How about a two-day Sand Music Festival?

By this time two weeks ago, the hype among festival goers was just too high. The day for the annual Sand Music Festival had arrived.

All roads led to Kambiri Beach By Serendib in Salima. And by 6pm, the venue was a beehive of activity. Motorists raced against each other to find the best parking slots, small business enterprises were also engrossed in setting up their stalls to make a killing out of the three-day event.

Inside the arena, patrons were seen dashing in all directions searching for the right place to mount their tents so that they follow the events comfortably. The organisers were the busiest lot as they laboured to set up the sound system in readiness for the events.

There is no denying that the SandFest remains the biggest art event on the entertainment calendar in Malawi. The loyalty, support and love that people have shown during the 13 years that the event has been around has been nothing but phenomenal.

Despite random talk about the selection of headliners weeks before the event, thousands still thronged Kambiri Beach. It is a platform that has provided everything in terms of entertainment.

Names have been built from this platform and on the same SandFest stage other artists almost ruined their promising careers.

It was, therefore, not surprising that the event increased the numbers it raked in the last two years in terms of patronage.

But the turnout on the first day was not as inspiring as many expected. The power glitches disadvantaged the organisers, Impakt Events. That, however, did not kill the spirit among the festival goers.

Somehow the fans still believed that things would eventually take off perfectly. And even before the first day performances ended, things such as quality in sound output had improved immensely.

The second day was generally a flyer. Almost all the headliners were on call and one by one they made people dance until the early hours of Sunday. Nobody really complained.

The third day provided a moment to reflect. Generally, patrons find it difficult to stay on until the performances of the final day. Factors such as fatigue and the desire to get back home and prepare for the next day at work all come into play.

The beach is generally deserted. One can actually count the remaining patrons. Nonetheless, there are always exciting names on the list of performances. And this year it was no different. The performances by Nyandoro Mthenga and Alleluiah Band were a marvel to watch.

It was sad that these performances were done before a small audience. Not that the patrons that were present during the first two days were not keen to watch the remaining acts, no! But the balancing act with other demands did not play in their favour.

I have been thinking, what if Impakt Events explores the idea of making SandFest a two-day performance event?. The third day can be left to other fun and games.

I am sure artists billed for Sunday can be slotted in that time. That way everyone can be offered value for his presence at the event.

The classical performances on Sunday were worth anybody’s watch. I am sure one day everyone will stand an equal opportunity to watch such performances at SandFest. Long live SandFest!