Tracey Saunders
HOT on the heels of the MCQP party comes Carnevale, an ambitious street and bar party to herald the start of 2013. The event has a Brazilian theme and, while costumes are not required, nobody will frown if you don your finest carnival attire, feathers and all.
The unique party is the brainchild of The Village team and will combine six of the most popular venues in the pink strip in De Waterkant. Amsterdam Action Bar, Backroom Bar, Beefcakes, Beulah Bar, Café Manhattan and Crew Bar will be hosting the event from 8pm on December 31 in the area demarcated between Napier, Cobern and Liddle streets.
While individual New Year’s Eve parties hosted at the separate venues have been popular in recent years, the combined forces of all the venues will allow party-goers a more varied experience.
Myrna Andrews of Beulah Bar says: “ Carnevale Gay New Year’s Eve Party promises to be nothing short of fabulous.” Live entertainment will be provided on two outdoor street stages, while an exciting line-up of local and international DJs will keep visitors dancing on three dance floors.
The ticket will also allow access to two restaurants, several outdoor bars and various lounge areas. In addition to traditional restaurant fare, food kiosks will be offering sustenance during the evening. If all of this is not enough to keep you busy, an arts and crafts stall will be selling a variety of wares.
The entertainment line-up is a varied one and includes Cape Town all-women group BlackByrd. Tarryn Lamb, Samantha Heldsinger and Tamsyn Maker have had a very successful year with their original hit All of Me, which ended the year as the top local song on the Take 40 SA charts, and No 4 overall.
Draadkar were warmly received at the MCQP party, and if you missed them there, you will have an opportunity to watch them perform again at Carnevale. The Afro-electro sound of duo Bonj Mpanza and Clement Carr who make up The City will be peddling their blend of African groove and electro music.
The DJs playing on the night hail from as far afield as the US, the UK and Italy, and will add an international flavour to the mix. Sean Oxley will be familiar to Cape Town audiences from his residency at Rhodes House.
Paul Heron, while born in Scotland, considers himself a Londoner and has shared the stage with Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga and Gloria Gaynor in venues from Singapore to San Francisco, Toronto to Tel Aviv, and Switzerland to Slovenia. Tony Mariano, “the Italian Stallion”, completes the international line-up.
Starting the new year with Carnevale may well become an annual tradition that local and international travellers will be adding permanently to their pink itineraries.
l Tickets are R280 at the door on the night, or R250 at Computicket. To book, call 0861 915 8000. For information, call Brian Kruger at 083 626 4615, or e-mail [email protected].