Discover the art of bonsai using South Africa’s own remarkable indigenous trees. Learn how to select, shape and care for a miniature tree while exploring the principles of balance, proportion and patience at the heart of bonsai.

This hands-on workshop introduces you to the techniques of training and caring for your tree, with plenty of opportunity to get your hands in the soil. Best of all, you’ll take home your own indigenous bonsai tree to nurture and enjoy for years to come.

Look at familiar places with fresh eyes and discover how much there is to photograph all around you. Explore light, colour, composition, perspective and detail, using the camera on your smartphone to capture images with character and impact.

Along the way, you’ll try out simple techniques, play with different viewpoints and discover what makes an ordinary photograph more compelling. Whether you love taking pictures or simply want to get more from your phone camera, this is an opportunity to experiment, have fun and see your surroundings in a whole new way.

There’s a whole world between “I’ve written a book” and “Here it is on the shelf.” Join us for a candid conversation about what really happens behind the scenes of publishing - from the moment a manuscript lands on a publisher’s desk to the decisions, edits, design and business of bringing it to readers.

How do publishers spot a story worth backing? What makes them say yes - or no? And in a rapidly changing industry, what does it take to get South African voices heard?
Come behind the books and discover how stories make their way into your hands.

A familiar and celebrated presence at FynArts since 2013, Louna Stofberg returns with a dazzling programme of colour, brilliance and virtuosity. Works by Dubois, Gigout, Ireland, Lux and Bossi explore the organ’s magnificent range of sonority, from lyrical beauty and elegance to breathtaking drama and exhilarating virtuoso fireworks.

In conversation with John Woodland, Adriaan Fuchs, CEO and Artistic Director of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, looks at what goes into building and running an orchestra.
How are programmes put together? How are conductors and soloists chosen? What happens in rehearsals, and how does a performance come together on the night? How do artistic ideas, practical constraints and audience expectations fit into the same picture?

Drawing on his experience at the CPO and internationally, Adriaan offers an inside view of the decisions and collaborations behind orchestral music.

The short story is one of the most demanding and rewarding literary forms. As Zadie Smith puts it, exploring its possibilities means you “become a different writer”.

Join Karina M. Szczurek for a workshop on the art of the short story, exploring how its discipline and precision can sharpen and strengthen all your prose.

Karina M. Szczurek is an award-winning author, editor and founder of Karavan Press, an independent publishing house. A board member of Short Story Day Africa, she has received numerous literary and publishing awards, including the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa in 2025.