The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo
FESTIVAL lovers are in for a treat next weekend as Miombo Magic Music Festival comes to life in Christon Bank.
The festivities will kick off on Saturday morning running up to Sunday evening with a jam-packed line-up of artistes set to take to the stage. There will be very little time to rest with only a four-hour break between day one and day two activities.
Those who will still be in party mode after the final live performance on Sunday can still stick around for the after party that is set to run till the next morning. Established and upcoming acts who will be performing include Suluman “Sulu” Chimbetu, Hope Masike, Ammara Brown, Tehn Diamond, Josh Meck, Djembe Monks, Transit Crew, Gemma Griffitths, The Circuit Party and Cello Culture, among others.
One of the acts to look out for is Sulu, who is performing on Saturday which happens to be his birthday. He has promised “something special”. Now in its sixth year, Miombo has proven to be a camper’s paradise with the organisers coming up with a unique concept were outdoor lovers can camp out while enjoying brilliant live performances in the middle of the bush. Over the years, Miombo has grown to become one of the go-to events in the country, attracting a number of tourists.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail Society, festival director Gus Le Briepon said they were excited to be hosting the event for the sixth year in a row, saying that they had put together an exciting programme. “We are looking forward to having a great time with everyone who is going to come through as we have put a lot of effort in ensuring that the festival is even bigger and better than last year’s edition, said Le Briepon. “I understand that the concept of coming to camp for a festival might still be foreign to a lot of individuals but I just want to encourage people who have never done it before to come and try it out.”
Last year, the organisers tried to host a three-day festival. They have resorted to going back to the traditional two-day festival, with an option to extend for those who might be interested. “Since we started we have always hosted the event over a two-day period but last year we decided to experiment by adding an extra day but we realised that it did not work out as we had anticipated. “We have, however, added an after party which will run way into the wee hours of Monday morning and those who are interested can still camp out for an extra day.”
Besides the music aspect, Miombo Magic is a family friendly festival that offers a host of other exciting activities for all age groups. “People should come through with their kids because we have set up a zone where kids will get to enjoy numerous activities.
We always try to create a brilliant atmosphere for families to relax and reboot while enjoying what mother nature has to offer away from the noise of the city.”
He added that the festival will be taking a break next year and will only return in 2019. “If there are curious people who have never been to this festival, don’t wait for next year. Come through this time around because we will be taking a break so as to reboot and come up with new strategies to make the event even better. “The next edition is in 2019 so if you miss this edition it means you will have to wait for over a year before you get another opportunity to attend.”
Funds raised from the festival are used to spruce up Christon Bank Primary School and to date, over US$40 000 has been channelled towards the school.
