Cape Town to host world’s first-ever Festival of Compassion

Cape Talk's Clarence Ford chats to Festival of Compassion Curator, Fadia Williams.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below:

Connect, reconnect, remember, submission...

That's the objective of the world’s first-ever Festival of Compassion.

Taking place from 10 to 12 September in Cape Town, the three-day immersive event aims to address global crises through radical compassion, collective healing, and action. 

Curated by Williams and supported by the Global Compassion Coalition, the festival will bring together educators, scientists, activists, and community leaders from around the world.

Far from a traditional conference, the festival blends movement, dialogue, art, and immersive workshops.

"We've got to get out of our heads, into our hearts, and then let the fingers tingle because this is going to be walking away with tools of healing and ways of making change in society." 

- Fadia Williams, Festival of Compassion Curator

Williams describes compassion not as passive empathy, but as an active, transformative force needed to shift systems and foster global interdependence.

With both in-person and livestream attendance available, the festival invites individuals and organisations alike to participate, sponsor others, or bear witness to what Williams calls a “coming home” to compassion.

"Come to reset, to regain..."

- Fadia Williams, Festival of Compassion Curator

Tickets for the festival are available online at festivalofcompassion.com, and shuttle services will be provided for community organisations. 

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.