Francois van As won the Comedy Central “Grab the mic” last night in Johannesburg and has also cura ted all the comedy for the Arniston Weekender

Laugh your Arniston off at the Weekender

Francois van As won the Comedy Central “Grab the mic” last night in Johannesburg and has also curated all the comedy for the Arniston Weekender
The Weekender is back in Arniston (2-4 December) and they come bearing gifts. This year they will be bringing festival goers an exclusive and intimate comedy stage, the likes of which has never before been seen in this quiet coastal town. Well, quiet for now.

Brought to life by an improbable pair

The comedy stage at this year’s Weekender at Arniston has been put together by the festival’s organiser, Christopher De Vries with the help of Afrikaans funny guy and Bredasdorp local, Francois Van As. What makes their relationship interesting is the fact that they didn’t meet on Linkedin or Facebook, but rather in a club

Christopher approached Francois after a stand-up comedy show at the aforementioned venue and Francois agreed to help him craft a special comedy experience, exclusively for Arniston. When Francois looks back on the events of that fateful evening, he realises that he might have agreed to anything at that moment. Not just because he had adrenaline surging through his veins from an amazing time on stage, but also because he was severely relieved that the tall gentleman was too cool for words .

pic Francois Van As

Never before seen in the Overberg

Underground stand-up comedy has been around for a long time in South Africa, but it has only recently become mainstream, with the arrival of the Comedy Central channel on DSTV and the international success of comedians such as Trevor Noah.

Even though stand-up comedy has become more accessible to South Africans it is still something that can mostly be experienced only if one travels to Cape Town or Johannesburg. Quality stand-up comedy shows in the platteland, such as the one happening at The Weekender : Arniston, is a rare and precious find.

A new exciting line-up

This year’s line-up at the Weekender’s comedy stage is like a famous crispy chicken recipe. Each of the comedians was specially selected, like secret spices if you will, to form an unforgettable comedy production.

Francois van As will be hosting both parts of this comedy extravaganza and the band of misfits he has called together includes names like Melt Sieberhagen, Monique Nortje, Westley Cockrell, Justin Ray, Jarryd Pillay and another local boytjie, Dugald Pieterse.

Francois considers them his close friends, rather than colleagues. The have laughed together, cried together and toured together (which mostly entails a good balance of laughing and crying together). They have performed together at venues and festivals all around the country, including Aardklop and KKNK.

Something for everyone

The comedy is for everyone and although their material is slightly PG, as most jokes are, but younger audience members will be taken into account.

In the end whether your , young or old, One thing is for sure. This December you’re going to laugh your Arniston off at the Weekender.