Cape Town’s 10-day winter art festival, Heat
With 13 art exhibitions, VR experiences, music, comedy, theatre & more
Last updated: Tuesday, 23 July 2025
The 10-day Heat Festival spans 13 galleries, featuring exhibitions by young and emerging artists, theatre shows, comedy nights, and live music. There are curator-led tours, art and music pairings, VR experiences set in a mushroom metaverse, open studios where artists share their creative process, and more. It runs from August 6 to 16, 2025.
Baba Tjeko will be showing his work at SMAC Gallery. Image: Heat Festival
MORE THAN 13 EXHIBITIONS
Heat Festival began in 2024 to support the art scene during the quieter winter months. The participating galleries are within walking distance of each other, which makes it easy to explore.
All exhibitions tie into this year’s theme, Other Worldling, which explores how artists reimagine the past, present and the future. The Reserve Bank of Art exhibition at artHARARE (129 Bree Street) reimagines money as a medium for storytelling and social commentary, with alternative currencies by Dan Halter and Chelsea Mahlangu. Untitled Art presents different visions of reality, through the lens of an architect, Selwyn Steyn to that of a ceramic artist such as Sophia Van Wyk.
Yonela Makoba is participating in RESERVOIR'S exhibition, Frequencies of the Otherwise. Image: Heat Festival
Hannelie Coetzee’s Baboonish Hyenas Not Monkeying Around will be at Nel Art Gallery (117 Long Street), and features drawings that explore queerness in the animal kingdom.
There are art and music pairings at Iziko South African National Gallery, with the choir Amici de Lumine complementing Andrea Lewis’s exhibition, Motherhood: Duality and Paradoxes. They Came & Left Footprints at the Norval Foundation is given another layer of significance through the indigenous musical compositions of Sky Dladla.
"Ada in blue" by Olamide Ogunade showing at Christopher Moller Gallery. Image: Heat Festival
JAZZ, THEATRE & COMEDY NIGHTS
The festival goes far beyond visual art. There are two stand-up nights headlined by South African comedians KG Mokgadi and Robby Collins at Alliance Francaise (155 Loop Street).
There’ll also be an eclectic mix of music, from the UCT Opera, to Latin jazz from a female trio of artists (MANA, giulietta price and Mishy Kope) and R&B and funk rap from Luukhanyo and the Hii Rollers.
And for theatre, the diverse productions at Wave Theatre (44 Long Street) are a festival highlight. Such as Kitso Seti’s once-censored play on identity, Confused Mhlaba; Tankiso Mamabolo’s wry solo piece Don’t Believe a Word I say; and Lemons, Lemons, Lemons by Max du Toit, a sharp take on love in a world where words are limited.
Opera UCT will present "Dreams & Desires." Image: Heat Festival
ART TALKS & VR EXPERIENCES
The Heat Festival hub (located at Alliance Francaise, 155 Loop Street) is a space where festival goers can view an exhibition by Untitled Art and see a variety of performances from opera to comedy.
While you’re there, you can check out Convergence by Wessel Albertse, a free VR experience that drops you into a dystopian version of Cape Town, shaped by the effects of climate change. You’ll wear VR goggles and wander through this metaverse at your own pace.
Plus, Symbiosis Dysbiosis, a unique VR live performance, will make its South African debut. The actors, joining virtually from places like Germany and Canada, will meet in a shared metaverse, while the audience watches on screen, like in a theatre. It’s set in a surreal, mushroom world.
Tankiso Mambololo in "Don't Believe a Word I Say." Image: Heat Festival
TOURS, WALKS, OPEN STUDIOS
There are curator-led tours where you can meet the artists, curators, and dealers behind them. Plus, there are public art walks through the city sponsored by Mission for Inner City Cape Town, highlighting a variety of works by South African artists.highlighting a variety of works by South African artists.
At Lemkus Gallery (28 St Georges Mall), there will be an Open Studio where artists share their creative process, from concept to exhibition. Browse the full Heat Festival programme here.
"Taking Root (Tudong and Bougainvillea)" by Whaleed Ahjum showing at Sisonke Gallery. Image: Heat Festival
ART FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT
Heat Festival starts on Wednesday, 6 August at 6pm with a grand opening across the city, as 12 galleries open their exhibitions simultaneously.
See the different galleries you can visit for the opening night:
Gallery |
Address |
artHARARE |
129 Bree Street |
Christopher Moller Gallery |
7 Kloofnek Road |
EBONY/CURATED |
67 Loop Street |
Eclectica Contemporary |
56 Church Street |
Nel Art Gallery |
117 Long Street |
Lemkus Gallery |
4th Floor, Exchange Building, 28 St Georges Mall |
RESERVOIR |
7th Floor, Bree Castle House, 68 Bree Street |
Sisonke Gallery |
90 Bree Street |
Union House (House Union Block) |
25 Commercial Street |
WORLDART |
68 Long Street |
Everard Read Cape Town |
3 Portswood Road, V&A Waterfront |
SMAC Gallery |
25 Church Street |
BUY HEAT FESTIVAL TICKETS
HEAT Festival is happening: 6 to 16 August 2025
Find it: Various galleries across the city
Book: Via Quicket
Find out more: HEAT Festival website, hello@heatfestival.org
By Saarah Gierdien
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ART, MUSEUMS & THINGS TO DO
There’s always 7+ things to do this weekend.
Here’s our list of unique art galleries in Cape Town.
Plus 18 of the most moving Cape Town museums to explore.
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HEAT Festival
Cape Town's latest arts festival that champions up-and-coming artists. Happening 6 - 16 August 2025. | |
Cape Town City Centre | |
heat_arts_festival |