The Mandela Bay Arts Festival (MBAF) is an initiative of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality to create a multidisciplinary art showcase for the Metro.   

A Festival of Performance, Poetry, Theatre, Comedy, Dance and Music and other disciplines aimed at both increasing opportunities for professionals working in the creative industries and building a destination festival which will attract residents of the city and visitors to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.

The Festival is not a single large-scale event but a series of concurrent smaller events in venues around the greater metropolitan area. The Mandela Bay Arts Festival presents a varied programme of events in total including theatre, music and comedy performances, art and craft workshops and as well craft and design exhibitions over a 10 day period.