Abstract
Afrikaans arts festivals occupy a distinctive position within South Africa’s cultural landscape. Beyond providing entertainment and opportunities for artistic consumption, these festivals constitute public spaces in which language, heritage, cultural identity and belonging are expressed, negotiated and continually reinterpreted. This role is particularly significant within South Africa’s multilingual and historically unequal society, where language remains closely associated with cultural heritage, social belonging and contested identities. Contemporary Afrikaans arts festivals also operate within a changing cultural environment characterised by post-apartheid transformation, multiculturalism, digitalisation and increasingly diverse interpretations of Afrikaans identity. Consequently, the cultural and symbolic meanings attached to these festivals cannot necessarily be assumed to be shared equally across generations.
Existing research on South African and Afrikaans arts festivals has provided important insights into festival motivations, audience segmentation, arts appreciation, participation, loyalty and perceived cultural value. Related scholarship has examined language, multilingualism, language ideologies and cultural identity, while generational research suggests that sociohistorical situated cohorts may differ in their cultural orientations, consumption patterns and participation preferences. These research streams have, however, largely developed in parallel. Less empirical attention has been devoted to the intersection between generation, cultural belonging and the cultural and linguistic meanings attached to Afrikaans arts festivals. It therefore remains insufficiently understood whether different generations merely participate in these festivals differently or whether the cultural and linguistic meaning of the festival itself differs across generations.
Against this background, the purpose of the study was to investigate generational differences in motivations, cultural belonging, perceived festival contributions, behavioural intentions, and participation and expenditure behaviour among attendees of an Afrikaans arts festival in South Africa. Generational cohorts were specifically compared in terms of cultural belonging, festival motivations, perceived cultural, linguistic, social and economic festival contributions, behavioural intentions, and participation and expenditure behaviour. The study integrates generational cohort theory with cultural identity theory. Cultural identity theory provides a lens through which festivals can be understood as symbolic spaces where identity is socially and historically constructed through language, shared narratives, cultural practices and collective experiences. Generational cohort theory complements this perspective by proposing that people whose formative years occur during different sociohistorical periods may develop different values, orientations and behavioural patterns. Integrating these perspectives makes it possible to interpret generational differences not merely as differences in consumer preferences and behaviour, but also as possible differences in the cultural meaning attached to participation in a language-based festival.
Rather than relying on conventional Western generational categories, the study employed the South African generational framework of Lappeman, Egan and Coppin (2020). This framework contextualises generational cohorts according to significant transitions in South Africa’s sociohistorical development. Four cohorts were represented in the study: generation second wave (18–25 years), the transition generation (26–45 years), the struggle generation (46–64 years), and the apartheid generation (65 years and older). This context-specific framework is particularly relevant because contemporary South African generations have been shaped by markedly different experiences of apartheid, political resistance, democratisation, post-apartheid transformation, globalisation and digitalisation. Generation was nevertheless treated as a contextual analytical lens rather than a deterministic explanation of individual behaviour, recognising that life stage, income, education, language use and other factors may also influence cultural participation.
The study adopted a quantitative, cross-sectional research design and was conducted during the 2025 Toyota US Woordfees (Stellenbosch), South Africa. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire distributed primarily on site by eight trained fieldworkers across different festival venues and programme genres. On-site data collection yielded 542 completed questionnaires, supplemented by 53 online responses, resulting in a final sample of 595. Of these respondents, 561 provided valid year-of-birth information and could therefore be classified into generational cohorts for comparative analysis.
The questionnaire measured demographic characteristics, festival attendance and expenditure behaviour, cultural belonging, festival motivations, perceived festival contributions and future behavioural intentions. Exploratory factor analysis identified cultural belonging and inclusivity; three motivational dimensions, namely appreciation of the arts and distinctiveness, nostalgia and cultural identity, and escape and social enjoyment; three dimensions of perceived festival contributions, namely cultural and language affirmation, destination and economic impact, and social and cultural development; and festival and destination loyalty. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey HSD post-hoc tests, were used to identify statistically significant differences between the generational cohorts.
The findings reveal meaningful generational differences in both the intensity and nature of engagement with the festival. The struggle generation represented 33% of the analytical sample and the apartheid generation 28%, while generation second wave accounted for 21% and the transition generation for 18%. Significant differences emerged in previous festival attendance, number of nights stayed, theatre and performance tickets purchased, attendance of free festival items, and expenditure on productions, accommodation, restaurants and total festival spending. The strongest expenditure pattern was evident in total spending: the struggle generation (R6 296,46) and apartheid generation (R5 901,45) formed a statistically similar higher-spending group, compared with the transition generation (R3 300,90) and generation second wave (R1 269,19). Older cohorts therefore remained particularly important in terms of both participation intensity and economic contribution.
Generational differences were also evident across the attitudinal constructs. For cultural belonging and inclusivity, generation second wave recorded the lowest mean (3,81), followed by the transition generation (4,04), struggle generation (4,26) and apartheid generation (4,39). The strongest motivational distinction concerned appreciation of the arts and distinctiveness, for which generation second wave scored significantly lower than the older cohorts. Differences in nostalgia and cultural identity, and escape and social enjoyment, were less pronounced. The results therefore did not indicate a simple linear increase with age across all dimensions but rather construct-specific patterns of generational difference.
One of the clearest findings concerned perceptions of the festival’s role in cultural and language affirmation. The struggle generation (4,39) and apartheid generation (4,40) formed a statistically similar high-scoring group and scored significantly higher than generation second wave (3,89) and the transition generation (4,10). Older cohorts also reported stronger perceptions of the festival’s destination and economic impact and its contribution to social and cultural development. Festival and destination loyalty differed significantly between generations, with generation second wave reporting the lowest mean (4,24), compared with the struggle (4,56) and apartheid (4,58) generations. Importantly, loyalty nevertheless remained relatively high across all four cohorts. The findings therefore do not suggest a simple rejection of Afrikaans arts festivals by younger attendees, but rather different intensities and forms of cultural and behavioural engagement.
The findings make several theoretical contributions. They support the interpretation of arts festivals as more than sites of cultural consumption: These festivals are symbolic spaces in which language, identity, heritage and belonging are experienced and negotiated. The results further demonstrate that the cultural and linguistic significance of these spaces is not generationally homogeneous. Older cohorts displayed stronger cultural belonging, cultural and language affirmation, loyalty, and economic investment, suggesting that the festival’s cultural and linguistic functions may resonate stronger with their sociohistorical experiences. Younger attendees demonstrated more selective and experience-oriented patterns of engagement while still evaluating most aspects of the festival positively. The transition generation frequently occupied an intermediate and statistically overlapping position, highlighting the fluidity of generational identity within post-apartheid South Africa.
A particularly important contribution is the positioning of Afrikaans arts festivals as spaces of language-identity negotiation. Afrikaans functions within these contexts not only as a medium of communication but also as a symbolic cultural resource associated with heritage, belonging, continuity and social positioning. The study therefore extends festival research beyond its conventional emphasis on motivations, participation, and loyalty by demonstrating that generational differences are also evident in perceptions of the preservation, use, and symbolic value of Afrikaans. Younger generations’ comparatively lower levels of cultural belonging and language affirmation should consequently not automatically be interpreted as cultural alienation. Instead, they may reflect changing and more fluid ways of negotiating Afrikaans identity within a post-apartheid, multicultural and digitally mediated environment.
From a practical perspective, the findings point to a dual sustainability challenge. Afrikaans arts festivals need to retain older core audiences, whose cultural attachment, repeat attendance, programme participation and expenditure make them culturally and economically important, while simultaneously developing meaningful pathways for younger audiences. This calls for a strategy of retention and renewal rather than a choice between heritage and innovation. Festivals can preserve high-quality theatre, literature, music, and language-related programming valued by established audiences while broadening access for younger attendees through affordable ticket options, participatory formats, partnerships with educational institutions, emerging artists, digital engagement and contemporary forms of cultural expression. Language affirmation can similarly be approached inclusively by creating space for different varieties of Afrikaans, multilingual productions and evolving artistic forms.
The findings should nevertheless be interpreted within the study’s limitations. Data were collected at a single Afrikaans arts festival using convenience sampling and a cross-sectional design. The observed differences therefore cannot establish that generational membership itself caused the patterns identified, since age, life stage, income, education, language use, and other socioeconomic characteristics may also contribute. Future longitudinal, qualitative, and multi-festival research could help distinguish cohort effects from age and life-stage effects and explore more deeply how different generations articulate the meanings of Afrikaans, cultural belonging, heritage and multilingualism. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that the relevant question is not simply whether generations participate differently in Afrikaans arts festivals, but how the cultural and linguistic meanings of these festivals differ between generations. This distinction provides a more nuanced basis for understanding the role Afrikaans arts festivals can fulfil within a changing, multigenerational, and multicultural South Africa.
Keywords: Afrikaans arts festivals; behavioural intentions; cultural belonging; cultural identity; festival loyalty; festival motivations; generational cohorts; language identity; South Africa
- This article’s featured image was created by Alena Darmel and obtained from Pexels.
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