As the Cotton Fest countdown begins the popular and much-loved event has added more thrilling activities to its list for the fourth edition.
Making a return to Joburg in February, the team will be launching with a new look and feel, extending the University of Cotton Fest theme to include a popular music festival synonymous with youth culture, presents The UFC Sports Club.
This year it has taken things a notch up, introducing new and elevated elements such as Open Mic Contest, Friends Day, The Creative Programme, and various Campus Activations throughout the year.
The Open Mic Competition launched last week on social media with the Cotton Fest team opening up ‘the playing fields’ by further allowing new talent to perform at the festival.
From the over 500 entries received, the top 10 finalists will be hand-picked to perform at a closed event in front of a live judging panel at the AMPD studio. The top 3 artists / DJs selected will get to perform at Cotton Fest.
Following a successful ‘Friends Day’ in Cape Town, the Jozi edition will take place on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at Newtown Junction, 100 Carr Street, Newtown. This fun-filled warm-up event will feature lifestyle activities including basketball, skateboarding, and of course live music.
The Cotton Fest team also recently launched the Cotton Fest Creative program founded by the late Riky Rick, to give back to the students in the community while creating outlets to empower young creatives to succeed in their studies and career.
Considering Riky Rick himself was a former AFDA student, the team decided to build on his legacy by creating a platform to support creative students in year one.
The program selected three top AFDA students from Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, awarding them bursaries, funded by Cotton Fest and long-standing partner - PUMA, to cover the shortfall of their tuition fees, and assist them to graduate.
“We are extremely excited to have the privilege to assist young people to achieve this huge milestone in their educational journey. When we started Cotton Fest, the idea was not just to have a once-off concert, but to do so much more for culture as a whole, and moreover offer support within the community.
“Now with the additional financial injection from PUMA this year, we were finally able to make the Cotton Fest Creative Programme a reality and action this support.” said Riky’s partner Bianca Naidoo