The Beast Returns: Smoking Dragon 2016
The end of 2015 sees the beast maturing as Smoking Dragon News Years Festival celebrates its fifth anniversary. In it’s five years of existence, the festival has emerged as my favourite South African music festival and a must on any local music lovers calendar. Many who have attended the festival will agree with me on the above, and for those who have not attempted to tame the dragon, I’ll break down exactly why Smoking Dragon is a favourite of many a local music lover.
Dragon Mountains
The festival is fittingly named after the scenic Drakensberg escarpment which surrounds the Amphitheater Backpackers where the event is hosted. Conveniently, halfway between Durban and Johannesburg is a piece of land encircled by a panoramic mountain range with two private dams and a river running through it. With indigenous architecture crafted from wood, stone, thatch, and metal and wooden carvings, there is no festival location more idyllic than Amphitheater Backpackers.
The People
Being far from any urban areas, there is no sense of geographical ownership of the event and most who attend the festival are guests. Smoking Dragon does not belong to Cape Town, Johannesburg or Durban, but it somehow manages to bring together the best people from each of those cities together for a festive time free of ego.
The Music
International acts have never been a main draw card for Smoking Dragon festival, so there is absolutely no fear of the festival being cancelled due to the decreasing value of the rand. The festivals focus has always been on increasing the value placed upon local musicians in hosting a great variety of talented musicians regardless of genre and fame. A staple for emerging artists, it’s great to see the stature of Smoking Dragon festival grow with the hosting of bigger local artists. The more we can get artists like Zebra & Giraffe and Das Kapital playing at Smoking Dragon festival, the better it is for the emerging acts who rely on the festival to grow their audiences.
“Smoking Dragon is celebrating its FIFTH New Year’s Eve Festival this year. This three day event set in the beautiful Northern Drakensberg presents the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of big city life and is a fantastic New Year’s Eve location.
Setting this festival apart from the others is the incredible range of activities offered in the area besides the amazing musical line up.”Smoking Dragon Festival
Haezer, Das Kapital, Zebra & Giraffe, Boo, Tidal Waves, Albert Frost and more
29 – 31 December 2015
Amphitheater Backpackers, Drakensberg
THREE DOUBLE TICKETS UP FOR GRABS
We’re giving away three double tickets to the Smoking Dragon 2016. All you have to do in order to stand a chance to win is send us a picture of your favourite Smoking Dragon memory with the hashtag #SmokingDragon. We’re giving away one double ticket each on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Facebook: Post your picture on our page with the hashtag #SmokingDragon
Twitter: Tweet us you picture @TheFussZA with the hashtag #SmokingDragon
Instagram: Tag us in your picture @TheFussZA with the hashtag #SmokingDragon
Competition closes and winner selected and notified on Friday the 18th of December.
