FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAPE TOWN CARNIVAL SET TO LIGHT UP THE MOTHER CITY
Carnival looks forward to welcoming more than 50 000 spectators to the annual parade.
Cape Town, 13 March 2017 – The Cape Town Carnival takes place this year on 18 March along the Green Point Fan Walk. The parade will start at 19h00 and will be followed by a fabulous streetparty at which local award-winning DJs Fresh and Euphonik will entertain the crowds.
“We’d like to make the Cape Town Carnival recognisable on an international level, as people from all over the world attend it,” says Prof. Rachel Jafta, chairperson of Media24 and of the Cape Town Carnival Trust. More than 50 000 people are expected to attend and join in the festivities this year. This includes dancers from the world’s largest carnival, the Rio Carnival, and New York-based singer Oshri, who will perform “Crazy but Free”; this year’s Cape Town Carnival’s theme song.
There‘ll be plenty of activities taking place before the carnival parade begins at 7pm. Early birds can visit one of the many restaurants or vendors along the Fan Walk. “Just like the performers, these vendors are from our communities, and it’s important that we support them,” says Cape Town Carnival community facilitator Angie Petersen.
Approximately 50 diverse community groups participate in the Cape Town Carnival each year. The Cape Town Carnival serves the broader Cape Town community by bringing us together to celebrate these different identities as well as providing a platform to perform to an international and well attended event “Each year I get to experience and witness the difference the carnival makes in individuals’ lives and it’s amazing to see them grow and, some of them, even move onto an international level,” says Angie.
This year’s theme, “AMAZA! – Ocean Odyssey”, celebrates our precious oceans. “With Cape Town in the middle of a serious drought, this year’s water-related theme comes at the perfect time to create awareness in a fun and colourful way,” says Cape Town Carnival creative director Brad Baard.
From 15h00 to 18h00, Kyknet’sTjiffenTjaff TV characters will be walking around taking pictures and M-Net will host a face-painting station. “We’re thrilled to be part of the Cape Town Carnival again,” says M-Net General Manager for South Africa NkatekoMabaso. “There will be plenty of fun for the entire family and we can’t wait for you to see what other surprises we have in store for you.”
Another proud sponsor of the Cape Town Carnival is the National Lotteries Commission(NLC). “The Cape Town Carnival develops ordinary members of society, and this ties in with our values,” said Marcelle Musson NLC Provincial Manager of the Western Cape.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what the carnival has to offer this year.”
The carnival is free for everyone but tickets are on sale for those who would like a bird’s-eye seated view of the festivities. There will be some road closures on the day. Visit to buy tickets to seated stands and VIP areas and find out more about the road closures.
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About The Cape Town Carnival
The Cape Town Carnival event, held annually in March, is the country’s pre-eminent street parade. It showcases and celebrates the vibrant diversity of Cape Town – and South Africa – with more than 50 community groups, bringing the Green Point Fan Walk alive with spectacular floats, giant puppets and extravagant costumes. Thousands of spectators from all over the world converge along the 1.2km parade route. The Cape Town Carnival is set to become one of the top seven jewel events of Cape Town and is a flagship project of the National Department of Arts and Culture.
For more information, please contact:
KARINA VAN DEN HEEVER
Dummett & Co, Cape Town
021-418-2466
084-347-3358