Artscape's 2026 Women's Humanity Festival lineup revealed

Source: www.artscape.co.za

As South Africa marks the 70th anniversary of the historic 1956 Women's March, Artscape is transforming Women's Month into a platform for dialogue, celebration, activism and artistic expression with an expansive line-up for the 2026 Women's Humanity Festival.

Running throughout August under the theme A Place For All and the sub-theme Women in Action | Vroue in Aksie | Abafazi Kwintshukumo, the festival brings together some of the country's leading performers, authors, activists and cultural voices across theatre, music, dance, film, literature and public discourse.

Now celebrating its 20th anniversary alongside Artscape's own 55-year milestone, the festival offers audiences a programme that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking, with events designed to celebrate women's achievements while confronting issues including gender-based violence, equality, disability inclusion and LGBTQIA+ rights.

A month of performances, conversations and celebration

This year's programme showcases an impressive mix of new productions, acclaimed performers, live music, exhibitions, workshops and panel discussions that invite audiences to engage with South Africa's evolving social landscape.

One of the festival's major highlights is the stage adaptation of Bottelnek Breek Bek, the new novel by award-winning author Dianne du Toit Albertze. Commissioned and produced by Artscape CEO Marlene le Roux specifically for the festival, the production combines live performances by Albertze and Riaan Visman, directed by Basil Appollis, with audience discussions following each performance.

Celebrating community through humour and storytelling, Kom Fietna Saam brings together acclaimed performers Gaireyah Fredericks, Celeste Matthews Wannenburgh and award-winning actress and director Lee-Ann van Rooi in a vibrant Afrikaans theatre production.

Music and nostalgia meet cabaret in The Divalicious Dames, where celebrated drag-mime artists Ramsay Davids and Martin Neethling revisit timeless classics in an evening of laughter and entertainment.

AbFab Drag returns

Among the festival's most anticipated events is the return of AbFab Drag, one of Cape Town's most popular annual productions.

Running on 7 and 8 August, this year's edition celebrates the city's rich drag heritage while honouring the late Soli Philander and Alfred Rietman.

Audiences can expect dazzling performances from celebrated drag artists including Vida Fantabisher, Manila von Teez, Kat Gilardi, Jayde Kay Johnson, Angel Lalamore and Mitchell Darling, accompanied by choreography from Nkosinathi Sangweni, direction by Basil Appollis, and hosted by beloved entertainer Terence Bridgett.

Women's Day begins with action

The programme's emotional centrepiece takes place on National Women's Day, when thousands are expected to participate in the annual Women's Humanity Walk from the Cape Town Civic Centre to Artscape.

This year's march honours Sophia Theresa Williams-De Bruyn, the last surviving leader of the 1956 Women's March, while bringing together disability activists, LGBTQIA+ organisations, Women For Change and members of the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative.

The symbolic "Stop the Silence" moment, where participants remove tape from their mouths in unison, serves as a powerful statement against gender-based violence and discrimination.

Following the march, award-winning musician and activist Jimmy Nevis will perform his moving anthem Prey, written as a tribute to resilience, hope and collective action.

Powerful documentaries and important conversations

The festival also creates space for meaningful reflection through film and public dialogue.

Director Nomandla Vilakazi's documentary Bones explores the repatriation of Sara "Saartjie" Baartman's remains and the campaign led by the late poet Diana Ferrus that ultimately brought her home.

Veteran broadcaster Lester Kiewit will moderate the flagship panel discussion, 70 Years Since the Women's March Against Injustice – Where Are We Now?, bringing together respected voices including Prof Gertrude Fester-Wicomb, Mildred Ramakaba-Lesiea, Bonnie Currie-Gamwo, disability activist Notukela Makohliso, Pastor Craven Engel and author Dianne du Toit Albertze.

Visitors will also encounter Women For Change's award-winning Unburied Casket installation, a striking artwork highlighting South Africa's ongoing femicide crisis.

Inspiring women through conversation

Several high-profile events place women at the centre of discussions around resilience, leadership and personal growth.

Rachel Kolisi brings her popular Falling Forward Roadshow back to Cape Town on 15 August, featuring intimate conversations, live performances, female-led businesses and inspiring stories of overcoming adversity.

The Sis'ters Women's Conference, hosted by Radio Tygerberg on Women's Day, presents an influential lineup including Gretha Wiid, Jenna-Leigh Bilong, Rouchelle Liedemann, Ingrid Venter, Liomee Vosloo and Benescke Janse van Rensburg.

Meanwhile, Rev Ecclesia de Lange launches her deeply personal memoir Exiled, sharing her journey after being dismissed from the Methodist Church following her public declaration of her sexuality and same-sex marriage plans.

Celebrating women in the arts

Music remains central to this year's festival, with the Thandi Swaartbooi Celebration Concert marking four decades of her contribution to South African arts and community development.

Audiences can also enjoy Voices in Unison, featuring performances by some of the Western Cape's leading choirs, including:

• Cantiamo Chamber Choir
  
• Maranatha Male Choir
  
• Tygerberg City Choir
  
• CPUT Choir
  
• Stellenbosch University Chamber Choir
  
• The Cape Town Choristers
  
• Cape Malay Choir Board Choir
  
• Treble Clef Female Choir

The festival also celebrates literary voices through book launches hosted by Woman Zone, including dancer jackï job's Choreographing Rebellion and journalist Rusana Philander's memoir Chasing Deadlines.

Workshops, wellness and entrepreneurship

Beyond the stage, visitors can participate in numerous educational and empowerment initiatives.

Highlights include:

• The ARISE Women Symposium, exploring leadership, entrepreneurship and sport.
  
• Healing Together: Reconciling the Masculine and Feminine, an immersive gender reconciliation workshop.
  
• A special screening of Meer as Warm Gloede, followed by a discussion on menopause with Antoinette Louw.
  
• Interactive art programmes presented by 1000 Women Trust and Woman Zone.
  
• A marketplace showcasing women-led businesses and organisations supporting health, legal services, entrepreneurship and gender advocacy.

More than a festival

The breadth of this year's programme reflects Artscape's vision of using the arts as a catalyst for dialogue and social transformation.

By bringing together celebrated performers, activists, academics, community organisations and audiences from across South Africa, the Women's Humanity Festival continues to position itself as one of the country's most significant cultural platforms during Women's Month.

As South Africa reflects on the legacy of the women who marched in 1956, Artscape's 2026 lineup offers an invitation not only to remember history, but to actively participate in shaping a more inclusive future.

For more information check www.artscape.co.za and tickets can be purchased via Webtickets.