2027 NAF CURATED PROGRAMME
National Arts Festival Opens Call for 2027 Curated Programme in Makhanda
Artists across disciplines invited to submit completed works and works-in-progress for one of South Africa’s most prestigious arts platforms
The National Arts Festival has officially opened submissions for its 2027 Curated Programme, inviting artists and creative practitioners with ambitious, innovative and compelling work to put forward their proposals for consideration in Makhanda, Eastern Cape.
The call offers an opportunity for artists to become part of the Festival’s flagship curated platform, a programme designed to reflect the most exciting creative conversations, collaborations and artistic developments of the moment.
According to the Festival, the Curated platform is where audiences come to “feel the creative pulse of the moment”, bringing together pioneering new work, established artistic voices and unexpected creative collaborations.
The programme has historically provided a meeting point between South African artistic excellence and international creative practice, creating opportunities for celebrated local artists to return home while welcoming international artists and facilitating collaborations across disciplines.
The Festival describes the Curated Programme as a space where South African legends come home, international artists visit, and world-class musicians collaborate with unexpected voices in surprising fusions.
A prestigious platform for artists
The Curated Programme occupies an important position within the National Arts Festival ecosystem. The Festival describes it as its main platform for showcasing exceptional, innovative and critically relevant artistic work.
Unlike the Fringe, which is an open-access platform, the Curated Programme is selected by the Festival's Artistic Committee. Inclusion therefore represents an important professional opportunity for artists seeking exposure to audiences, industry professionals, producers, critics and potential collaborators.
The Festival's programme spans a wide range of artistic disciplines, including theatre, dance and physical theatre, music, visual art, film, comedy, cabaret and other forms of creative expression. Recent curated programmes have included both established South African artists and experimental or interdisciplinary projects.
The Festival itself has been a major fixture in South Africa's cultural landscape since 1974, bringing thousands of visitors and artists to Makhanda each year. It is now one of the country's most significant multidisciplinary arts gatherings, with the Festival presenting hundreds of productions over an eleven-day programme.
Works-in-progress are welcome
Importantly, the 2027 call is not limited to artists who have already completed their productions.
Artists with works-in-progress as well as completed works are encouraged to submit proposals.
This creates an opportunity for practitioners who may still be developing a production, performance, exhibition or interdisciplinary project but believe the work has the artistic potential to contribute meaningfully to the Festival's 2027 programme.
For emerging artists in particular, the opportunity is significant. The National Arts Festival has long functioned as a space where artists can move from emerging practice towards greater visibility and professional recognition. The Festival describes itself as a platform where artists evolve from emergence to mastery.
What makes the Curated Programme significant?
Selection for the Curated Programme can provide more than simply a performance slot.
The Festival says participation in its Curated Main Programme offers artists visibility, critical engagement and access to industry networks, while selected productions benefit from placement in the Festival's prime venues and engagement with audiences, media, producers and critics.
This makes the 2027 call particularly relevant to artists developing work that is not only entertaining but also speaks to contemporary social, cultural, political and artistic questions.
Deadline: 27 September 2026
Artists interested in being considered for the 2027 Curated Programme must submit their proposals through the National Arts Festival's online application process.
The closing deadline is 23:59 on Sunday, 27 September 2026.
Artists should therefore avoid leaving submissions until the final hours and ensure that their proposals and supporting information are complete before submitting.
The application portal is available through the National Arts Festival's official website.
National Arts Festival – Take Part
A call to artists to put forward their best work
The 2027 Curated Programme call comes at a time when South Africa's creative sector continues to search for platforms that can bring artists, audiences and industry stakeholders together around new ideas and artistic possibilities.
For artists, the opportunity is not simply about getting onto a festival programme. It is about presenting work in one of the country's most established cultural environments and contributing to the ongoing artistic conversation that takes place in Makhanda every year.
With its combination of established names, emerging practitioners, international collaborations and experimental artistic work, the Curated Programme remains one of the National Arts Festival's most visible platforms for defining what contemporary artistic practice can look and sound like.
For artists who believe their work can contribute to that conversation, 27 September 2026 is the date to remember.
Applications for the National Arts Festival 2027 Curated Programme close at 23:59 on 27 September 2026.
Submit your 2027 Curated Programme proposal
.jpeg)
Comments