premium beverage tastings, live music and good company”.

Entertainment includes a performance by The Ells and by Lize Ehlers while Wineology’s Günther Guttzeit assists in expanding one’s wine palate.

The event is from 18h30 to 00h00 on Friday, 25 September. Tickets are N$400 at the door, inclusive of a welcome drink, a canape and five tasting tokens for a selection of wine or spirits from Wineology and Manrico Select.

After a jam-packed weekend, the last day of September is for the Doek Literary Festival. The biennial festival returns to Windhoek from 30 September to 3 October in a splash of conversations, creative writing and craft workshops, musical performances and vinyl selections. The free, four-day festival will be held at Goethe-Institut Namibia under the theme ‘History is Handmade’.

Doek Literary Festival features Namibian writers, poets and visual artists as well as acclaimed authors, artists, poets and creatives from around the globe.

As far as regular events go, the Windhoek Agricultural & Livestock Show is still going strong.

Expect fireworks, a Ferris wheel and fun for the whole family alongside an amusement park, a diverse business exhibition and the Roof Music Festival.

Featuring Berthold and The Champion Brass Band, George Longane, Jacob & Taylor, American Rick and Livinge Dennis, the Windhoek Show will take place at the Windhoek Showgrounds from 29 September to 3 October.

Tickets are N50 per day or you can buy a season ticket for N$115.

The fireworks display is on 1 October at 20h00.

There you have it.

Two weeks of vino, vibes and victuals.

And they say Windhoek is boring.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com

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