Der Kater

The dust has settled, the five day frenzy came to an end and festival goers are left with skinny wallets and boisterous memories of Nelspruit’s Innibos. 

The national festival, held from 27until 30 June, has a different theme each year and this year’s “The cat returns” makes you wonder: what is it that this popular fest and felines have in common? Besides the ninth year of its homecoming, one could say they both have a fun and rather harmless demeanor. However, the same seemingly innocent kitty, with its playful appeal, has the potential to turn into the beast which leaves men ‘wounded’. Considering that the German word for cat, Der Kater, also means hangover, it would be a shame not to play with this pun and dub Innibos 2012 “The return of the hangover”.  

This year the festival roared to new heights of success, reaching up to 26 000 attendees on the Friday and 36 000 on the Saturday, according to Alison Linde from administration. 110 000 people attended the entire fest and there has been a 10.10% increase from last year’s numbers. Not even a power failure on Saturday evening could dampen down the animated masses of sokkie, pop and rock enthusiasts.

The party briefly carried on in the dark but as the power returned, the Standard Bank stage continued to blast the lang-arm tunes with acts like Nicholis Louw, Kurt Darren and Robbie Wessels. The golden gods of sokkie had the crowds bopping to the beat, which every now and then led to the occasional dance on a tabletop.

While main stage fans soaked up the melodies of Afrikaans pop, a more alternative crowd wrestled their way to the front of MK Kliphard. With acts like Fokofpolisiekar, Karen Zoid and Die Heuwels Fantasties, fans were left assured that rock ‘n roll is alive and kicking.  Out-partying his fans and stage diving with no restrain, Francois van Coke proved that unruly behavior is not only acceptable, but also somewhat admired. “Even when drunk, he’s still better than most musicians,” Fokof-fan Albert Lintvlet says with a grin. 

Whether you want to be at the front of the mosh pit, with Van Coke’s sweat dripping on your face, or hoisting your sails to Captain Kurt Darren, Innibos has something to offer everyone. Besides a variety of productions, food and snacks for every taste and stalls to entertain the avid shopper; it is a social event not to be missed. If you had a grand time with excellent music, fine food and even better friends, who cares about that slight headache the next morning. It is not every day you get dragged in by that stealthy little cat.

Josie Field gets ready to perform on the MK music channel stage at the Innibos Arts Festival in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, South Africa, June 29, 2012. The annual Afrikaans festival, held from 27 until 30 June, offers a variety of music for all tastes and ages.

Festival goers enjoy the party in the Klipdrift tent at the Innibos Arts Festival in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, South Africa, June 30, 2012. 

Festival goers get into the feline spirit at the Innibos Arts Festival in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, South Africa, June 30, 2012.

Jacques van Straten (left), a host of MK music channel, assists a colleague in setting up an MK sign at the Innibos Arts Festival in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, South Africa, June 27, 2012.