Freelance in Entertainment/Events industry

You first need to decide on which country you want to move to.
I suggest you start with those where you speak the language - as a freelancer and events manager, you must be able to communicate well with all sorts of people. In Germany, they would be all sorts of German-speaking people.

Like Beppi mentioned, you would almost certainly need passable German to work in Germany for all practical purposes. Another question is about visas. Since S. Africa is not a member of the EU it is extra difficult. Possibly Holland and/or England has a special status for South Africans based on their colonial connections? I have little information on that but I guess it would be worth looking into. England for example seems to have special working visa conditions for one, who despite not being able to claim British nationality, is a decedent of a British national within 3 generations.

And being free-lance has additional difficulties, even if it accepted in the fields you mention, which I am uncertain of. There will be high criteria to get a visa since they don’t want foreigners failing to make a living and then asking for benefits. So they would probably want proof that you are experienced and successful in your field and likely to be able to match that success in Germany.  I am a performer but had the advantage of having married a German. I know a couple of unmarried American performers who managed to get permission to reside and work in Germany but they could show that they were being hired world-wide for cruise ships, for example, which would not be dependent on local employment or language skills.

But such visas are always conditional. Usually for 6 months to 2 years and if one fails to earn enough, or doesn’t pay their taxes or commits a crime then they are liable to be refused a visa extension.  And even if one is successful, a visa extension is always at the discretion of the local official making the decision. Thus one could be very successful; basically do everything right, fulfill all obligations and STILL not be given an extension. Could be the deciding person just doesn’t like you – and you have little recourse. One strategy is to move since the officials deciding will be local. If one doesn’t get along with the local officials it might be advisable to relocate before the next visa extension, since once denied, it might be more difficult.

Not to be discouraging but the basis for most non-EU citizens to get residency in Germany is usually through marriage or being offered a position in a specialized field like high tech or advanced sciences where there are not enough qualified Europeans. Artists of all kinds have an advantage that they can claim to offer a unique cultural aspect. But event management probably doesn’t fall under that category, nor does sound engineering unless one is doing something nobody else does…