RAMFest explained

Music Festival Name:	RAMFest
Location:	Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.
Years Active:	2007–present^[1] ^[2]
Founders:	Dawid Fourie^[3] ^[4]
Dates:	Annually in February/March
Genre:	Various alternative genres including metal, rock, punk, hardcore, drum and bass, electronic

RAMFest is^[5] a music festival that took place a couple of times in South African cities. RAMFest caters to electronic and rock music, that offers local acts as well.

Background

RAMFest was started by Dawid Fourie^[4] in 2007 in Worcester, Western Cape, South Africa featuring 20 local talents. Since then RAMFest has grown to multiple South African cities^[6] and was one of the largest music festivals in the country.^[7] The "RAM" in RAMFest stands for Real Alternative Music according to Fourie,^[4] thus making the full name of the festival the Real Alternative Music Festival.

Previous editions

• 2007 – Twisted Playground (2 – 3 March) in Cape Town only.

• 2008 – Beyond Boundaries (29 February – 2 March) in Cape Town only.^[8]

• 2009 – Nekkies (27 February – 1 March) in Cape Town only.^[9]

• 2010 – The Real Alternative Music Festival (26–28 February; 6 March) in Cape Town and Johannesburg respectively.^[10]

• 2011 – RAMFest (4–5 March; 9 March; 12 March) in Cape Town,^[11] Durban^[12] and Johannesburg^[13] respectively.

• 2012 – A Day of Thunder (2 March; 3 March; 9 March; 10 March; 11 March) in Port Elizabeth,^[14] Bloemfontein,^[15] Durban,^[16] Johannesburg^[17] and Cape Town^[18] respectively.

• 2013 – Red Heart Rum presents: RAMFest (7–10 March; 8 March; 15 March; 15 March; 15–16 March) in Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Durban (again) and Johannesburg respectively. It is to be noted that the first Durban show was for electronic acts while the second was for rock and metal acts.^[19]

• 2014 - Red Heart Rum presents: RAMFest (6–9 March) in Cape Town and Johannesburg.^[20]

• 2019 - Halloween presents: RAMFest (16 June) in Pretoria.^[21]

• 2020 - Standard Bank presents: RAMFest (13 March) in Cape Town, RAMFest (14 March) in Pretoria.^[22]

• 2023 - RAMfest (1 September) in Cape Town, RAMfest (2 September) in Pretoria.^[23]

Performers

The following table lists the notable artists that have performed at RAMFest.

Artist	Year Performed	References
	2007, 2009, 2010, 2012	^[24]
	2007, 2008, 2009
	2007, 2008
	2008, 2009
	2009, 2011
	2009
	2009, 2011, 2013
	2009, 2011
	2010, 2013
	2010, 2013, 2023
	2010, 2012
	2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
	2010
	2010
	2010
	2011	^[25]
	2011
	2011
	2012
	2012	^[26]
	2012	^[27]
	2012
	2013	^[28]
	2013, 2014	^[29] ^[30]
	2013	^[31] ^[32]
	2013
	2014	^[33]
	2014	^[34]
	2014
	2014
	2014
	2014
	2014
Atilla	2019
The Black Dahlia Murder	2020
Enter Shikari	2023	^[35]
The Ocean Collective	2023	^[36]

Controversies

In 2012, a chain mail was circulated, implying that RAMFest had a Satanic involvement. As a result, RAMFest had trouble organising another venue for the Bloemfontein leg of the fest^[37] and it was cancelled there due to pressure from religious groups.^[38]

In December 2012, the metalcore band As I Lay Dying pulled out from the RAMFest 2013 line-up due to being double booked to support The Devil Wears Prada on their tour.^{[39] [40]} The Devil Wears Prada's tour dates conflicted with RAMFest 2013's dates, making it impossible for As I Lay Dying to have performed at Ramfest 2013.^[41]

During Bring Me the Horizon's set at the Johannesburg leg of the festival for 2013, tear gas was thrown into the crowd which caused fans to cough and tear up.^[42]

RAMFest announced that the 2015 edition of the festival was cancelled, citing the lack of suitable acts for the line up as the reason for its cancellation.^[2]

RAMFest announced that the 2016 edition will not feature any international acts, and cancelled the festival.

See also

• In The City
• Oppikoppi
• Musical Performance
• Music of South Africa
• Splashy Fen

Notes and References

1. Web site: Worcester, South Africa . Ramfest 2007 | Ramfest 2007 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 2013-03-05.
2. Web site: RAMFEST 2015 CANCELLED. Boringcapetownchick.com. 2021-12-01.
3. Web site: Therese Owen . Ready to go wild at raucous RAMfest – What's On | Tonight . Independent Online. South Africa . 20 February 2013 . 2013-03-05.
4. Web site: Dawid Fourie, the man behind RAMfest! . SA Music Scene . 18 February 2013 . 2013-03-05.
5. Web site: 2019-04-16 . RAMfest is back, announce Attila as their headliner for 3-date tour in June 2019 . 2023-08-23 . Texx and the City . en-US.
6. Web site: Ramfest 2013 . Ramfest.co.za . 2013-03-05.
7. Web site: RAMfest South Africa 2013 . SA Music Scene . 21 January 2013 . 2013-03-05.
8. Web site: Ramfest 2008 | Ramfest 2008 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 2013-03-05.
9. Web site: Ramfest 2009 | Ramfest 2009 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 2013-03-05.
10. Web site: Ramfest 2010 | Ramfest 2010 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 2013-03-05.
11. Web site: Ramfest 2011 | Ramfest 2011 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 2013-03-05.
12. Web site: Durban, South Africa . Ramfest 2011 | Ramfest 2011 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 9 March 2011 . 2013-03-05.
13. Web site: Johannesburg, South Africa . Ramfest 2011 | Ramfest 2011 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 12 March 2011 . 2013-03-05.
14. Web site: Port Elizabeth, South Africa . Ramfest 2012 | Ramfest 2012 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 2 March 2012 . 2013-03-05.
15. Web site: Bloemfontein, South Africa . Ramfest 2012 | Ramfest 2012 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 3 March 2012 . 2013-03-05.
16. Web site: Durban, South Africa . Ramfest 2012 | Ramfest 2012 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 9 March 2012 . 2013-03-05.
17. Web site: Johannesburg, South Africa . Ramfest 2012 | Ramfest 2012 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 10 March 2012 . 2013-03-05.
18. Web site: Cape Town, South Africa . Ramfest 2012 | Ramfest 2012 Line-up and Posters . Songkick . 11 March 2012 . 2013-03-05.
19. Web site: Ramfest 2013 line-up . Bizcommunity.com . 21 January 2013 . 2013-03-05.
20. Web site: 云浮卜呛影视文化发展公司. Garycool.com. 1 December 2021.
21. Web site: 2019-06-19 . In Review: RAMfest reborn . 2023-08-23 . Texx and the City . en-US.
22. Web site: RAMFEST 2020 announce the full lineup including headliners The Black Dahlia Murder – Plug Music Agency . 2023-08-23 . www.plugmusicagency.com.
23. Web site: Mag . L. W. . 2023-07-05 . RAMFEST 2023 – Full Line-Up Announced . 2023-09-04 . LW Mag . en-US.
24. Web site: RAMfest 2012: Line-Ups and Details . MusicReview . 2013-03-05.
25. Web site: RAMfest Headliners: Alkaline Trio and Funeral For A Friend in South Africa . MusicReview . 17 January 2011 . 2013-03-05.
26. Web site: In Flames To Play RAMfest 2012 . MusicReview . 2013-03-05.
27. Web site: Infected Mushroom to Play RAMfest 2012 . MusicReview . 2013-03-05.
28. Web site: Roland SA - SA Music Scene. Samusicscene.co.za. 1 December 2021.
29. Web site: RAMfest 2013: Extremely loud and incredibly close . 13 October 2014 . 18 October 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141018092815/http://www.perdeby.co.za/sections/entertainment/2769-56ramfest-2013-extremely-loud-and-incredibly-close . dead .
30. Web site: Ramfest Johannesburg 2014 Lineup | Ramfest . 2015-07-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150709201501/http://www.ramfest.co.za/lineup/ramfest/johannesburg/2014 . 9 July 2015 . dmy-all .
31. Web site: RAMfest 2013 . LW Mag . 2013-03-19.
32. Web site: Rise Against to headline RAMfest 2013 . TimesLIVE. South Africa. 3 September 2012 . 2013-03-19.
33. Web site: Taxi Violence Setlist at RAMfest Johannesburg 2014. Setlist.fm. 1 December 2021.
34. Web site: Ramfest gives rain the boot | eNCA. Enca.com. 1 December 2021.
35. Web site: 2023-08-30 . Enter Shikari chat their RAMfest setlist, writing new music and setbacks of the pandemic . 2023-09-04 . Texx and the City . en-US.
36. Web site: Clayton . Duzzy . 2023-07-04 . South Africa's RAMFEST Announce 2023 Headliners Enter:Shikari and The Ocean . 2023-09-04 . Fanbase Music Magazine . en-US.
37. Web site: Burger . Karin . Pray for satanic rock fest RAMfest . Channel24 . 20 February 2012 . 2013-03-19.
38. Web site: Welsyn . Willim . RAMfest Cancels Bloem Because of Religious Pressure Groups – Rolling Stone South Africa . Rollingstone.co.za . 27 November 2012 . 2013-03-19.
39. Web site: As I Lay Dying PR Apology Re: Ramfest 13 . Boring Cape Town Chick . 20 December 2012 . 2013-03-19.
40. Web site: News - AS I LAY DYING Cancel Appearance at Next Year's RAMFest Due To Scheduling Conflict . Bravewords.com . 2013-03-19.
41. Web site: The Devil Wears Prada + As I Lay Dying Join Forces for 2013 Marathon Metalcore Tour . Loudwire.com . 18 December 2012 . 2013-03-19.
42. Web site: RAMfest 2013: Report Card . Muse Online . 22 February 1999 . 2013-03-19.