In addition to valuing the impact of the Royal Heritage Festival (RHF), one of the aims of this research was to test the Framework for the Monitoring and Evaluation of Publically Funded Arts, Culture and Heritage (SACO, 2016).
The Royal Heritage Festival (RHF) in Vhembe is described by organisers as Limpopo’s biggest music festival, now in its 5th year. The event took place over three days(8 – 10 September 2016), made up of a career day, the King Mphephu Fun Walk, followed by Musangwe, a traditional form of bare-knuckle “traditional royal boxing”, and an all-night Music Concert, which formed the main part of the Festival.
A large proportion of the participants were residents of Thohoyandou and other parts of Limpopo Province. In addition to valuing the impact of the Royal Heritage Festival (RHF), one of the aims of this research was to test the Framework for the Monitoring and Evaluation of Publically Funded Arts, Culture and Heritage. Face-to-face interviews were conducted at the events, using a structured questionnaire, in order to draw conclusions. It was possible only to estimate the economic impact (between R7.78m and R10.51m) since the data required was not made available by the due date for the submission of the report.
Participants rated the Festival highly for increasing understanding of African cultural heritage, as an opportunity to talk and meet with others, and for increasing an understanding and enjoyment of music.
Ninety-one percent of the visitors said that they came specifically to attend the RHF, which implies that, if the festival had not taken place, they would not have come. Nearly a quarter (23%) of the participants said that they were extending their trip to visit other tourist places nearby, which speaks to the RHF’s aim of marketing the province as a tourist destination.
