Innikar: SA’s first drive-in music festival

It was a huge blow when Oppikoppi was cancelled last year. One of South Africa’s biggest – certainly dirtiest – music festivals really left an imprint on musical ingenuity in the country.

But Oppikoppi, while we don’t know when we’ll see you again, you now have to move over for Innikar – South Africa’s first drive-in music festival.

What sells the concept is the fact that you won’t have to trust in the dust – instead you can safely sit in your car.

Platteland Centurion is one of the key players that will bring this exciting new venture. Over the past few years, Platteland has been a key venue to bring new forms of entertainment to a South African audience but Innikar exceeds the innovation.

The event will be a live music, drive-in style show with some of South Africa’s top musical acts where the crowd will view the stage and performers from the safety of their cars (let’s hope small cars get to park in front).

The team will also be donating 10% of profits to the non-profit organisation, Safe (South African Fund 4 Entertainment) in an effort to save the live music and events industry within South Africa which have taken a huge knock as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Innikar is set to take place at Harlequins Sports Ground in Pretoria with Afrikaans alternative rock giants Spoegwolf headlining the inaugural event. So far the date will be confirmed once all the legal paperwork is cleared and a lower level of Covid-19 panic is implemented by government.

“We’re very excited to be partnering with Platteland Centurion to bring music and live entertainment to fans in a unique and ground-breaking new way of enjoying their favourite bands and artists,” said JamPacked Productions owner Genevieve Olivier.

“We are working closely with authorities and are confident that we can give our patrons a safe, fun and legal way to enjoy live music, once again.”

Olivier and her team, with Platteland Centurion, will be putting together the festival, the first of its kind in South Africa.

Joining Spoegwolf, CrashCarBurn has also been added to the lineup this week.

While the festival is still floating in the ethos of new ways of public gatherings – it’s clear that in some way the festival will happen, although it has no date yet.

This is one music event that is unmissable, because of its circumstance. Years from now being able to tell someone that you went to a socially distanced concert might be one of the highlights of your life.

For more information visit safefund.org.za

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