Brief
ICA Live Art Festival turns Cape Town streets into free performance venues
The Institute for Creative Arts stages about 30 free performances across eight city routes between 14 and 18 October.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Cape Town will host the eighth Institute for Creative Arts (ICA) Live Art Festival from 14 to 18 October 2026, turning public spaces into free performance venues, bizcommunity reported.
The programme includes roughly 30 performances and installations spanning dance, theatre, visual art, music, architecture and performance. Eight routes connect sites such as Hiddingh Campus, the Company's Garden, the Iziko Amphitheatre, Station Forecourt, St George’s Mall, the Castle, 16 on Lerotholi Gallery and Guga S’thebe.
ICA director Professor Nomusa Makhubu said each site has its own rhythm, audiences and histories, and that the festival aims to listen to those contexts before presenting work. Curators Themba Stewart and Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose assembled a mixed‑discipline roster that includes Vincent Mantsoe, Mandla Mbothwe, Mwenya Kabwe, Gavin Krastin, Auriol Hays, Qondiswa James, Wezile Harmans, Oupa Sibeko, Lungiswa Plaatjies, Meghna Singh, Sbo Ndaba Dance and Wolff Architects.
The festival also introduces an international exchange component, bringing Swedish live artist Mauritz Tistelo to collaborate with South African creators.
By moving art into streets, gardens and cultural sites, the ICA hopes to activate urban spaces, broaden audience reach and give artists a chance to develop site‑specific work that responds directly to local communities.
Key facts
- The ICA Live Art Festival runs from 14‑18 October 2026 in Cape Town. (bizcommunity.com)
- Around 30 free performances and installations will be presented across eight city routes. (bizcommunity.com)
- Professor Nomusa Makhubu is the ICA director quoted about site‑specific programming. (bizcommunity.com)
- Curators Themba Stewart and Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose selected a multidisciplinary roster of South African artists. (bizcommunity.com)
- Swedish artist Mauritz Tistelo will collaborate with local artists as part of an international exchange. (bizcommunity.com)
Sources
- [1] bizcommunity.com — originally reported as “ICA Live Art Festival turns Cape Town into a stage for free public art”
