Taste Away - Craft Festival Durban

Festivals around SA are becoming a big thing of recent, whether it be Craft Beer Festivals, Street Food Festivals, Craft Gin Festivals and I could really go on, but you get the point. The locals have really taken to these and love spending the day out with friends and family, enjoying what that there is to offer at each of these unique festivals. With this in mind, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to combine all the favourite craft elements into one quintessential occasion, the organisers dub it "a vacation for the senses where one would enjoy everything from craft beer and gourmet food vendors, to thrilling live entertainment and music, to artisan gin and epicurean desserts." 

For many, it ticks all the right boxes and there's a variety for everyone's taste so it is the perfect festival to attend, plus being on the  public holiday weekend, there's no need to worry about the hangover the next day. Some of the listed attractions are a live music stage, loads of craft brewers, artisanal gin, scrumptious food vendors, secure parking, fully stocked bar for non-beer/ gin drinkers and the festival is for all ages, being a family friendly event with a kids area. 

Catch live performances on the day from local artists such as Easy Freak, The Kickstands, Lubz (ECR) Catlike Thieves and Gavin Ferguson Music. Tickets are available online via Webtickets or at Pick n Pay. Note, Webtickets do add a small booking fee upon purchase. Prices for tickets are as follows.

Adults phase 1: R130

Adults phase 2: R150

Kids (ages 2-13): R60

Phase 1 tickets are currently 53% sold, so hurry up if you want that discount! The festival takes place on the Kings Park outer fields, with free on field parking allocated for the day, however, parking will be offered on a first come, first served basis as space is limited. Organisers encourage attendees to carpool or to use taxi services such as Uber or Taxify. Alternatively you can make use of parking spaces in Kings Park Stadium Complex or surrounding areas. 

For more information, visit their Facebook page, or email them at info@tasteaway.co.za

SA on Tap - Craft Food & Music Festival

It's probably one of the best and by far my favourite Craft Beer festival around and it's back this weekend in Durban! It is the biggest festival of it's kind with over 200 different brews, ciders, gins and more featured this year, there is plenty on offer to quench any thirst in the Durban hot sun. Organisers say that this event is built around the people who attend and they want you there this weekend! With over 90% of the tickets sold already, their call has been answered. It's a great outing for friends and families with much on offer. There will be a stage with some great local talent to entertain the masses, Majozi and Shortstraw just to name a few. There will also be a selection of gourmet street food stalls for you to chose from. 

Participating breweries for the event are many of the KZN local brewers, namely Nottingham Road, Zwakala, That Brewing Co, Mag Giant, Sxollie Cider, Growler, Drifter, Clarens, Smack Republic, Copperlake, Eversnos Cider, Standeaven, Time Anchor Distillery, Mainstram, Robsons, Two Okes, Scvenger Brewery, Basset, Great Railroad, Durban Brewing Co, Toti Brewing Co, Clockworx, Dragon Brewing Co, Distillery 031, Poison City and a variety of wine. Apart from featuring their normal range, there will be 32 Festival speciality brews so be sure to inquire about them on the day. 

This years festival see's it return to the Kings Park outer fields this Saturday the 12th of August, with gates opening at 11am for a day long fun filled time where visitors can enjoy a selction of bews, a gin garndem, lots of games and live entertainment. People attending are encouraged to bring picnic blankets, camping chairs and beach umbrellas. For those bringing children, there will be dedicated child minding areas. Tickets can be bought online via the website and a selction of glasses to chose from. Some of which are already soldout, tickets are R130 online or R150 on the day, on the day tickets are subject to availability. 

SA On Tap, Craft Beer Festival 2015 - Durban

With over a 120 of South Africa's finest craft brews, ciders, whiskeys and wines on offer at the 11th instalment of SA on Tap, this years event is sure to be one not to miss! Taking place on the 1st of August along Durban's famed Golden Mile, visitors can look forward to a wide range of all their favourites as well as tantalise their taste buds and palettes to new flavours and experiences. This is one of 3 events that will be hosted around the country and no doubt with Durban's perfect winter weather, it is bound to be a hit and is already proving so with over 85% of the tickets being sold already!

Craft beer has been on the steady rise in recent months in Durban as more and more people are welcoming and noticing the efforts of the microbrewers. SA on Tap offers drinkers the unique experience to sample new variants of the craft and possibly make one find their niche. Apart from the drinks, there will be plenty entertainment lined up for the day, so while you're sipping on your favourite brew, you can enjoy the sounds of some of SA's top bands, with the likes of Gangs of Ballet, Rubber Duc, Justin Serrao and Catlike Thieves.

What is drink without food? They practically go hand in hand, but fear not, your stomach cravings will be taken cared off as the organises have carefully selected a number of gourmet food stalls to pair up the flavours with the variety of brews on offer. You can ask brewers at the various stalls on pairing advice, or be daring and find perfect pairs on your own.

Festival goers will be please to note that included in your tickets is a glass to help you pick up on the over 150 delectable flavours of craft beer on offer. When booking your ticket online, you are able to choose from one of 3 glasses available. Tickets are available from www.saontap.co.za and are limited, online booking is essential for this sell out event, avoid disappointment and be sure to book early. See you there...

Castle Super Fan Experience

On Saturday I was fortunate to be invited to the Castle Super Fan Experience at Growth Point Kings Park. It was a day that was very special for SA Rugby as it was the first time that a single venue hosted two international games on the same day. Durban crowds were in for a treat as the first game was between Scotland and Samoa which was followed by South Africa vs Italy.

The Castle Super Fan Experience provided us with the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes. When we watch the game at home, we often take for granted what actually needs to be done in order for us to receive the game to our screens. The tour kicked off early on Saturday morning at Berea Rovers Pub, where there was a brief meet and greet with the sponsors and other winners thereafter we were handed some pretty cool merchandise from Castle.

After grabbing a refreshment we made our way to the stadium where we were greeted by Supersport commentator, Matthew Pearce. Being a familiar voice on TV, Pearce is the lead English rugby commentator for Supersport. He gave us a run down on what to expect on the tour as well as warned us that we were entering an active stadium environment so to be wary of our surroundings. 

I've been Kings Park many times to cheer on the Sharks and Springboks being allowed to enter via the pitch gave me goosebumps. Having that view of the stadium as you walk in, seeing the immaculate turf in touching distance and very aptly the singers were practising the South African national anthem, it made the moment very surreal. As we walked towards the players tunnel, many familiar faces were spotted including that of former Sharks and Bok flyhalf Butch James. 

Making our way down the players tunnel was another special moment, thinking about how many legends of the game made their way down that very passage to lead teams in victory and defeat, there was a lot of history there. We then made our way up to the media lounge where Matthew then showed us the commentary booth that he shared with his co-commentator former Bok, Bob Skinstad. I was surprised at how small the booth was, the two of them barely fit inside! From there we learnt about how they prepare for each game, how they keep in contact with the director as well as some trade secrets about the game. 

There was a Q and A session that followed with Matthew and Bobby, where we were allowed to quiz them on their experiences as well as special moments in games that they've commentated or in Bobby's case, played in. 

Supersport then allowed us to take a walk through their HD truck which was brought form Joburg for the game. Impressive is an understated when describing the R104 million Mobile studio, it has more screens than mission control in NASA! The director has 26 cameras to view and has to decide which ones to broadcast and what angles to show all the time. I can hardly concentrate on two, so seeing the task that he has to undertake is just mind blowing and with millions of viewers the margin for error is very small. 

Like I said at the beginning, we almost take it for granted when we watch live sports on the TV but after learning what goes on behind the scenes and the preparations, planning and skill required to pull off a smooth broadcast, one has to take your hat off to the guys that do it week after week. 

Photography by Al Nicholl and myself.