For ninteen years the Blue Crane Route Municipality has hosted this incredible event, celebrating Karoo food, especially Biltong, and the Karoo way of life. The Biltong Festival / Fees was initiated in 1991 by the Swaershoek Farmers' Union, and the local Chamber of Commerce. The mastermind behind the scheme was Bedford farmer Willem de Klerk.
These stakeholders formed a committee to co-ordinate the festival. Nature conservation groups, tourism, sponsors and officials from the Municipality assisted with the organisation.
The 19th Biltong Festival / Fees was presented by the Blue Crane Route Municipality, and made possible by the generous sponsorship provided by Castle Lager, on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th july 2009. The event took place at the Somerset East showgrounds.
As with the previous 18 Biltong Festivals, this one promised to be a great success, luring festival goers from far and wide with the promise of great music, to suit all tastes; over 300 stalls, and the opportunity to party long into the night, in the Castle Lager Beer tent and the Bokjol! The stalls will be selling a variety of products: but especially kudu in all its forms - Kudu burgers, Kudu wors and, of course, Kudu Biltong!
