Up The Creek offers a unique music experience and has been part of the Western Cape music event circuit since 1990. Annie Sowden, UTC founder and owner, says that it is exciting to see how the ‘creek culture’ has evolved and grown over the years. “Our business started off because we were having fun. It’s always about the fun first. We also run only one stage at a time. This is because we, as the organisers, don’t want to miss out on any acts. It also means that all creekers can come together, all the time,” says Sowden.
To make the weekend even more exciting and add to the carefree joy of the festive cheer, Up The Creek is also known for its good humour and unexpected surprises around every corner. Think celebrity weddings, pop-up riverside opera performances, musicians playing on a Pied Piper-like jam van’s rooftop and ballet on the beach. Whether we laugh or cry, whether we dance or hop or bump our toes, we are all in it together, tucked away in an incredible setting, next to a beautiful river.
If you like keeping in touch and talking about what`s hot and what`s new on the SA Music scene, follow UTC on Instagram @upthecreek_festival and check in on Friday afternoons for the #NewMusicFriday feature. Suné Halderman, Up The Creek’s artist liaison, says that this initiative started out as an idea to share the team’s love for all things local: “It’s not only about our lineup, it’s a wider campaign to share all and any new South African music that we feel deserves some attention. Our creeker audience is introduced to new music every year at the festival, and they genuinely walk away as new fans of more than one band. I felt that it’s our duty somewhat to promote the industry that we are only a small part of. I know how much work goes into bringing out a single/album/music video, and if we can provide the artist with a higher reach or new network, then let’s do it! Bands can also partake in #NewMusicFriday by sending us a DM on Instagram. Share with us so we can share with our creekers.”
Every year, the UTC team works at making some environmental improvements at the festival. In 2019, the vendors will need to use compostable containers to serve their food and there will be easy-to-use bin collections to make sure all food waste and containers are separated and where possible sent off to the neighbouring farms. There will also be a mindful focus on using only certain types of cleaning products at the festival to make sure all/any runoff that goes into the ground and eventually into the Breede River isn’t harmful to the eco-system. There will also be new smoking rules in place to provide those non-smokers with some reprieve, but don’t worry smokers you’re still welcome.
Get your tickets for Up The Creek 2019 at upthecreek.howler.co.za.
