Well-known attractions in South Africa are garnering new interest by offering unique events or adventurous activities.

Afropunk Fest

Afropunk Joburg will be held at Constitution Hill, in Braamfontein from December 30-31, the first time the multicultural music, art and food festival will be held in Africa.

The event is expected to boost tourism to Gauteng at what is usually a quiet time of the year in Johannesburg. There will be bands, musicians and artists from South Africa, the United States, Europe and the rest of Africa.

The Afropunk festivals all focus on art, music, food, young entrepreneurialism and activism as a way of bringing people together. It is an online community that celebrates black culture within an openness to multiculturalism, making it a perfect fit for a precinct that commemorates what lack of constitutionalism did to South Africa, and which celebrates the Constitution that now secures South Africans’ rights.

The early line-up for the three stages at Afropunk Johannesburg includes: Solange, Laura Mvula, King Tha vs. Blk Jks, Theo Parrish, The Brother Moves On, Spoek Mathambo, Black Motion, God’s Sons & Daughters, Manthe Ribane & OKZharp, DJ Lag, Urban Village, Nakhane Toure, Nonku Phiri and TCIYF.

For more information and the festival line-up check out Afropunk website.

Electro-artist Mashayabhuqe KaMamba performed at the Afropunk launch, with DJ Themba Lunacy earlier this year.

SAB World of Beer

Visiting South African Breweries World of Beer tour in Newtown, Johannesburg, is not just a day of beer guzzling, but a history lesson of note… or even an innovative hackathon boasting technical solutions to encourage responsible drinking.

Guests will come across fascinating stories behind the beer tour artefacts. The tour gives visitors the opportunity to taste South African umqombothi beer in traditional umqombothi containers in the boma, sit in the Soweto Shebeen amongst 1960 memorabilia or sip from 250-year-old beer mugs.

Earlier this year SAB World of Beer hosted Africa's first Hack the World hackathon.

The event saw 100 innovators go head to head to develop apps and other technological solutions that would encourage responsible drinking and improve road safety.

The teams worked on their solutions non-stop for more than 24 hours some coding through the night to complete their projects.

SAB World of Beer hosted Africa’s first Hack the World hackathon this year.

Heritage Day

The next event at SAB World of Beer will be on Heritage Day, 24 September.

Guests will be pairing eight of Africa's well-known beers with cuisine from their respective countries.

“We will be opening up the walkway area that overlooks the trendy Johannesburg skyline, and creating food stations where guests can buy traditional cuisine of these countries,” says Felicia Mokoena, SAB World of Beer manager. 

These beers will be on the menu:

• Castle Lager (South Africa)
• St Louis (Botswana)
• Maluti Premium Lager (Lesotho)
• 2M, Laurentina Preta and Manica (all Mozambique)
• Kilimanjaro Premium Lager (Tanzania)
• Zambezi Premium Lager (Zimbabwe)

There are two packages available:

• The first package will include entrance to the World of Beer, entertainment and two complimentary drinks at R140 per person
• The second package will include entrance to the World of Beer, entertainment, two complimentary drinks and a beer tour at R240 per person.

Painting with elephants

Art of Africa is an art safari, founded in Victoria Falls last year by Zimbabwean, Kimberley Sparrow.

The unique experience sees guests painting elephants in their natural habitat.

“Art of Africa is linked with the Wild Horizons Wallow, using our elephant art activity as a springboard for conservation awareness. Our session involves simply spending time with and observing these magnificent creatures and their individual characters, using your brush and canvas as a visual diary of your experience,” said Sparrow.

Sparrow said future developments will see this activity being the new way to interact with elephants, “so far being the only company in Southern Africa offering this type of encounter”.

WATCH: Matriarch Coco walking past a group of artists at Wild Horizons Wallow Victoria Falls

With the core aim of promoting and exposing homegrown African artistic talent Art of Africa also provides a platform for community development, side by side with ethical tourism.

 “All our workshops are led by a local artist, who will guide guests to creating their own masterpiece,” said Sparrow.

Currently expanding in Cape Town, Art of Africa will be offering painting in the vineyards, graffiti art tours and hiking tours up Table Mountain.