The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo recently in VICTORIA FALLS —
AS the world geared up for New Year’s Eve celebrations, festivities started earlier in the resort town of Victoria Falls with the Jameson Vic Falls Carnival roaring to life on December 29.
The event proved why it is regarded as one of the biggest music festivals on the continent as it attracted thousands of merrymakers from around the world.
The reduced ticket prices for locals was a welcome move as this attracted more Zimbabweans who have failed to afford the steep ticket prices in the past.
The usually quiet town was a hive of activity from the first day of the carnival with the multicultural early birds herding for either the pool party that took off in the afternoon at Shoestrings or the newly introduced Jameson Zambezi River party, which was set on the banks of the Zambezi River.
While the river party was attractive, rain bearing clouds that threatened a downpour discouraged many from attending. Many people decided to head for the Shoestrings party, which ended up being the main attraction of the day.
Several DJs took turns to entertain hundreds of visitors who packed the place to capacity, signalling the beginning of what would be an epic festival.
Over the years, the Train and Bush party has proven to be a popular segment of the event, which has encouraged organisers to increase the capacity, and this year was no different with the train having to do three trips ferrying people to the “secret” bush location.
The Train and Bush party, which took place on the second day of the carnival, was oversubscribed, as the first two trains were packed to capacity and there was barely enough space to manoeuvre, let alone dance, but that did not dampen the party mood, with patrons chanting their way to the bush location.
By the time the third train came at around 9pm, the DJs who included Nick Fourie, Half and Half, Diloxclusiv and DJ Francis to name a few, had already set the party ablaze and the beats kept on pumping until way after midnight.
The final day of the event was poised to be electric considering the top international and local acts that were on the line up.
Congestion in the town became unbearable as the day wore on with more visitors coming in for the massive New Year countdown at Victoria Falls Farm School.
While the previous edition had a poor stage setup, this time there was a huge improvement with a stage and lighting that added flair to the whole show. Although the first few acts had to perform for a near empty venue as people were still trickling in, they managed to set the tone for the night.
Having been given the third slot, Judgement Yard’s duo of 2 Bad and Asha B gave a taste of reggae music to the crowd that was slowly growing, prompting people to move nearer to the stage.
Napalma came and upped the tempo with their blend of Brazilian and African beats, which had the crowd dancing to the high energy performance.
When Suluman Chimbetu came on with the whole band dressed in all white just after 9pm, the mood had picked up and he managed to keep the crowd, made up mostly of foreigners, on their feet as they danced to the dendera beat. The organisers’ decision to task Goodluck with ushering the crowd into 2017 proved to be a good one as they did so in style, pulling off an exceptional performance characterised by their sing along hits.
When Locnville came on in the first hour of 2017, the celebrating crowd was on another level of merrymaking and the duo brought the house down with their vast catalogue of smash hits.
As a bonus, they were joined by Chad as they performed their collaborative effort “Hold on You”, sending the crowd into an explosive frenzy.
Other acts who were brilliant on the night include Sketchy Bongo, The Kiffness and Tresor, performing their well-known tracks that have been dominant on international music video charts.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail Leisure on the sidelines of the carnival, Juliet Harding of Goodluck said they were thrilled to celebrate the New Year “with such a diverse crowd” for the second time running.
“We were here last year and it was one of the best gigs we have ever played from the perspective of the energy in the audience,” said Harding.
“We have played at festivals and events throughout Africa but this event is special in that the audience is from all over the world so it is wonderful bringing in the New Year with so many different people from across the globe.
“We had several options to play at other gigs but we decided to come back here because we had an awesome time last year and in my opinion, I would say this is the best New Year’s festival on the continent.”
She said during their visit last year, they were impressed with the local acts that performed.
“Right now we have just arrived and we are yet to see any local act on stage but last year we got to see a couple of local acts that were really good so we know that there is a fantastic scene, it’s very exciting.
“We are always looking to collaborate with other artistes who have a similar vibe to us and next year who knows what’s going to happen, we might be in the studio with one of the local guys.”
Meanwhile, the carnival significantly benefited local businesses, especially accommodation and food outlets, which catered for the thousands of people that visited the town.
Most affordable hotels and lodges including Rest Camp, Shoestrings, Victoria Falls Backpackers and the newly opened Shearwater Explorers Village, to name just a few, were fully booked for the duration of the carnival with many companies that offer adventures also enjoying brisk business.
