HEAT Winter Arts Festival 2026

Ctrl + Z

HEAT returned to the City Centre for its third edition, running from 6 to 15 August 2026 under the theme Ctrl + Z. Borrowed from the keyboard shortcut for undo, the theme framed a programme about reversing, repairing and rethinking inherited systems, historical, political, environmental and economic.

More than fifty events ran across fifteen galleries and museums, all within walking distance of one another: sixteen art exhibitions alongside opera, theatre, dance, digital art, workshops, talks and curator-led walkabouts. The festival opened on First Thursdays, 6 August, with the Amici de Lumine Choir leading audiences on foot between historic buildings and cultural venues.

"As visitors walk between galleries, heritage buildings and performances, they become part of the artwork itself," said festival founder and director Mary Corrigall, who programmes HEAT with co-curators Nkgopoleng Moloi and Voni Baloyi, with Quiet Life curating music and Jeremy Silver of Opera UCT the opera programme.

Our part in it

Mission for Inner City is a supporting partner of HEAT and hosts festival venues. The other partners and funders are ORMS, the Spier Arts Trust, the City of Cape Town, Iziko Museums and Zeitz MOCAA.

"The Heat Festival perfectly demonstrates what happens when you create reasons for people to walk, explore and connect," said Brad Armitage, co-founder of Mission for Inner City Cape Town.

The festival is organised by HEAT, not by Mission for Inner City. The figures above describe the festival programme.