A flavour of South African dance music at the 24th Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival on the 18 -19 July in Somerset East

DJ Oskido, Heavy K, DJ Pastor and Point 5 are some of the names to set the 2014 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival stage alight with a plethora of South African Dance Music also known as House Music this winter.  Recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s MetroFM Awards and South African Music Awards (SAMA) winner, Oskido, who will be gracing the Biltong Festival stage for the first time this year is one of the veterans of South African Kwaito/House Music. With hits like  Tsa Mandebele and Y-Tjukuja from his latest album “I Believe” released in 2013, Oskido’s debut  performance on Friday 18 July at 22:00pm is one to look forward to.

Heavy K is another award winning act to look forward to at this year’s Festival. With chart topping hits like “Wena” feat. Mpumie, “Beautiful War” feat. Professor who is no stranger to the Biltong Festival stage, Heavy K will most definitely be bringing the much needed heat for the Karoo winter on Saturday 19 July at 20:00 in Somerset East, at the Somerset East Showgrounds. 

Performances from one of the presenters of the biggest breakfast shows in South Africa right now, Umhlobo Wenene’s DJ Pastor and Heavy K’s former DJ group, Point 5 will also be setting the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2014 ablaze this winter. Both acts will be giving their debut performances at the Festival with DJ Pastor performing on Friday 18 July at 21:00pm and Point 5 will be the closing act on Saturday 19 July at 22:00.

Forming part of a star-studded line up at the 24th Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival, the above musicians will certainly bring some flavour of South African dance music when they perform on the 18th and 19th of July, respectively, in Somerset East. The complete artists’ line up can be viewed at www.eastcapebiltongfestival.co.za.

The Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2014...Come Hang with Us!...

Family...Fun...and BILTONG @ 2014 Festival

On the 18^th and 19^th of  July 2014 we invite you all with a ravenous appetite for fun (and biltong) to come and revel in the excitement with family activities, loads of socialising and of course...buckets full of biltong on the menu for the 2014 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival, in Somerset East, at the Somerset East Showgrounds!

STALLS

Stall bookings are now open and all interested parties can contact Marette Liddell on:

042 243 1333 ext 6484 or info@bcrm.gov.za for more information. You can, however, also download the Application Form from the Festival website.

The 24^th Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival....Come hang with us!

Lots of activities, great artists and thousands of people.. Another successful BILTONG festival :)

This year's Festival definitely made up for the cold and rain experienced in 2012. We had stunning, sunny days perfect to spend on the grounds enjoying every bit of what the 2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival had to offer.

MiCasa has been considered to be the highlight of the Festival, getting the crowd up and dancing along to their very unique music. They were the last act on the main stage and ended the Festival off on a high note indeed.

Festival-goers showed some massive support for all of their favourite artists.

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to 'hang' with us at the 2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival, it would not have been such a huge success without all of you!

The 2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival Kicks off TODAY

 
We are setting up and all is running smoothly. The sun is out today and there is no sign of any rain or cold for Somerset East this weekend!

Come 'hang' with us today and tomorrow at the  2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival and see some of the amazing artists lined up for you this year. Khaya and Snotkop will be on stage later today and they promise not to disappoint. Tomorrow we bring the likes of Karlien van Jaarsveld, Bongi, Melissa, Jay, Zahara, Theuns Jordaan and MiCasa.

Don't miss out on all the fun and festivities, bring your family and all of your friends and come 'hang' with us!

The 2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival kicks off TODAY!!  It is going to be a good one!

LOCAL TALENT SHOWCASING BCRM’S BEST

Local performers will have the chance to showcase their talents at the 23nd Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival on the 12th – 13th July 2012.

The local talent programme of the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival will allow local performing artists from the whole of the Blue Crane Route Municipality (BCRM), to take part. The inclusion of this programme at the Festival is to encourage and give local performers a platform where they can exhibit their talent as well as encourage them in becoming better at their art. The programme caters for over 18’s as well as younger children under the age of 18.

The over 18 performers such as Stars of tomorrow, Ncedanani Youth Group, Izihunywa, Nkosinathi Nzanza, Kasi Life’Sbu, Klein Geld, NB Geez and Tiaan will get to perform on the big stage, the Castle Lager Gig Rig on the Friday (12 July), starting from 14h00. The under 18’s such asTyral-Lee & Lerone Miggels, Ikamva Lethu, Getto Thugs, Siyakhula, Cookhouse Gumboot Dance, Mandela Dance Group and Young Masters, get to showcase their talents in the Bokjol on Saturday (13 July), starting at 10h00.

So come on...support local talent at the 2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival!

A Potjiekos competition, Cheese & Wine evening and Best Biltong stall... know when and where you need to be

This year’s festival has all sorts of activities, from the best in local, award winning talent to a Potjiekos competition, the Cheese and Wine evening and of course gastronomical architectural and heritage routes.

The 2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong festival promises to keep the winter blues away this year with all the variety of activity that is on offer. From artists such as Snotkop, Rooies, Khaya, Zahara and Melissa gracing the stage to other activities such as the Potjiekos Competition, the Cheese and Wine evening and the Best Biltong stall competition.

For those who think themselves the best Potjiekos makers around, the Potjiekos competition will be your chance to shine. The competition will take place on the 13th of July at a cost of R200 per team. The cooking fun kicks off at 08h00 at “Die Kraal”, so be sure to rise with the roosters. If your taste is of the more refined nature, the Cheese and Wine evening is for you. Whether you consider yourself an expert or would simply enjoy a nice evening over a glass of wine, join the host, Chef Schoon for an unforgettable evening at the “Tourism Hub”.

For the biltong lovers, you haven’t been forgotten. We have the ‘Best biltong stall’ just for you. As part of the festival activities, the different biltong stalls will be visited for tastings. Don’t miss out on this one as the winning stall will have its biltong sold at the Tourism Hub for a whole year.

The 2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival promises to be abuzz with activity, so be part of the fun and come ‘hang’ with us on the 12th and 13th of July in Somerset East at the Somerset East Show grounds for one of the best festivals in the Karoo.

Come and experience all the fun and festivities!

The Biltong Festival promises to entertain the crowds with amazing artists and they also have a range of activities lined up for every member of the family.

The Gastronomical, Heritage and Architectural Routes and a Golf Day hosted by the Somerset East Golf Club are just two of the activities happening at the 23rd installment of the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival.

The Gastronomical Route includes a tour of all the restaurants, delis, diners, take away places as well as pubs around Somerset East. For the adventurous individuals or those who love exploring beautiful things, we have the Heritage and Architectural Route. In taking a walk, you will experience the Walter Battiss Art Museum in Paulet Street, the street with arguably the most historically valuable building in the beautiful town.

The Blue Crane Development Agency will be hosting a Cheese, Wine and Biltong Tasting evening on the 12th of July at the Tourism Hub, a perfect start to the festival weekend. The Golf Day will take place on the 13th of July.

For the food lovers, there will be a Potjiekos Competition and well as a Best Tasting Biltong Competition. Fly fishing will entertain those looking for some outdoor fun and the Beer Tent and stalls will be up for all to enjoy throughout the weekend.

Come and have some winter fun in the Karoo at the 2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival.

Winter-tummy warmers

Every year, the Biltong festival celebrates being proudly South African in the midst of the icy winter, making the best of the chilly days and icy evenings. This year, the two days promise to 'warm' guests up with plenty of hearty food stalls, family activities and amazing live entertainment.

Many people consider hearty, warm, home-made meals the best way to keep warm during the cold winter months and we have a perfect receipe for you to try out for your next evening relaxing around the fire.


Biltong & Parmesan POTBROOD

4 cups Flour
3 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Salt
7g Dry yeast
40g Unsalted Butter
3 tbsp Fresh Thyme (chopped)
3 cloves Garlic (crushed)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Biltong powder
1 1/2 cup Luke warm water

Directions:
- Sift flower into a bowl
- Add the sugar and yeast
- Rub in butter
- Add thyme, garlic, parmesan, biltong powder and salt
- Gradually add luke warm water to form dough
- Knead for 10minutes unitl smooth and elastic
- Place in greased bowl and allow to rise to double the original size
- Knead dough again
- Place in loaf tin
- Place on braai coals for 45minutes

Done :) No need to stay indoors to keep warm and the tummies full :)

2013 SAMA winners to heat up the icy Biltong Festival stage...

The festival will once again be showing off with three 2013 SAMA winners at the 23rd instalment of the Biltong festival!

Zahara made us proud when she took the best selling ring-back tone award for Loliwe.

MiCasa might be new to the music scene but they have already proved that they are here to stay by winning the SAMPRA award for 'Heavenly Scent'.

And the then last but not least, the multi SAMA winning artists walked away with two awards this year - for best contemporary music album and best selling album.

Be sure not to miss these AMAZING artists in action on the 12th and 13th of July at the CASTLE LAGER East Cape Biltong Festival :)

Come 'hang' with us :)

Winners announced!

We are very proud to announce the winners in the Design@Bay "Rallying for the rhino" poster design competition in conjunction with the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2013...

The competition winners were in first place, Marc Cooper, a BTech student at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).



In second and third place are Darren Berkland and Eyleen Frost, also students at NMMU.

The winning poster received a R3000.00 cash prize from Design@Bay, the second and third runners up received hampers from the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival’s main sponsor, SAB. Included in all the prizes were tickets to the 2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival taking place on the 12th and 13th July in Somerset East.

Well done to all the students who entered and a big congratulations to the 1st place winner, Marc Cooper :)

The countdown has begun and it is just over 24hours to go until the official East Cape Biltong Festival MEDIA LAUNCH!

The launch will reveal the artists who will be performing and the activities to be hosted at this year's festival, as well as announce the winner of the design poster competition.



Speakers at the launch include:
- Blue Crane Route Municipality (BCRM) - Mayor Scott, and the acting Municipal Manager, Mr Fezekile Cotani.
- Johan Steyn and Riaan van Jaarsveld from SAB
- Mr Pumelelo Kate, Director of Economic Development, from the Cacadu District Municipality.
- Tasmia Ismail from Media24.
- Chris Wilken from the Blue Crane Development Agency (BCDA).
- Dipti Varghese, Creative Director and owner of Design@Bay.
- Morgan Griffiths from WESSA-EC.

Let the excitement begin and stay posted as the artists and activities will be available on the official Biltong Festival 2013 website soon :)

Poster design competition...top 3 finalists announced!

As the competition came to a close, Dipti Varghese (Owner of Design@Bay), Michael Barry (Head of Department for the Arts and Culture Department at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University- Port Elizabeth), Morgan Griffths (representative from WESSA-EC) and Theressa Hardman (ArtEC Chairperson), all had the difficult task of choosing a winner! After hours of deliberation, they made their final decision and with that we introduce the top 3 to you (in no particular order)...





The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will be announced at the Biltong Festival Media Launch, happening this coming Thursday :)

"Rallying for the Rhino"

A proud initiative of Design@bay is underway. Local students have been asked to take part in the "Rallying for the rhino" poster design competition. In addition to the official prizes, the winning poster will be displayed at the 2013 annual East Cape Biltong Festival. Stay posted for more information :)

The Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2013 …starring, loads of biltong….featuring, hundreds of stalls!

From the 12th to the 13th of July 2013, the Blue Crane Route Municipality invites all who love biltong, the Karoo and everything South African, to come and enjoy two days of exciting family fun and entertainment at the 2013 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival!

STALLS: Stall bookings are now open. Application forms as well as the application conditions, which you are advised to go through before filling in the application form, can be downloaded on the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival website. For more information, contact Marette Liddell on 042 243 1333 ext 6484 or info@bcrm.gov.za. The Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2013…come hang with us!

The dates have been announced...

The dates for the next Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival have been announced. Come hang with us at the foot of the Boschberg on the 12^th and 13^th of July 2013 for the 23^rd instalment of the best winter festival in the Karoo.

 The Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2013.

Come Cold and Rain, the show did go on!

The 2012 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival had its Media Launch on the 4^th of May 2012, heralding the event which took place last weekend. The 22^nd installment of the Festival kicked off with a bang with the annual Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival cocktail evening setting the tone for the festivities of the weekend on Thursday, 12 July 2012. 

Forecasts of bad weather in the Cacadu region did, however, dampen festivalgoers’ fervour to enjoy the 22^nd installment of the event with close to 7000 people attending this year. The performances from both the local BCRM talent as well as the national artists that formed part of the line up for this year’s festival did get the festivities back on track with brilliant performances from Elvis Blue and Professor on day one of the Festival.

On day two of the Festival however the bad weather did prevent some of the big names such as Zahara, Emo Adams and Jamali from being able to perform on the big stage of the Castle Lager gig rig. They did however give the audience a taste of what their performances would have been if not for the weather in the Castle Lager beer tent. This was appreciated by young and old and many expressed the hope that the artists would return to the festival as many were looking forward to their performances. All in all, it was another successful year for the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival. We can’t wait to see what next year has in store.  

A little reminder...

Only THREE days left until the...22^nd CASTLE LAGER EAST CAPE BILTONG FESTIVAL!

Because we want you to have all the fun humanly possible at the Festival, we’ve drawn up a little checklist for you:

Let’s start with your accessories shall we...

•  Make sure you have your scarf, beanie and gloves.
• Then you need to have your warmest coat on, this is the Karoo we’re talking about, and it can get    extremely cold especially in the evenings.
• An umbrella...just in case.

We know we promised to keep you warmed up with all the world-class entertainment, but there’s really just so much entertainment can do to keep you warm.

Other items that might be of use...

• Warm blankets for everyone. 
• If you’re bringing young ones along, make sure they are dressed appropriately and make sure they know your cell phone number just in case they get separated from you.

Our mission is to make this the most the enjoyable festival ever for you, your family and friends and so we are also introducing a 24 hour shuttle service.

Yes you read right, a 24 hour personal driver to cart you off to wherever your heart desires in Somerset East for the duration of the Festival.

Boarding of the shuttle will be from the Hospital Road entrance of the Festival and each trip will cost R10 per person, group rates are negotiable. So for your own personal driver at the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2012 you can call Joseph on 082 220 0999.

So come on, come hang with us!

Supporting Local Talent

The local performing artists from the whole of the Blue Crane Route Municipality (BCRM), which includes Somerset East (home of the Biltong Festival), Pearston and Cookhouse, form part of the entertainment at the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2012.

This section of the programme encourages and gives local performers a platform where they can exhibit their talent. The performances include soloist musicians, poetry, hip hop, gospel music, kwaito, gumboots dance, and traditional dance, ballroom dancing, choral and opera music and pantsula jive.

Gumboots dancing

Traditional dancing

Hip Hop performance

Ballroom dancing

 

So come support local talent Friday the 13^th of July, which will mark the start of the Festival. The over 18 performers such as Ncedani Youth Group, NB Gees, Perfect Harmonies, KWV, Three Tenors, Pier Venter, Lindelwa Mboya, Trevisha Miggels and Sinethemba Alam will be performing on the big stage, the Castle Lager Gig Rig, starting from 13h00 whilst the under 18’s such as Siyakhula Traditional Dance Group, Cookhouse gumboots dance, Siyakhula Gumboots and another Three Tenors, get to showcase their talents on Saturday 14^th July, starting at 11h00 in the Bokjol.

A roaring good time for the kids

There’s loads of festive kiddies fun to be had at this year’s Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival with Popsie the Clown set to entertain with balloon animals and various art projects, the candy floss machine running at full speed, plenty of colourful drinks and sweets everywhere (not forgetting the biltong) - its enough to fill any kids heart with bliss. The kids also get to enjoy getting their faces painted and the delight of having a turn on the Fun4U carnival rides. All this fun and activity will keep them happy and talking for dddays - talk about kiddies paradise!  

Since the Festival is all about fun, family and biltong, there are loads of town activities that the whole family can enjoy. These are the Gastronomical, Heritage and Architectural tours of the town as well as the Festival’s Mountain Bike Ride that the kids might also enjoy.

Give the kids a roaring good time to end off their winter holidays with the whole family and come hang with us!

Stalls to tantalise all senses

Human beings have a multitude of senses. At the 2012 Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival we plan to satisfy these senses of yours -  from your sense of sight right through to your sense of hearing, taste and smell.  The stalls with their different looks, feel, aroma, textures and flavour will allow festivalgoers to experience two days of an awakening of all of these senses. 

 

While the hum of the music from the Castle Lager Gig Rig acts as the soundtrack to everyone’s Biltong Festival experience, one should acknowledge that the food and drink - from the slush puppy, hot chocolate, hotdogs, shwarmas, mampoer liqueur, roosterkoek, hot chips, burgers and biltong pizza stalls - that are on offer, serve as the aperitif and appetizer to the best Biltong Festival experience.  Food is an important part of any celebration and all sorts of palates are catered for at this year’s Festival.

One can see an array of colours and designs with the many clothing , jewellery and toy stalls boasting their offering as one walks through the little paths that take one from stall to stall. Memories can also be made with the photographs stall available as well as plenty of sweets and candyfloss stalls for the little ones. 

The ability to detect other stimuli beyond those governed by the traditional senses such as the temperature, which will be at its lowest during the Festival is also heightened, it would be wise for one to use their kinaesthetic sense to move around as a means to keep warm. The various internal stimuli such as the chemoreceptor for detecting salt and carbon dioxide concentrations in the blood will also come in handy when taking into account the amounts of biltong that is bound to be consumed. 

 

Can you feel the sense of elation at the prospect of experiencing all of this?

On the ‘telly’

Catch Riaan van Jaarsveld from SAB (the main sponsor of the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2012)  and Media Liaison, Sarina Engelbrecht from Design@Bay (official marketing agency of the Biltong Festival) on the Today Show with Samantha Charles on the hippest and youngest TV station around, Bay TV.

Reaching Port Elizabeth and its surrounding areas including Bethelsdorp, Uitenhage, Ibayi, Despatch, Humansdorp, Jeffreys Bay, Motherwell, KwaNoBuhle and beyond, Bay TV was launched in October 2011. The station has made great strides in providing quality viewing entertainment for Nelson Mandela Bay and its surrounding areas. 

So for everything you need to know about the Biltong Festival, don’t miss the Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2012 segment, which will be airing this week on the Today Show on Bay TV, and hear all about what’s in store for you at this year’s Festival.

Bay TV can be found on the UHF bandwidth at 735.25 MHz, by using a terrestrial aerial.

Check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/biltongfestival or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/biltongfestival , as well as our official Biltong Festival website at www.eastcapebiltongfestival.co.za  for all the information on the date and time the segment will be flighted on Bay TV.

Biltong Festival Mountain Bike Ride

 

There are more fun town activities for the whole family to enjoy at this year’s Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival and the Biltong Festival Mountain Bike Ride is one such activity. Taking place on Saturday, 14 July, this refreshing activity will be a 45km ride in the surrounding area of Somerset East and this year, some new never- ridden before single tracks have been included. The ride will start at 09:30am at ‘the Hub’ near the Somerset East Golf Course and costs R80, which includes refreshments at the end of the ride. One water point will be provided as well as kiddies’ rides and babysitting at R50 per child.

 

Registration for the ride will open from 08:00am on the day, all ages are welcome. For more information on the Mountain Bike Ride, please contact Michelle on 082 854 6836. 

The Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival 2012, come hang with us!