We aspire to activate community participation and ownership through this event, inviting YOU – businesses & residents & anyone interested in joining our event, to come together and participate in co-creating a magical experience free from corporate influence and sponsorship, through gifting, self-expression and other art. We also strive to bring a message of leaving no trace, and living in the moment.
How do we do this?
Inspired by the AfrikaBurn ethos, The Happening invites everyone in the local community, as well as the broader Johannesburg and Gauteng to participate in this day and make the arts come alive. The AfrikaBurn community in Gauteng has grown over the years and is ready to contribute to this inner-city event.
Central to the social experiment at the AfrikaBurn festival, is the gifting economy. This means the removal of financial and bartering transactions and replacing them with acts of kindness or gifting, which does not contemplate the receival of something in return for a gift. This is a powerful way that informs how we live our daily lives.
In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships and advertising. This is true at the AfrikaBurn festival and also at The Happening.
We therefore do not accept sponsorships for The Happening event or any of its components, should this require any form of advertising at the event. People are encouraged to gift their time, their craft or any other gift they feel would contribute to the community/event.
Artists that perform or showcase their work at the event are also making a gift in that they are not compensated for their performances at the event.
We do however recognise that people have to make a living in the city, and therefore we have stalls at The Happening where artists can sell their craft as well as their art.
The Happening aims to leave the suburb in a better state than what it was before. Where litter is concerned, we encourage the public to take responsibility for the waste they generate in their daily lives and educate people on recycling. We leave the suburb spotless.
Why is it called “The Happening” ?
The name “The Happening” was inspired by Allan Kaprow’s 18 Happenings in 6 Parts, which took place in New York in 1959.
Happenings were spontaneous, often improvisational, performances that took place in a variety of settings, from galleries and museums to public spaces like parks and streets.
They were characterized by their unpredictability and audience participation, often blurring the line between performer and spectator.
It is exactly this blurring of who is a spectator and who is the performer, that we want to advocate through our event – everyone can be a performer in their own right, and we encourage you to participate with us!
The Happening Event – Melville 2024
When? 2 March 2024, from 10am to 6pm
Where? 7th Street Melville
What’s in it for me?
We provide a blank canvas, an opportunity to showcase yourself and something that you are good at or simply have a passion for. We provide a time/space to do something different to your normal money-driven life. Through doing this, we believe this experience will leave you transformed, and inspired to a better way of life.
How can I participate?
See how you can Participate :
How can I donate?
