South Africa’s Festival Of Beads – What You Need To Know

Festival of Beads is an event which highlights and promotes traditional cultural attire made entirely of beads. It is a joint initiative of the KZN Departments of Arts & Culture and Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs in South Africa.

The festival is part the of the efforts aimed at strengthening the local economic development, especially in rural areas.

A market is created for the beads and other traditional craftwork, and these rural women are required to form co-operatives or groups to enter a contest with prizes ranging from R10,000 to R25,000.

Women, ‘young and young at heart’ showcase beads they produced during the Festival, which is usually attended by thousands of people. 

The event is usually part of the Heritage Month celebrations, which comes up every September.

It’s a fun event for everyone and also an opportunity to make some money.