Jeremy Loops to headline Up The Creek

Gather your festival friends and floaties and get ready to rock the boat at Up The Creek 2026, which is locked in for 5-8 February 2026. It’s the Cape’s favourite weekend on the water, with fine tunes, colourful floats and cold beers all to be enjoyed on the Breede River near Swellendam.

With Early Bird tickets snapped up in record time and Phase 1 options now on sale, what’s been dubbed the ‘happiest little festival on the river’ has announced the first wave of artists, and there are some crowd favourites of note!

Headlining the bill is none other than much-loved Cape Town songster Jeremy Loops. He has spent plenty of time performing abroad this year, but is now back for a summer of great tunes and good vibes. Expect sun-soaked folk-pop anthems live with a loop pedal, blending acoustic hooks with hip-hop and global rhythms by the river.

Pairing off against the Loops chill is Afrikaans electronic duo Van Pletzen, which pairs producer-vocalist Peach van Pletzen with Matthieu ‘Nik Nax’ Auriacombe and their trademark blend of tongue-in-cheek party starters that fuse electro, alt-pop and hip-hop. Lekker! 

Also confirmed are festival veterans Southern Wild, whose muscular, melodic rock has seen them a crowd favourite over the past decade on stage. And there’s plenty more in store, from Jackal & the Wind and Droomsindroom to Nomadic Orchestra and David Derman. And that’s just phase one! Stay tuned for more artist announcements over the next few months.

How to buy Up the Creek tickets

The 2026 Up the Creek Festival is doing things a little differently this year when it comes to tickets.

First step: buy your festival ticket. Your options for 2026 are:

Early Creeker: R1595. Limited availability, obvs  Sorry, sold out!

Phase 1 Creeker: R1895

Phase 2 Creeker: R2095

Add a R15 booking fee to all of the above, too.

Once you’ve got your festival ticket – here’s where things are different for Up the Creek 2026 – only then do you choose your camping style.  

Up the Creek accommodation

Grassed camping: R150

Camping with your car: R275 (this area will now be ticketed to manage numbers)

Powered campsites: R5000/R10 000 (4/10pax, plus vehicles)

Glamping in Heartbreak Motel: R6990-R15 150

Booking fees apply, R10 – R100 

For more info, and to book, visit upthecreek.co.za.

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