Media Advisory: National Arts Festival
7 November 2025
This morning’s Daily Maverick article titled “Gayton McKenzie Defunds the 2026 National Arts Festival” (7 November 2025) contained several factual inaccuracies and has subsequently been corrected – please see the revised story here https://tinyurl.com/ytpumyfh
The National Arts Festival and other major arts festivals were not funded by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in 2025. In the National Arts Festival’s case, this was due to a change in the Department’s funding structure, which placed the Festival outside the eligibility window for this year.
No funding application round has yet opened for 2026 and the Festival has not been advised of any decision regarding 2026 funding.
The National Arts Festival, along with other festivals, is currently engaging with the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to obtain clarity on the funding process for 2026.
Quote from Monica Newton, CEO of the National Arts Festival:
“The National Arts Festival does not yet have clarity on funding for the 2026 Festival. We are currently engaging with the Minister’s Office at the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to understand what the process for 2026 will entail. The Festival will go ahead from 26 June to 6 July 2026, supported by our long-standing partners, the Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Standard Bank and other partners who make the National Arts Festival possible.”