Cape Town - The Cape Town Carnival is coming back this year with five hubs, five shows and one celebration that allows you to reunite with friends, family and the city in a unique and Covid-19-safe manner.
This year the event will host five consecutive shows celebrating the diverse cultures and stories of Cape Town, allowing visitors to choose how many hubs they visit, in any order, at a show time that works for them.
The Hubs will pop up at five well-known city landmarks that will allow you to explore the Mountain of Memories at Hatfield Street Hub, Cultural Roots at the National Gallery Hub, Marvel at Tales of Camissa at the SA Museum Hub, the Umswenko experience that will bring passion to the Heritage Square Hub, and The Drum Era will come to life at the Green Market Hub.
Chairperson of the Cape Town Carnival Trust, Professor Rachel Jafta, said that despite the pandemic, the trust was driven by the fundamental belief in the power of creativity to light up the city again.
“When the 2020 hard lockdown was announced, a week before our scheduled carnival, the team didn't fall apart. They rapidly went into Zoom, and they've been engaging in workshops, training, and creative sessions online for almost two years. They also showed heart-warming social cohesion by looking out for each other and making plans to assist when opportunities arose.
“Thankfully, our sponsors remained loyal and supportive all this time. Our team has been practising their dance moves, choreography, music, preparing floats and costumes, and reinventing our format to stay safe in a pandemic, while bringing joy to the city once again,” said Jafta.
As the visitors move between the hubs, visitors are encouraged to grab a drink or coffee at local eateries to help reactivate and re-energise the city and its businesses as the carnival energy ripples through the city once more.
Among the attendees at the media conference was Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who mentioned that while the carnival and other events had been major economic drivers for the city, having restrictions on large events not only limited the ability to connect with one another as human beings, but also impacted the event sector of the city.
“It is immensely exciting to see how the Cape Town Carnival will be able to work outside of the classic carnival format, displaying real resilience to continue to bring people together in celebration.
“Our events industry has been the one most impacted by the limitation on gatherings. However, it is time to resume our public entertainment and sporting events so that we can really get our economy back to full speed.
“Cape Town is so packed with talent and this is a wonderful opportunity to not only boost the event sector, but to provide a platform for the many talented artists and performances that will be taking place. It is exciting to see the new buds of growth in our events industry because, much like the creative ideas that gave birth to these impressive and incredible floats, we will see new life blooming back in the events sector in Cape Town through the carnival.
“I want our residents to feel proud of the city that they live in, and this is one of the events that has the power to achieve that." said Hill-Lewis.
Book your R10 tickets at capetowncarnival.com and to stay on top of the festivities, visit the official Cape Town Carnival’s website and be sure to follow the action on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Weekend Argus