ICA Live Art Festival 2026 Expands to KwaLanga Under Director Nomusa Makhubu
Scheduled for 14 to 18 October 2026, the ICA Live Art Festival will unfold in Cape Town, extending into KwaLanga through collaborations with Guga S'Thebe and 16 on Lerotholi. Professor Nomusa Makhubu, the ICA Director, underscored the festival's commitment to exploring the intersections of live art with cultural accessibility and spatial histories. This complimentary event will include activities in the CBD, UCT, and KwaLanga, concluding on 18 October with a procession from Mendi Avenue to Guga S'Thebe. Makhubu pointed out the festival's goal of confronting the lasting effects of apartheid spatial geography while fostering mobility and unity. The curatorial team employed an open call for submissions, resulting in several site-specific installations that echo local narratives.
Key facts
- The ICA Live Art Festival 2026 takes place from 14 to 18 October 2026 across Cape Town.
- The festival expands into KwaLanga for the first time through partnerships with 16 on Lerotholi and Guga S'Thebe.
- Programming spans Cape Town's streets, squares, heritage sites, and cultural spaces in the CBD, UCT, and KwaLanga.
- On Sunday, 18 October, the festival route runs from Mendi Avenue to 16 Lerotholi and concludes at Guga S'Thebe.
- ICA Director Professor Nomusa Makhubu discussed the festival with ART AFRICA ahead of the event.
- The festival is free and open to all, with the aim of accessibility regardless of financial means.
- Makhubu described apartheid spatial geography as a living violence limiting mobility, livelihood, and solidarity.
- The curatorial team approached the festival through an open call, with some site-specific proposals addressing histories embedded in place.
Entities
Artists
- Nomusa Makhubu
- Suzette Bell-Roberts
Institutions
- ICA
- ICA Live Art Festival
- ART AFRICA
- 16 on Lerotholi
- Guga S'Thebe
- University of Cape Town
- Institute for Creative Arts
Locations
- Cape Town
- South Africa
- KwaLanga
- Mendi Avenue
- Beer Hall
- UCT
- CBD