Joint Press statement | Feast of the Clowns partner organisations officially launch the 2026 Feast of the Clowns campaign

Date: 18/08/2026


Feast of the Clowns partner organisations officially launch the 2026 Feast of the Clowns campaign under the theme: Reset! Organise! Rise!

The undersigned Feast of the Clowns partner organisations are proud to officially launch the 2026 Feast of the Clowns Campaign, marking the beginning of a month-long community movement that brings together people, organisations, faith communities, artists, and activists to celebrate creativity, inspire hope, and advance social justice.

This year holds special significance as the Feast of the Clowns marks almost three decades of bringing communities together through creativity, hope, faith, and purposeful action.

The Feast of the Clowns is an annual community-based festival that celebrates the city of Tshwane, its rich diversity, and God’s presence within it. Run by the community, for the community, the festival creates a vibrant space where people from all walks of life come together to connect, celebrate, and imagine a more just and inclusive city. For the past decades, the Feast of the Clowns has served as a platform for raising awareness of critical social justice issues while inviting communities into peaceful and playful forms of protest. Through art, music, performance, dialogue, and shared experiences, the festival reclaims public spaces as places of belonging, dignity, and hope. More than an annual social justice event, it forms part of a broader journey of community transformation that champions healthy and vibrant communities where every person is seen, valued, and empowered to participate in shaping a better future.

The 2026 campaign is launched under the theme Reset! Organise! Rise! This call recognises that while the world, our cities, and our communities continue to evolve, civic and faith-based responses often remain unchanged. It is therefore a call to pause, discern, renew our commitment, and strengthen our collective responsibility to protect, accompany, and uplift those who are most vulnerable.

A meaningful reset creates the foundation for purposeful organisation. When communities unite around shared values of justice, compassion, and accountability, they become better equipped to challenge poverty, corruption, inequality, exclusion, and systems that undermine human dignity. From that foundation, communities are empowered to rise with courage, reject the role of passive victims, and become active agents of positive social change. The Feast of the Clowns continues to challenge the perception of the inner city as a place defined by crime, neglect, and hopelessness. Instead, it celebrates the inner city as a place of resilience, creativity, opportunity, and community. Through this movement, people are encouraged to hold those in positions of power accountable while working collectively to build safer, more just, and more inclusive communities.

The 2026 campaign will unfold through a series of community centered activities from 14 August to 28 August 2026, including dialogues, workshops, awareness campaigns, movie nights, community activations, and other creative engagements that will build momentum towards the main festival.

The campaign will culminate on 29 August 2026 with the Feast of the Clowns Festival at Burgers Park, Tshwane, from 09:00 to 16:00. Through art, music, playful protest, exhibitions, roadshows, storytelling, and interactive experiences, the festival will celebrate community resilience while inspiring active citizenship, solidarity, and collective action for social justice.

As we mark almost three decades of the Feast of the Clowns, we invite members of the public, community organisations, faith communities, civil society organisations, partners, and stakeholders to join us in embracing this year’s call to RESET! ORGANISE! RISE!

Together, we can continue building communities where every person belongs, every voice matters, and justice is pursued with courage, creativity, and hope.

Feast of the Clowns partner Organisations:

Tshwane Leadership Foundation

Centre for Faith and Community at University of Pretoria

Lawyers for Human Rights

 

Media Enquiries:

Tshwane Leader Leadership Foundation: victoriab@tlf.org.za

Centre for Faith and Community at UP: lance.thomas@up.ac.za

Lawyers for Human Rights: Mpho@lhr.org.za 

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