The festival’s name is a colloquial abbreviation of the Afrikaans phrase “op die koppie”, which literally means “on the hill”. It was named so because festival stages and a bar are indeed located on top of a hill, while the camping area is at the foot of the hill. The festival has multiple stages, where many simultaneous musical, dance and comedy performances take place.
The inaugural Oppikoppi Festival took place in 1994. It featured 26 South African bands (including Urban Creep, Battery 9, Sugardrive, Valiant Swart, and Koos Kombius) performing in front of a small audience of enthusiasts.
The festival has since grown considerably and now attracts over 20,000 music lovers each year. In 2008, the British newspaper Daily Mirror ranked Oppikoppi among the world’s 10 best music festivals. The festival is credited with helping to jump-start the local rock music movement in the late 90s.
The present-day Oppikoppi is a festival with several stages that hosts about 160 concerts over three days. The festival plays host to a complete mixed bag of genres, including, but not limited to: rock, hip-hop, hardcore, punk, ska, folk, blues, drum & bass, big beats, Kwaito, jazz, metal, indie, soul, funk, traditional, world music, and others.
Performances by South African artists still are an important part of the program because one of the festival’s main goals is to promote local musicians. Nevertheless, Oppikoppi has hosted plenty of international acts as well. Notable musicians and bands that have performed at Oppikoppi include Yelawolf, KONGOS, Gogol Bordello, Aloe Blacc, Deftones, Sum 41, Groove Armada, Die Antwoord, and more.
In the past the team of Oppikippi used to organize smaller events throughout the year, including the Easter edition (that was held annually from 1998 to 2009), New Year’s gatherings, and concerts in Cape Town featuring festival headliners. Each event had its own name and theme.
Photo: oppikoppi.co.za
