Sadly I will not be making my way to Up The Creek this year, but that doesn’t mean that you should not. This festival (which takes please at the end of January every year on a farm near Swellendam in the Western Cape) should be on your list of festivals to do because it’s SO much fun.

Not convinced that you should check it out? These four phrases should make you change your mind: “Great music”, “Amazing Tiny Festival Vibes”, “Amazing Line-up” and “The River”. Nuff said.

Still not convinced? Here are 5 things you will be able to experience if you go this year:

• Thursday night: Get there on the first night; make the most of your ticket and don’t miss out on what always is a really special evening. There will be great live collaborations, some new acts and a surprise performance after The Black Cat Bones close the Main Stage.
• Signature drinks: UTC has had the Titanic cocktail since the early days and as the years have gone by, theyve adjusted their bar menu plenty of times and are always testing new ideas. This year they have the Titanic (aka the infamous ‘big blue’ drink) back again, the Life Raft (Sedgwick`s Old Brown with Ginger Ale) and a new addition to the festival, the Rubber Duck. It’s a mix of vodka, Sedgwick`s and Orange Juice – easy and refreshing to drink on the scorching hot days at the Breede and with a lekker bite to it that will keep you on your feet.
• The River on Saturday: No one has ever attended the festival and missed out on the river but there is something happening in the river that you should know about: The Anything That Floats Competition. This longstanding competition at Up The Creek encouraging attendees to build wild and wonderful floating contraptions, from beds to couches and bars, all in the name of some much coveted prizes. There will be prizes for the Best Float (which will go out to the most original, super fantastic float that steals the hearts of onlookers and photographers alike), The Most Romantic Float (because love is in the water – you and your loved one could be treated to a bottle of cold bubbly, two tickets to Up the Creek 2017 and two tickets to a Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concert of your choice) and The Float With The Mostest (if you can get more bodies on your float than anyone else for at least one minute without sinking it you`ll get a free Titanic cocktail for every person standing on your float – the record to beat is 56 people).
• The Sedgwick`s food court stage:  Hidden away inside the wonderful food court is the open-mic food court stage. Bring your instrument and / or your voice, plug in and entertain everyone. As a festival attendee you’re bound to find something of interest, so sit around a table of strangers, enjoy your meal of choice and walk away with new friends.
• Albert Frost & Robin Auld: Make sure you don’t rush off home on the Sunday morning because Albert & Robin are a special addition to this year’s line-up and you won’t want to miss the opportunity to catch them live at the Creek. I saw them at Oppikoppi last year and it’s something you should not miss!

You should be convinced to go this year now, so buy your tickets NOW! Visit this link to buy your full weekend ticket (for R900 per person excluding booking fees) or this link to look at options available at the Heartbreak Motel.

In case you missed it, here’s the full line-up for this year’s festival:

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 & the Jackal, Bandolero, Goodluck Live (DJ Set), Veranda Panda, Das Kapital, DJ Dirtroad, The Robfather, Jon Savage and the Mowtown Minstrels, Slow Jack, Basson Laubscher, Wynand Davel, Friso Woudstra and Dylan Pistorius.

Take note: The tap water at Up the Creek is not suitable for drinking. Please take along your own bottled water OR just a bottle that you can use to fill up from drinking water supplied freely. There will of course be bottled water for sale at the festival bars. Take cash. There will be an ATM on the grounds, but due to poor signal, it is not always in working order.  No open fires are allowed. Gas cookers are allowed. Own alcohol is allowed in the camping area only. No glass bottles are allowed so make sure to decant your bottles into plastic bottles.

Can’t make it due to financial woes, petrol hikes, kids who need feeding, work commitments, etc? Great news is that the organizers are giving away tickets to this year’s festival. Convince them why you deserve to attend as a guest and they’ll help get you to the Creek 2016. The two most convincing and entertaining stories will win two festival tickets each, so post your story on the Up The Creek Facebook page NOW!

If you’re going to Up the Creek this year, please have a Titanic or thirteen for me. I’m super jealous that you’ll be there, but I’m definitely making an effort to go again next year. Peace.

Watch this space for regular updates in the Music category on Running Wolf’s Rant.