The Sunday Mail
. . . as we say goodbye 2016 enter 2017
Andrew Moyo Leisure Reporter —
THIS coming Saturday around midnight we officially say goodbye to the year 2016. Consequently, celebratory parties have be lined-up to guarantee a smooth and jovial transition.
It can hardly be disputed that New Year’s Eve stands as one of the most important days on most people’s calendars world over. In a few days the world will say goodbye to 2016 as they welcome the year 2017 at the end of December 31.
While most Christians would prefer counting down the hours into the New Year at church, hedonists would rather go out and do what they know best, party all-night.
And the later are justified. There are many events that will be taking place around the country to usher people into 2017. Perhaps outside the annual Jameson Vic Falls Carnival to be held in the resort town of Victoria Falls, the “Fill Up the HICC” gig will be the other must attend event on New Year’s Eve.
The event will be headlined by the high flying and man of the moment Jah Prayzah together with music superstar and international icon, Dr Oliver Mtukudzi.
The inaugural event held last year was oversubscribed with the venue filling to capacity as merrymakers came in droves to celebrate the night with their favourite artistes.
This time around it is set to be much more exciting with organisers of the event adding variety to the supporting acts. Exciting young acts who have been included on the line-up will be out to prove that they can also handle the big stage.
The likes of Mbeu, Tammy and Takura have been doing great things on the music scene throughout the year hence they have been added on the mouth-watering list.
Apart from this fresh and hungry for success bunch of youths, there will also be other tried and tested veterans in the mould of Freeman, Killer T, Judgement Yard, Templeman, Ex-Q and Smiley with radio personalities Pathisani and KVG piloting the proceedings.
There is no doubt that Jah Prayzah is the biggest artiste in the country at the moment, with mega hits that have even taken over international television Channels.
With a new album “Mdhara Vachauya” that is currently making waves, the contemporary crooner is likely going to deliver exactly what the fans anticipate.
At the same time, Dr Mtukudzi is a man who needs no introduction when it comes to performing on any big stage as he has proved time and time again that he is indeed the Godfather of local music.
Whether he is belting out old songs or tracks from his latest album, Tuku, as he affectionately known by his legion of fans has had less challenges in charming any crowd presented to him.
There are other events that are also taking place on the same day with another interesting one being the Castle Lite Extra Cold Block Party which is being held at Westgate Shopping Mall.
Artistes including Dobba Don, Djembe Monks, Tehn Diamond, DJ Storm, Chucknosis and Reverb 7 among others will be in charge of the entertaining the crowd.
Last years’ Harare edition which was held at Newlands Shopping Centre was a major success as it attracted thousands of people.
Considering that this will be a New Year’s celebration, thousands of patrons are set to throng the shopping mall.
Meanwhile, besides the Jameson Vic Falls Carnival, the resort town will receive another boost in terms of entertainment as the “Fallen” event makes a return for the second year running.
The event which is held at the Victoria Falls Rest Camp came to life last year as a welcome development that provided an outlet for locals who could not afford to buy carnival tickets to also have enjoy the New Year’s countdown festivities.
Fallen 2016 will be bigger than last year’s event if the line-up is anything to go by with artistes that include Winky D, Rax, Ray Dizz, Rawse, Trill Angel and Flying Bantu to name just a few taking to the stage. The party will be running concurrently with the carnival, kicking off on Thursday and running up to the first day of the New Year.
Aside from the New Year’s festivities, Bulawayo will be a place to be on Tuesday as Queens Sports Ground plays host to both South African and Zimbabwean heavyweights for the annual Homecoming gig.
Some of the artistes billed to perform include Professor, Babes Wodumo, Big Nuz, Oskido, DJ Ganyani, DJ Zinhle, Jah Prayzah, Winky D, Otis Frazer, Cal Vin and T Bass.
This is one of the most anticipated gigs in the city of kings, and this year it brings a different feel as the organisers have decided to enter unfamiliar territory by bringing in Winky D and Jah Prayzah to an event that has previously been dominated by house music and hip hop.
However, the two acts have proven that they can handle their own on any stage.
These last few days towards the end of the year will certainly be a hive of activity across the country with many events and activities to choose from.
