Cape Town - Four days of top South African live music, four days of lazing around in a river, four days of unmitigated fun.
That’s Up The Creek, the best little music festival of the year, which takes place on the banks of the Breede River near Swellendam from Thursday January 28 to Sunday January 31.
It may be small – only 2 700 full weekend tickets are made available – but it’s big on entertainment. The first night is always special; it’s a bit quieter as most people only make it up there from the Friday.
But if you can get there you’ll be treated to great musical collaborations, some new acts and a surprise performance after The Black Cat Bones close the main stage.
For the rest of the weekend you can rotate between the live acts and the river, the food court and the bars. Maybe it means packing a bit more in the car, but The Anything That Floats competition should motivate you.
The best float will win a hamper from Sedgwick’s Old Brown, two tickets to Up the Creek 2017 and two tickets to a Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concert of your choice, as well as a Ray-Ban hamper.
There will be prizes for the most romantic float as well and for “The Float with the Mostest” – quite simply the one with the most bodies on it for one minute before it sinks. The record is 56.
You have to try the legendary Creek signature drink - the Titanic. It’s blue, contains a large amount of alcohol in a big plastic cup and a few of those go down well in the heat (it’s always hot at the Creek).
Sedgwick’s Old Brown is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and is a significant presence at the festival.
The Life Raft is Old Brown with ginger ale and a new cocktail will be launched this year – the Rubber Duck is mad with vodka, Old Brown, and OJ.
As you travel around the festival look out for open-mic food court stage; bring your instrument or your voice, plug in and entertain everyone.
And last but not least, although you’re likely to be broken, tired, and dirty by Sunday morning, don’t leave without seeing Albert Frost and Robin Auld, a special addition to this year’s line-up.
The wooden chalets at the festival site are generally reserved for VIPs and band members, so get that camping gear out the garage.
If you need a little bit more comfort, book into the Heartbreak Motel. There are two options of pre-pitched tents, hot showers, toilets, buffet breakfast and other luxuries.
What you need to know:
* The tap water at Up The Creek is not suitable for drinking. Take your own bottled water or bottles you can use to fill up from the free drinking water supplied. Bottled water will be on sale at the festival bars.
* Take cash – there is an ATM on the grounds, but due to poor signal it is not always in working order.
* No open fires - gas cookers are allowed.
* Own alcohol is allowed in camping area only. No glass bottles are allowed.
* Sun block, sun block, and more sun block. Also, toilet paper.
* No under-18s allowed into venue.
The line-up:
Shortstraw, Sannie Fox, Bye Beneco, Dave Ferguson, Albert Frost & Robin Auld, The Ballistics, The Vanilla, Stoker, Grassy Spark, Nomadic Orchestra, Al Bairre, Georgetown, Southern Wild, Crimson House Blues, Hatchetman, The Black Cat Bones, Bark, December Streets, Jonathan Peyper Trio, Gerald Clark and the Dead Men, Guy Collins, Akkedis, Piet Botha, Kings Down South, The Coast, Rubber Duc, Mr Cat and the Jackal, Bandolero, Goodluck Live (DJ Set), Jon Savage, Slow Jack, Basson Laubscher, Wynand Davel, Friso Woudstra, Dylan Pistorius.
Festival gates open at 3pm on Thursday January 28, and you need to vacate the premises by 5pm on Sunday, January 31, leaving behind a clean campsite. A full weekend ticket costs R900 (excluding booking fees) and can be bought on http://utc.nutickets.co.za/UTC2016.
Weekend Argus