Smoking Dragon NYE Festival: All You Need To Know.

“Situated in the Northern Drakensberg, the  Smoking Dragon Festival is hosted by Amphitheater Backpackers in Bergville, KZN, and is surrounded by the gorgeous mountain range bordering South Africa and Lesotho, the highest country in the world. The area is home to the world’s largest consolidation of cave paintings, the second highest waterfall on the planet and the biggest indigenous forest in the Berg. But once a year, this premier hiking destination comes alive with the sounds of the country’s best local talent performing across a few different stages.” - Lauren Melnick

This year, Smoking Dragon Festival collaborates with EDM entertainment giant, OneLove Productions, to bring you a five-day dual-festival showcasing talent from all over the country. From the 29th until the 2nd of January, the Amphitheatre Backpackers Lodge will play host to OneLove Productions’ Connexion Festival and Smoking Dragon’s annual NYE Festival. Connexion will be a showcase of the best EDM and psytrance acts the country has to offer while Smoking Dragon showcases the best alternative and underground music acts. Connexion’s main floor is set overlooking the dam with The Amphitheatre panorama as its backdrop, and its second floor will be a Drum n Bass stage set right next to the Amphitheatre pizzeria. Connexion’s headliners are ARJUNA (Italy/India), KLIMENT (Bulgaria), Flooting Grooves (South Africa) and Once Upon A Time (South Africa).

During the day until 6pm from the 30th Smoking Dragon Festival will showcase a live music stage curated by Black Labone, another beloved entertainment giant based in Pretoria. The Ripple Zone as we know it will be hosted by the pool area instead of the dam for some intimate daytime festivities spanning DJ performances and art activities facilitated by iMibala Foundations until 6pm daily. Thereafter another stage known as The Dragon’s Cave will begin its night-time discotheque program until 6am in the bar/restaurant indoor area which is also where Smoking Dragon’s opening and closing Pink Parties on the 29th of December and 2nd of January respectively will be hosted and headlined by Nicky B, Les G, Kanii Axtro, DJ Biskit & Ugin The Muzikal Freak. Sex-positive, kink-positive and pleasure-centric, The Pink Party is a space supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community.

And that is not the last of it: this year Smoking Dragon Festival introduces a pop-up listening bar experience upstairs at its newly installed Cannabar for the introverted audiophiles who enjoy underground sounds on a warm soundsystem. This is where you’ll find dub & reggae, free jazz, maskandi, boombap, and any other left-wing sonic expressions by some of the best underground selectors you won’t normally find on a regular event bill. The Cannabar is a Hi Lounge and Cold Start Dab Bar with an “Amsterdam-style” coffee shop set up for the loungers and conversationalists. Here you will find the Green Side Kiosk selling a range of delectable baked treats, warm and cold beverages, superfood smoothies, CBD products and cannabis accessories.

Here are some frequently asked questions:

1. How do I purchase a ticket?

By clicking on this link NEW YEARS ENTRY TICKET | Smoking Dragon - Tickets & Events

2. How much is a ticket?

R1300 for a ticket which includes 5-day camping and access to both the Connexion Festival and Smoking Dragon’s NYE Festival entertainment programs.

3. Do I get a camping tent when I purchase this ticket or do I have to bring my own tent?

You have to bring your own tent for camping.

4. Are there any other accommodation options to explore apart from camping?

You can book 2-sleeper Safari Tents or chalets at the Amphitheatre Backpackers Lodge in groups of 6 and 8. Click here for more info NEW YEARS ACCOMMODATION | Smoking Dragon - Tickets & Events

5. How do I get there?

You can drive there, fly privately or take a bus to Harrismith and connect with a local shuttle service from Harrismith to Bergville.

6. Who else is playing at both festivals apart from the aforementioned headliners?

Relative Theory, Mason The Artist, Phoenix, Ebb & Flow, STU Black, Dr Bops, Thorne & Boogy Monsta for Connexion Festival; The Tidal Waves, Blakka Yut, Black Labone House Band, Black Villain, Sumthin Brown, Hanwah (Eswatini), Reina’R (Botswana), Rivoningo & Masai Sepuru for Smoking Dragon Festival. Click on link below for the full line up for both festivals.

LINE UP (smokingdragon.org)

7. Is the event cashless?

No, the event is not cashless.

8. What other facilities will people have access to and enjoy?

Campers will have access to toilets, showers, and communal self-catering kitchens housing refrigerators, gas stoves and braai areas. Those in chalets will have their own kitchens and bathrooms inside the rooms with fresh bedding daily. Festival goers will have access to a plateau of greenery to lounge on during the day, bars and food trucks to buy from, a pizzeria and cannabis bar upstairs, a pool, jacuzzi and a sauna.

Two dams and a river are on site, and there are multiple nearby outdoor activities that festival-goers can also partake in like cycling, fishing, quad biking, kayaking etc. The eco-friendly location has a grey water plant and zero plastic policy. Water is from a borehole and is solar-heated.

9. What should I bring?

✓ festival ticket
✓ tent
✓ blow-up mattress / sleeping bag
✓ torch
✓ pillow(s)
✓ camera
✓ clothes
✓ umbrella

✓ water bottle

✓ sunscreen

✓ phone charger
✓ inflatables
✓ blankets
✓ camping chairs
✓ cooler box
✓ a towel
✓ toiletries
✓ gazebo

And most importantly, don’t forget your booze and ice! If you run out, there is a shooter bar and a shop just down the road called Die Outspan that sells overpriced ice to the desperate and needy.

10. What to wear?

✓ Flip flops for the day and closed shoes for the night

✓ A light jacket for the evening

✓ Swimming costume

✓ Sunglasses and a hat