Instead of basking in the glow they were expecting, would-be Stellenbosch festivalgoers were left decidedly in the dark.
Those in the know, pundits in the events-organising sphere and relevant Stellenbosch municipal officials were not surpised when the Glow Festival Stellenbosch, planned for Friday 19 to Sunday 21 September, did not materialise this past weekend.
This, given a reputation for unreliability of its organiser David Huni.
PREVIOUS EVENTS
Six years ago Huni hosted the Garden of Lights Festival in Jan Marais Park, a “poorly-managed event” according to Stellenbosch Municipality.
Municipal spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar said council had resolved not to approve any future events by Huni, as many visitors and vendors of the 2019 festival had demanded refunds from him.
Warnings of Huni’s events had also come from those who attended his events before – vendors and hosts from George to Australia, where Huni was set to host light or dinosaur-related festivals.
A history of organising events and then cancelling them at the last minute is so well-known that Cape Talk radio presenter Lester Kiewit of Good Morning Cape Town kept tabs on Huni’s multiple dealings for five years.
His modus operandi seems to be to promote the events, without the necessary permissions and permits, and then cancel a few days before they are set to take place.
MUNICIPAL WARNING
This same sequence of events took place last week when the organisers of the Glow Festival Stellenbosch posted a notice on the event’s social-media page: “We regret to inform you that, due to unforeseen circumstances, we have no option but to postpone the Christmas Lights Festival [sic], which was originally scheduled to take place from 19 to 21 September 2025 at Sandringham Farm.
“The new dates for the festival will be announced shortly via this platform. All patrons are reminded that their tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled dates.”
After the local municipality’s warnings Eikestadnuus reached out to Mariette (she refused to state her surname), a member of the organising team and whose details were on the Facebook page, in August, but received no response.
According to Grobbelaar, the cancellation of the festival was expected. “The cancellation of the 2025 event came as no surprise to us and has again left visitors and vendors frustrated,” he said.
“While the organisers are promising refunds, we remain concerned given the history of refund disputes in 2019. For years it seems that many of these events are always cancelled at the last minute due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.”
GLOBAL CANCELLATIONS
These include events in various provinces and even events seemingly arranged in Australia and Canada.
“We urge residents to exercise caution when large events are advertised and to always confirm whether the municipality has granted approval. Stellenbosch Municipality will continue to prioritise the safety of our residents and ensure that only lawful, well-managed events are hosted in our area,” Grobbelaar said.
In 2022 the Department of Northern Territory Consumer Affairs in Australia warned consumers of a Dinosaur Festival Darwin, organised by Huni, which was set to be held at the Jingili Water Gardens.
It stated: “The venue operators have confirmed that the event will neither go ahead at the Jingili Water Gardens nor the Darwin Show Grounds on that date. Applications to hold the event on another date have not been received.”
According to the NT Consumer Affairs tickets were still being sold for the event despite no office application for the event to be held, much like here in Stellenbosch.
After various attempts, Eikestadnuus spoke to Mariette and asked what her involvement was with Huni, the Glow Festival and the recent cancellation as well as the Dinosaur World event, which is planned for the Van der Stel Sports Ground, but she declined to comment.
All attempts to get comment from Huni were unsuccessful.
