FIRST SPRING SILVER MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL

 FIRST SPRING SILVER MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL
We once more get to celebrate the annual festival but this time we celebrate the first spring Silver Mountain Music Festival. We are excited for our yearly celebration, which is scheduled for this year's 21 October to 23 October 2022. There are many amazing sites to discover and we love to promote this event. It's a truly happy festive where families and communities gather to celebrate music and raise environmental awareness by visiting nearby farms and establishments. This blog provides an overview of the schedule for 2022. The Silver Mountain Festivities is an annual event that provides a variety of activities that suit people of all ages.
TICKETS CAN BE BOOKED HERE
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21 October 2022 Friday
We begin the event with some advice from our mastermind photographer, Jacques Marais, who possesses a wealth of photographic knowledge. This will take place at Strawberry Hill Farm, where Jacques Marais will be leading a photography workshop. It's a terrific start to the celebration since he will educate the crowd on how to take the appropriate picture from the proper angle. He will discuss the skill of taking the ideal smartphone photo while leading you on a cool stroll in the Grootvadersbosch woodland. Discover some of the techniques for using light to reflect your environment from one of the best in the field.

​Following this, it should come as no surprise that we have activities planned that focus on providing knowledge about nature, given that we are celebrating nature and music. In this special program, which explore the species of Grootvadersbosch, we explore the fauna and flora that are cared for by the conservancy.
It will be exciting to see renowned naturalists introduce the unique species of the Grootvadersbosch forest. Local artist Donovan Julius has created nature portraits of each species. Each species that has been captured with unique strength, and amazing facts will be revealed. Not only are these adorable creatures to be celebrated, but environmental awareness is also to be spread among residents and tourists. Leading scientists will explore the natural history of the creatures as Donovan shares his imaginative, colorful, and brilliant visual arts technique. A presentation of a significant work of art showing the Grootvadersbosch forest and a discussion of the problems facing our natural environment will conclude the session.

After exploring and photographing the natural world, we continue with beer stories and tastings, while eating a farm lunch. Fraser Creighton from Folk & Goode is a master at brewing beer. It’s not beer tasting if there are no stories.  An interesting history of beer is paired with specially chosen beer samples in Fraser Creighton's tales. The beer tasting is served with a delectable Skeiding Farm lunch of a boerewors bite, smokey tomato beans, and crusty parmesan bread bake. Don't miss out on this special cuisine and drink experience.

​Dairy tours with local farmers are scheduled as part of the afternoon event since, the festival also aims to bring local farmers together to help conserve the environment. The tour will take place among local farmers at the Rietvallei farm close to Suurbraak. We explore the dairy industry and discover some particular techniques that farmers use to survive and thrive in this sector.

What better way to end such a wonderful day of discovery than with some wine and music in nature? Olivedale wines in Buffeljags will be the theme of the day's final celebrations. The Silver Mountain Quintet will perform musical selections at this concert, which will be held at a fine local wine cellar. Carl van Wijck's own stories about his experiences with the winemaking process will be paired with the wine.

22 October 2022 Saturday
A fresh cup of local coffee will be provided before we accompany naturalists on a walk through the Grootvadersbosch farm. On the second day of the festival, a good cup of coffee is the ideal way to start the day. Following the coffee session, we go for a stroll along the Grootvadersbosch river with specialists specialists Chris Martens and Andrew Turner as they describe the abundant bird life that can be found here. The Grootvadersbosch River is well-known for its variety of birds that thrive in this forested habitat. The birding experts will conduct an educational session during which they will discuss these amazing species, their survival strategies and what makes the environment so special.
After the bird discussion, Freshwater ecologist Dr. Martine Jordaan and the Grootvadersbosch team will demonstrate their incredible native freshwater fish diversity after the river walk. Cancan wine, will be served with a charming Skeiding Farm picnic by the river to end off the morning. ​​The festival's main goal is to celebrate music, nature, and rural life in the beautiful Grootvadersbosch Valley, which is located between Heidelberg and Swellendam.

 The Saturday event will feature Richard Cock, who has participated in the festival for many years and has significantly improved the music scene in the area. Celebrating music at Strawberry Hill Farm with Richard Cock and friends. The Mzansi Tenors, sponsored by RMB and led by Sipho Fubesi, are a highlight of the program. They will surprise you with Neapolitan favourites like O Sole Mio and Santa Lucia to South African classics by Miriam Makeba. A nearby community choir from Ashton named The Zolani Youth Choir will join them. The Silver Mountain Foundation has organized a local group of Marimbas from Heidelberg, and they will take part in this musical extravaganza, embracing the festival's true sense of community. Other local favourites like the Barrydale Riel Dancers will perform at the event. Donovan Julius, a local painter, will portray the event on canvas as a colourful exhibition of music and art. You must attend this celebration of active community spirit. A typical Bunny Chow light supper and a drink of the award-winning Sijnn wine are included in the evening.

The final activity for the second day involves a night walk and some frogging near Strawberry Hill Farm. Les Minter and Andrew Turner, two frog experts, accompany us on our exploration of the frogs in Grootvadersbosch as we wander through the dark woodland. The frogs will probably be singing in full chorus at this time of year, and their vocal abilities have been compared to the best tenors. These songs will serve as our tour guides as our seasoned froggers lead us into the forest. Booking as soon as possible is advised if you want to participate in this exciting night hike, as night hikes have a history of selling out very rapidly. 

23 October 2022 Sunday
On our final day, we are joined by renowned anthropologist Professor Michael de Jongh to learn more about the ancestry of Swellendam's earliest people. We will learn about Swellendam and the Southern Cape's indigenous people. The "lost" indigenous South Africans have been widely researched by Prof. Michael de Jongh. He has written extensively in the areas of ethnicity, urbanization, traditional leadership, local governance, and human mobility. The talk will be held in Swellendam's historic Olyfkrans School reading room.

Under the trees at Grace and Merci, the Silver Mountain String Quartet, who are members of the Cape Town Festival Orchestra, will shower us with music as the first spring concert comes to a close. The programme will include light classics and songs from great musical performances. There will be coffee and cake on sale at the event. The final concert will take place at Jan Harmsgat, where the Mzansi tenors, joined by renowned pianist Albert Combrink, will conclude the musical programme for 2022.  We will celebrate this final event with a fine glass of wine from Jan Harmsgat.
 
Join us to celebrate this wonderful weekend of music. We look forward to celebrating life, nature and music together. We highly recommend that you book for the festival to while tickets are still available
 
For bookings:
https://www.quicket.co.za/events/185188-silver-mountain-music-festival-october-
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