Pretoria - The City of Cape Town is gearing up for a bumper festive season, with a line-up of popular events guaranteed to attract thousands of residents and visitors to the city.
The influx is also set to boost the local economy and contribute to job creation. Research conducted by Grant Thornton recently revealed that direct spend on tourism in Cape Town had grown at 5.6% per annum between 2009 and 2012.
The research showed that the city’s tourism industry generated R14.6 billion in 2012, up from R12.4 billion in 2009.
In total, the city’s tourism industry employs around 34 500 permanent and about 15 000 temporary employees.
The city’s Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Marketing, Grant Pascoe, said Cape Town’s vision was not only to ultimately become the events capital of Africa, but also to ensure that residents from across the city come out in their numbers to attend these events as part of building a truly inclusive city.
“We are committed to uniting the many diverse communities from across the metropole. An event can be a uniting force and people come out with a common purpose, to relax and have fun together in a shared space. We would like to see the ‘gees’ once again at this year’s festive season events.
“The city has pulled out all the stops with an interesting line-up of summer events to ensure that Capetonians and the thousands of expected visitors are kept entertained this festive season.
“Our main goal is to ensure that everyone is part of the celebration and included in all events. Not only are these events an opportunity to get locals to relax and enjoy the city, but they also create job opportunities,” said Pascoe.
The line-up for the festive season promises to have something for everyone, young and old, from communities across the city.
Events
The festive season will kick-off with a free public concert at the Grand Parade on Sunday 1 December 2013 featuring a star-studded line-up that includes legendary South African trumpeter and singer Hugh Masekela, singer-songwriter Jimmy Nevis, SAMA-winning soul-jazz-house trio Mi Casa, The Rockets, GoodLuck, Hot Water and DJ Luwayne.
Local actors Sorina Erasmus aka ‘Die Flooze’, and Terence Bridgett of Isidingo and 7de Laan fame will be the MCs. The event starts at 4pm.
At 8.30pm that evening, Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille will do the annual switch-on of the festive lights in Adderley Street. The ‘big switch-on’ has become a tradition that has been going for over 45 years. It signals the start of the festive season, and will mark the four-week countdown to Cape Town becoming the World Design Capital 2014.
“Last year, crowds of over 100 000 gathered in the city centre for the event and we would like to see more people coming out to enjoy the events. The city’s law enforcement and emergency staff will be on hand to ensure that members of the public enjoy a safe outing,” said Pascoe.
The Cape Town Summer Market, formerly known as the Adderley Street Night Market, is open from Saturday, 14 December to Monday, 30 December. The market, spread throughout the Company’s Garden, has been billed as a one-stop destination for locals and visitors to do their Christmas gift-shopping while enjoying local culinary offerings.
The Cape Town Summer Market also has a twin this year, the Langa Summer Market. The Langa Summer Market runs from 20 - 24 December 2013 in the Langa Quarter just off the N2. This is in celebration of this historic area.
On Tuesday, 24 December, the city’s traditional and popular Christmas bands and choirs will entertain locals and visitors alike in the city centre.
Cape Town’s biggest New Year’s Eve party yet, and the final countdown to the city becoming the World Design Capital, takes place at the Grand Parade on Tuesday, 31 December.
The bash starts at 6pm and boasts a line-up of South Africa’s top DJs and dance artists, including chart-topper Toya DeLazy and DJs Ready D and 5fm’s DJ Fresh.
The third edition of the African Nations Championship 2014, with matches scheduled for both the Cape Town and Athlone Stadiums, takes place from Saturday, 11 January to Saturday, 1 February 2014.
The Mother City will host the opening and closing ceremonies and be the home base for Bafana Bafana. – SAnews.gov.za
