Oppikoppi
Oppikoppi was a music festival held in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, near the mining town of Northam. The festival started off focusing mostly on rock music, but gradually added more genres and now plays host to a complete mixed bag of genres. Anything from jazz, world music, house music, acoustic, comedy and all else in between can be heard on one of the multiple stages. Each year in the first week of August - except for 2017, when the festival was held in October - thousands of people used to flock to the farm to camp out in the bush and enjoy the music for several days. The festival features mostly South African bands, although international acts are included in the line-up.
Oppikoppi | |
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Oppikoppi from the top | |
Genre | Various – rock, jazz, house, acoustic, world music, comedy, metal, indy, soul, punk, emo, many more |
Dates | First week of October. |
Location(s) | Northam, South Africa |
Years active | Since 1994 |
Website | oppikoppi |
Background
"Oppikoppi" was a colloquial abbreviation of the Afrikaans phrase "op die koppie", which literally means "on the hill".[1] The festival derives its name from the resort on the piece of land where it is held, featuring a picturesque hill on top of which there is a bar and a small original stage. Once a year, the festival grounds were erected at the foot of that hill, where many simultaneous performances took place on the several stages. Beyond this were the camping grounds. A stage on a second hill usually featured dance acts and DJs.
History
The festival was first held in August 1995, with 27 local talents performing to a small crowd of enthusiasts. It has since grown substantially, with the addition of many new stages and thousands of people turning up each year. The festival is regarded by some as the primary influence in jump-starting the South African live music movement in the late 1990s. It attracts thousands of attendees annually.
According to the organizers they have "rolled bakkies, burnt tents, driven over knees, slept in jails, slept outside jails and turned over several stones to make gigs and festivals work."
In 2008, the Daily Mirror ranked OppiKoppi as the 4th best music festival in the world.[2]
The festival has grown yearly, with 16 000 attendees and around 100 acts for both 2010 and 2011 and an estimated 20 000 attendees and 130 acts for 2012.
Acts and genres
The festival hosts a wide array of acts, with artists being booked from genres including, but not limited to: rock, hip hop, hardcore, punk, ska, folk, blues, drum ‘n bass, big beats, funk, kwaito, jazz, traditional, world music, metal, indie and other genres.
In the past there had been smaller, more intimate gatherings on each Easter weekend in April and New Year's gatherings.
In 2012, Oppikoppi announced that it would be organising a festival in Cape Town called "One Night in Cape Town".[3][4] One Night In Cape Town was organised again in 2013,[5] and every year since.
Previous editions
Oppikoppi is generally divided into three different strains of Oppikoppi: the main event in August, the Easter edition (which was discontinued after 2009) and miscellaneous events for various reasons. Regardless of the occasion, date and size of each event, they have all had different names and themes associated with them. The organisers took a "gap year" in 2019 following negative reviews of the 2018 edition[6]. 2020 dates have not yet been announced.
Easter Festivals | ||||
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Year[7] | Name[7] | |||
1998 | African Savannas Easter | |||
1999 | Ontlont! | |||
2000 | How's Your Mother? | |||
2001 | Patrolliehond | |||
2002 | Willie Smit | |||
2003 | If Not Tomorrow, Then The Next Day | |||
2004 | Oppikoppi 10: You Check The Level, The Level Is Fine With Me | |||
2005 | Dust on My Meerkat | |||
2006 | Haat My Want Ek Vrees My Hasie | |||
2007 | More Than Somewhat | |||
2008 | VMMIJDKWMKAHOID’nAPMWEMP | |||
2009 | Strictly Come Twakkie (Not quite Easter festival) |
Other Festivals | ||||
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Year | Name | Occasion | ||
1995 | New Year's Bushveld Jol | New Year's Eve | ||
1996 | Moerrit Boetie New Year's Jol | New Year's Eve | ||
1997 | Inni Tanne New Year's Jol | New Year's Eve | ||
2003 | Beetroot | – | ||
2012 | One Night in Cape Town | Cape Town leg of Oppikoppi featuring headlining performers | ||
2013 | One Night in Cape Town | Cape Town leg of Oppikoppi featuring headlining performers | ||
2013 | Post aKOPPIlyptic Punk Picnic | Billy Talent performance | ||
2014 | Original Voices | Cape Town leg of Oppikoppi featuring international performers | ||
2014 | One Night in Cape Town | Cape Town leg of Oppikoppi featuring headlining performers | ||
References
- "Google Translate". translate.google.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "The Home Of Great South African News | SA Good News". sagoodnews.co.za. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "One Night in Cape Town! at GrandWest". bizcommunity.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi coming to Cape Town | Channel24". channel24.co.za. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi: Deftones and Yellowcard Concert Cape Town | Oppikoppi Comes To Cape Town Womens Day Public Holiday 28-July-2016". capetownmagazine.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- jess (8 June 2018). "The best festivals in South Africa (and the ones you've never heard of)". How Dare She. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- "Oppikoppi Festival - About | Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 1995 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 1995 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 1996 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 1996 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 1997 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 1997 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 1998 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 1998 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 1999 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 1999 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2000 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2000 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2001 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2001 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2002 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Sep 2002 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2003 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2003 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2004 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2004 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2005 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2005 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2006 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2006 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2007 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2007 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2008 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2008 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2009 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2009 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2010 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2010 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2011 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2011 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2012 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2012 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Oppikoppi 2013 Northam Line-up, Photos & Videos Aug 2013 – Songkick". songkick.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- Sethusa, Pheladi (10 August 2014). "Oppikoppi Odyssey spirals down". The Citizen. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- "And the theme for Oppikoppi 2015 is…". News24. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- "August Burns Red At Oppikoppi 2016". Lalelani. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- "Oppikoppi Nomakanjani". 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- "Oppikoppi 2017 Line-up Announced". 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
External links
- Oppikoppi's Homepage
- Oppikoppi 2006 review by Jackie Bischof, The Citizen, August 2006
- Oppikoppi on Google Earth Community
- Panoramic crowd photos taken from the stage during Oppikoppi 2012
- About Oppikoppi Productions
- Oppikoppi Productions Contact Details
- Oppikoppi Productions News