By Team STM
Even if you can’t really cook, don’t worry about it as Innibos for 2024 will be doing it for you. With their theme “Wen resep” (Winning recipe) we feel that this year’s edition will be just that and more.
As Nelspartans, Innibos has become part of the Lowveld like avo on toast and fresh orange juice. With the entertainment world forever changed after 2020, Innibos brings you a festival that will entertain you on many levels.
Here are some highlights we feel you simply can’t miss out on.
This is as good as hot fudge coffee with a lineup to make anyone ask for more. Kicking it off with local singer/songwriter Coenie Naude. Mathew Gold, who has called the Lowveld home for a few years now. This born Cape Townian is sure to bring the singer out of you. Then the ‘king of Pretoria’ Zaan Sonnekus will rock you of course till you can’t stand any more. But your last bit of energy will have to go to Die Heuwels Fantasties. They are one of our personal favourites and we know a lot of fans that can’t wait to see them.
You can find the Alternatief Stage on the main festival grounds, only for Saturday and the entrance is included in the main festival ticket. Find the stage next to the Bos Mall on the bottom field.
We are so happy to see the Boeke Crawl is back on the menu after 4 year absence. It is one of the most popular items on the Innibos schedule and is almost always sold out in minutes. If you do have the lucky tickets in hand to do the Boeke Crawl, do it. A beautiful trip up to Kaapsehoop and it’s filled with book reading and live music. Magical is one of the many words to begin to describe this event. But hurry, tickets sell out quickly.
Tickets for Boeke Crawl are now on sale.
Bos Kos;
We can’t write about recipes and food items and not mention the amazing food stalls that await you. You can be certain that whatever it is you’ll find to eat at Innibos will be wholesome and good. Pizza cones are our favourites and yes, we have stood in line but worth every bit. The shawarmas are also another favourite made the Turkish way. We are suckers for candy floss, it just feels nostalgic, to eat candy floss, and watch the daredevils on the joyrides. Like candied peanuts (or in the Lowveld case, macadamia), just traditionally tasteful.
This is one of the many good ideas in a long time, adding tables that you can book by the front stage. This is the best since braai-broodjies. We have seen many people kuier at the tables on the side of the stage and it always looks like a jol. As this article is being written, the kuier tafels are being sold quicker than peri-peri Prego’s. It is an additional charge to your festival ticket but a good idea to have for a group of friends. Just note that there is no Golden Circle this year. But if you need more information regarding kuier tafels and the rest of the areas please visit Innibos’s website.
This theatre play is one of the English productions this year. As described on the Innibos program it “lays bare the intrigues of the local taxi culture. Each facet of the taxi ride is depicted in individual scenes portraying the point of view of the driver, the passenger, and even the observers.”
This play will be running from Thursday 27 June to Saturday 29 June at Laerskool Laeveld. Duration is 45 minutes (get there at least 15 minutes before the show to get settled), tickets are R160 and sold separately. And yes, the whole family can join us for this trip.
But there are a few good mentions too – Valiant Swart and Koos Kombuis are doing a one-night-only show on Wednesday 26 June at NHS Auditorium.
Nataniel is performing in the Sudwala Caves on Thursday 27 June.
Zipline at the Sudwala cave with Droomsindroom on Wednesday 26 Junie 2024.
Look out for hidden treasures on the kuier stages like Janie Bay and Reets – wonderful female vocalists and songwriters.
The theatre production “Op die hoek van Styx en River is Nora per abuis met die dood oorgeslaan” with Sandra Prinsloo and David Ralph Viviers. We watched this veteran actress last year and it was unforgettable. Book your tickets for the show online.
Here is some advice from a Nelspartan to all the people visiting us during Innibos;
- Use the Park and Ride – it’s free and safe. You park at Ilanga Mall (no parking meters), hop on the busses and be driven to the main festival terrain. For additional trips from the festival grounds to the theatre productions, make use of the TRAC Bossewa. At R40 for a return trip to the various venues.
- Don’t park where you are not supposed to. Traffic rules still apply, and your safety is important to us humble folks.
- Be lekker – we know the brandy is lekker and the beer is good but don’t be THAT guy or girl. If you had too much, go home.
Visit the Lowveld Botanical Gardens – kids can run around, and you can enjoy the Lowveld greenery. The Cascades and Nels River waterfall is still running loudly. Our gardens also have a rainforest with walkways and info boards. Or visit the Sudwala Caves, one of the oldest cave systems in the world. They have guided walks, and the guides are full of information. At the caves is the dinosaur park with life-size dinosaurs (whether they are real or not, depends on the brandy you had last night). There is also a zip line that takes you over the beautiful valley. And then stop by the Butterfly Park on your way down the mountain.
Sunday, when driving back home, make a breakfast stop in Kaapsehoop. We recommend Bohemian Groove Café because they have freshly baked goodies and good coffee. You can browse a little in the shop and buy books of the area, horse gin, artwork and many cool trinkets. You can buy your permit to walk on the trails here as well. Of course, a stroll through the village is also recommended. Just remember – do not feed the horses. They are wild and lots of good people look after them. You can ask Andrea at Bohemian about the Wild Horse Fund.
We feel that this year’s Innibos is truly a winning recipe, and their website is packed with all the information you’ll ever need for the 2024 edition.
See you there!
