The beginning ...

 "Let's have a music festival," said Peter Ferraz, a trout farm owner and former journalist, to his friend, Bart Fokkens, one evening over a few drinks.

"OK, I'll organise it," said Bart, a former forester who was in the process of setting up a computer rental company in Durban.

The date was early 1990. The occasion was Bart's 31st birthday party. The two friends had been reminiscing about the great festivals such as Woodstock and Glastonbury which launched a generation of music onto an unsuspecting world.

Several months later, the first Splashy Fen festival was born ...

The Music ...

The early music @ Splashy was folk and light folk rock, as well as black music styles such as mbaqanga and iscathamiya.

Over the years, the focus has broadened to include mainstream and alternative rock and pop, including some of the country's most popular current acts.

Only genuine original music is played at Splashy Fen and this has played a part in creating a fusion of styles and cultures and a feeling of shared co-existence between previously disparate artists.

The Venue ...

The festival is held on the farm Splashy Fen, which is situated 19 kms from Underberg, watched over by the awesome and majestic Southern Drakensberg Mountains.

The Facilities ..

Infrastructure has been built up over the years to support the growing festival. It includes Eskom power, public telephones, permanent and temporary ablution and sanitary facilities, market stalls for crafters and food vendors, two huge marquees covering two Live Music stages, a Drum Workshop  marquee, a Free Stage, and Medical and Security personnel. Tons of music equipment is assembled each year to ensure that the quality of the sound matches the quality of the music.