Search Festival 2023: The Search for Illumination
Search Festival, a love letter to creative expression and community participation, takes place from the 30th of December 2023 to the 2nd of January 2024. Searchers will return to the lush cradle of Utopia, a water-rich farm near the quiet town of Swellendam, South Africa, for four glorious days of music, art, and celebrating community.
What began a decade ago as a fun experiment between friends to reimagine the tired trope of New Year’s Eve(nts) has grown into one of South Africa’s most storied cultural gatherings. This is a festival with humble beginnings that’s steeped in lore, driven by music and upheld through volunteer participation and community care. It’s no small feat that Search has remained totally independent and self-funded through the years, free from corporate sponsorships – especially in South Africa, with very little in the way of institutional aid or government support. But with dedication and selflessness, the festival thrives with the efforts of bright-eyed Searchers donating their time and skills through theme camps, immersive art installations and workshops. And, of course, as the strikingly passionate volunteers that bind it all together. So while the festival has shapeshifted several times (and will likely continue to do so), its values and ethos remain central to each reimagining - respecting the environment, empowering its people, and trusting the artists to create sonic soundscapes that challenge the normal music festival experience, all in the hopes to delight and inspire.
Embracing the New Year's tradition, each edition of Search sets a fresh intention. This year we’re on the Search for Illumination — a breath of lightness, a featherlite experience, a very reflective beam bouncing off every surface (even where the sun don't shine). Are you enlightened yet? Hear it from the heavens: lighten up or maybe just get lit. The world is full of shadows right now, so it makes sense for a festival that’s always been a lighthouse to its community to approach that responsibility a bit more literally. This year’s edition promises vast improvements based on community feedback - upgraded sound, lighting, and creature comforts to support wherever this Search may take you.
Participation fuels the festival's spirit. Beyond just witnessing the magic, audiences are encouraged to actively shape it. This collaborative energy results in a medley of artworks, immersive installations, performances, and workshops. Attendees escape daily monotony and immerse themselves in a utopian society defined by mutual respect and care. Key to making this happen is its commitment to safety. In 2023, Search Festival will partner with the South African branch of SheSaidSo, a global community of women and gender-nonconforming people and allies in the music industry, to facilitate the training of staff and volunteers for a clearer understanding of their safety procedures and how to enact them.
Looking after people also means being conscious about issues of access, particularly in the African context. To address this, a price tier model has been introduced to offer African citizens exclusive access to tickets priced in accordance with the economic realities of South/African life.
Search champions independent music. It's a playground for adventurous sounds and boundary-pushing experimentation. The lineups promote the diversity and electricity of South Africa’s creative underground, also facilitating connections to scenes and subcultures globally. The majority of lineups will always be proudly local, with foreign acts who have a genuine interest and appreciation for Search’s values and community considered. Having hosted acts such as Nabihah Iqbal, DJ Lag, Esa and Alice Phoebe Lou converging on their stages, Search has featured artists working across a range of genres and disciplines, unified by a collective love for and understanding of the human condition. For their fourth time at Utopia and ninth installment overall, Search once again illuminates a finely curated program of local and international artists across three intimate stages.
Key Performers for 2023
Jamz Supernova (UK)
Donna Leake (UK)
Sunsunsun (ZA)
Jumping Back Slash (UK / ZA)
Kujenga (ZA)
Hypoestes (ZA)
Gonubie (ZA)
Atiyyah (Future Nostalgia) (ZA)
Esa (UK / ZA)
KDOLLAHZ (ZA)
...and over thirty other artists.
Search Festival takes place from the 30th of December 2023 until the 2nd of January 2024 at Utopia Guest House and Wedding Venue in Swellendam!
Cop tickets now on Quicket!
For more information check out Search Festival's official website or visit their Instagram.
See you there!