.png)
.png)
.png)
New date - same mission
We’re all about making outdoor spaces welcoming and accessible to everyone, and to stay true to that mission, we’ve decided to move WHAM Fest to the 5th - 7th of September! A little shout out to welcome spring.
Why the shift?
We had such an incredible response to the launch of the festival, with so many womxn showing interest in joining and growing the community. And we want WHAM Fest to be more accessible and affordable for EVERYONE!
Moving the date to slightly later in the year will help us lower ticket prices, ensuring the festival is truly inclusive for all climbers — Because let’s be real, we want you there!
We’ll be using this extra time to make WHAM Fest even better. More community. More impact. More adventure. More stoke!
Thank you for your support—we can’t wait to see you in September for an epic weekend of climbing, workshops, and connection. Stay tuned for updates!
_edited.jpg)
We'll be calling Rocklands Basecamp our home for the weekend festival.
Situated in the heart of Rocklands amongst the majestic Cederberg Mountains, we'll set up camp with a variety of accommodation options.
Our perfect playground for exploration, movement, climbing and connecting. There's space to chill, walk, swim, yoga, dance, climb and so much more!
We are doing our best to cater for all budgets and needs. There is very limited availability of cottage, glamping and caravan options.
The Cottage
The cottage has a king size bed, personal Wifi, private kitchen, indoor bathroom with a hot shower, and an amazing outdoor bath, as well as it’s own private deck and braai area.
Cost: R5700 for 2 (cottage + 2 festival tickets) / R3850 for Single Occupancy
Glampsite
Our glampsite is a hidden spot amongst the boulders, for people who love camping but not the mission of packing all the things needed our glampsite is a spacious canvas tent with a double bed (and bedding), covered with a roof and includes private kitchen with fridge, stove, pots, and cutlery as well as a private shower.
Cost: R4900 for 2 (glampsite + 2 festival tickets) / R2950 for Single Occupancy
Caravans
The three beautiful little caravans are equipped with their own private kitchens and comes with bedding. These spots are designed to suit 2 people comfortably. The three caravans have a shared toilet and shower a short walk away.
Cost: R4900 for 2 (caravan + 2 festival tickets) / R2950 for Single Occupancy
Canvas Tent
Spacious glamping tents (3m x 3m) will be set up for you. You will need to bring your own matresses and bedding. Five of these tents will be available, conveniently close to showers with ablutions.
Cost: R4500 for 2 (canvas tent + 2 festival tickets) / R2550 for Single Occupancy
Camping BYO (bring your own)
There are loads of well made campsites nestled into nature amongst the boulders and trees. There is a communal kitchen with all the amenities (stoves, fridge, freezer, pots, pans and WiFi). Flushing toilets and hot showers are guaranteed!
You will need to bring your own tent, mattress, bedding, etc.
Cost: R2150 per person
_edited_edited.jpg)
Empowering womxn to take up space in climbing and beyond.
Promoting environmental care through outdoor conservation and sustainable practices.
Building a community that’s intersectional, inclusive, and representative.
Our vision for WHAM Fest is to create an intentional space where womxn and underrepresented people in climbing can come together and feel supported, seen, and celebrated.
Inspired by the incredible Women’s Bouldering Festivals in Fontainebleau and Mamer in France, we are bringing that magic closer to home.
WHAM Fest is for you...
If you've always wanted to try bouldering in a supportive, safe community.
If you're an experienced climber looking for a badass, stoke-filled group of womxn to share the love of the sport.
If you're simply curious about climbing but also craving a fun, rejuvenating weekend in the mountains.
And even if you're just looking for a nature filled weekend, not too keen to climb but interested in the other workshops!
WHAM Fest is not just about climbing!
Our jam-packed weekend includes a variety of all womxn-led workshops.
These workshops are included in the ticket price and you may join as many workshops as you’d like, it's all up to you
And yep, you can totally choose to only dive into a few workshops and then spend the rest of your time hiking, swimming in rivers, or just kicking back and relaxing at camp with a good book or new friends.
_edited_.jpg)
_edited.jpg)
-
How many people will be attending the festival?WHAM Fest 2025 is our first of what we hope will be many festivals, but as it is the first, we would like to keep the numbers fairly intimate to ensure all participants can be seen and heard and go away having had a deep, connective experience. Thus we will be caping attendance at between 30 participants together with up to 15 facilitators - totalling 50 pax for this edition.
-
How beginner can I be to attend the “Bouldering Basics” Workshop?Don’t know a climbing shoe from a normal shoe? What’s a chalk bag? Yes, that beginner! If you’re anywhere on the scale from never climbed in your life, to only done top rope climbing but never bouldering, or even bouldered in a gym but never outdoors. We’ll get a feel for your level before the sessions and make sure there’s something for you to learn.
-
What happens if we are on an experience and for reasons out of our control the plan has to be changed?If the reason for the change is not one relating to physical safety or weather, we will try and adapt the workshop as best as possible to still allow for it to proceed. If workshops have to be cancelled for safety reasons, we hope you understand that your safety is our priority and that it’s not something we’d do in a hurry as we’d love for all of you to make the most out of the weekend.
-
I see you don’t offer transport to and from experiences in most of your packages? How can we get there and back?Once all the tickets have been sold, we will put together a Whatsapp Group + Google spreadsheet where everyone can state where they are travelling from, the available space in their vehicle, dates of travels and any potential fuel costs. We want to encourage carpooling as less car usage is always a win!
-
I’m a beginner and don’t really know the difference between bouldering and climbing? And what will we be doing at this Festival?Climbing is divided into different disciplines namely: bouldering, sport climbing and trad climbing. This festival will only be focusing on bouldering. Bouldering is climbing without gear (ropes and harnesses) over short heights with boulder “crash pads” whereas sport and trad climbing involve gear like harnesses, ropes, helmets etc. *We plan on hosting a sport climbing festival soon!!!*. The climbing aspect of the festival aims to cater to all needs including those who have never climbed before, those who have dabbled in some indoor climbing, and those who are at intermediate to advanced-levels of climbing. This is all made possible through the diverse range of workshops on offer, each designed to help you refine specific skills. Climbers of all levels are welcome to attend any of the climbing workshops! You don’t need to be climbing for years to take part in the Night Climbing or the Climbing Training workshops..
-
Who will be leading the”Bouldering Basics” Workshop?We’ve got your back, quite literally! Our Intro to Bouldering workshop will be hosted and facilitated by Rebecca (Becks) Pretorius and Naadirah Moola te Water Naude. Becks will be the lead facilitator for these sessions and is the Co-founder of Breathe in Experiences. Not only is she a certified Yoga Teacher but she is also a certified Mountain Guide, Climbing Instructor and Occupational Therapist. So she has all the necessary qualifications to guide and help you get climbing. Naadirah will be co-facilitating alongside Becks and not only brings an abundance of climbing experience to the table, but also all the vibes. With a passion for building climbing communities and a desire to enact change, she’d love to see more womxn getting into the sport and feeling confident in the space.
-
Who is hosting this festival?WHAM Fest is a collaboration between Breath In Experiences , Womxn for Wild and Climber Naadirah Moola te Water Naude. Breath In Experiences designs bespoke mountain experiences, catering to beginner and expert climbers and yogis.They currently run various day events and retreats, from multi-day yoga retreats to rock climbing adventures. All hosted in South Africa's most beautiful climbing destination, Rocklands South Africa. Womxn for Wild hosts and curates experiences in partnership with local guides and operators. Since starting in 2020 they have hosted over 12 experiences from surfing to multi-day hikes and even a mountain biking 101 crash course. They run experiences all over South Africa, aimed solely at womxn. Naadirah Moola te Water Naude is the Transformation Officer for Western Cape Climbing and is a strong advocate for improving diversity, inclusivity and representation within climbing as a whole. Naadirah has co-facilitated the Conversation in Climbing, an event and space where important conversations are had in a safe space, allowing the sport to grow in ways that fosters diversity, inclusivity and representation.
-
Do I have to do every workshop on the programme?No! We all know that sometimes we have bounds of energy and sometimes we just want space to decompress. WHAM Fest needs to be whatever you need it to be. Once you have purchased a ticket we’ll setup a quick call with you as well as send a google form with some questions to get to know you a tiny bit before the festival. The questions will include a list of all the workshops for the weekend, so you can let us know which you would be interested in attending. This is so that we can plan ahead for things like Lino workshops and bouldering sessions. So you can attend as much or as little as you would like. If on the weekend you change your mind about wanting to attend a session, please let us know at least 2hrs in advance so we can plan accordingly.
-
Where exactly is the Rocklands? For those of us who are new to the bouldering world?Well now, if you haven’t heard of the Rocklands before you are in for a magical treat and we are SO stoked to be the ones to share this serene wilderness with you. Rocklands is an area in the Cederberg Wilderness and Mountains that attracts climbers from all over the world because of its unique and high-quality sandstone formations. The awe-inspiring natural beauty of the area, where the rocks radiate a deep orange at sunrise and sunset, paired with rivers, hiking trails and endless boulders to climb, makes it any adventurous spirit's playground.
-
What ages are allowed to join the festival?WHAM Fest welcomes and encourages diverse age groups and does not discriminate. There is so much we can all learn and take away from one another, and we are never too old for a new experience!
