Vic Falls Carnival to celebrate 10-years in style

20 Mar, 2022 - 00:03 0 Views
Vic Falls Carnival to celebrate 10-years in style

The Sunday Mail

Andrew Moyo

FOR three days, Elephant Hills Resort will be buzzing as it plays host to one of the biggest music festivals on the continent, the Vic Falls Carnival.

The fiesta will run from April 29 to May 1.

This year’s edition will be headlined by top-tier artistes among them DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, Sha Sha, Nutty O, Master KG, DJ Shimza, Gemma Griffiths, Djembe Monks and Boity to name just a few.

DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small

The carnival had been shelved in the past two years due to the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions.

But the hiatus seems to have given the organisers an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and reshape the event.

There are numerous changes to the carnival this year.

While it has grown to be known as a major New Year’s party, the dates have, however, been changed. Also, emphasis is being put on celebrating African arts and culture.

“We are changing the narrative from it being a celebration of the year-end and the start of a new one, rather focusing on the celebration of African arts, culture and music,” said Vic Falls Carnival festival director Craig Bright in an interview with The Sunday Mail Society.

“We have been thinking of moving the dates for a few years now and we used the break, due to the pandemic, as an opportunity to re-think and make new plans for our new dates which fall over the Workers’ Day long weekend.”

The new dates also mean that those attending will not have to worry about being rained on, as has been the case with previous editions.

With the majestic Victoria Falls being at its peak during this period, it will be a plus for visitors who get to experience this exhilarating feature in all its might.

The other significant change is the venue.

Organisers this time around opted for the more scenic Elephant Hills Resort, moving away from Victoria Falls Primary School –which has hosted the event for nine years.

“We have unfortunately outgrown the school venue and the fact that we can use the hotel as a base for all our artists and crew as well as for some of our festival fans keeps everything in one place. The venue is on the beautiful Zambezi River with incredible views. It is also close to the sunset cruise boats and other incredible activities on offer in Vic Falls,” said Bright.

“We see more room for growth at this venue as we celebrate our 10th anniversary and start our new journey after the long break.”

The famous train and bush party has been scrapped as all proceedings will be staged at one venue.

Besides the main concerts, there will be a couple of sunset boat cruise parties which will be hosted on the Zambezi Explorer.

Another element that might excite house music fans is the “Sunday Lunch Party” to be held at the Look Out Deck in collaboration with South African party brand, Kunye, which has risen to prominence for hosting some of the most epic deep house music sessions.

Kunye has hosted legendary acts including Zakes Bantwini, Sun-El Musician, Da Capo and Culoe De Song among others.

This year’s edition has also attracted a lot of attention if ticket sales are anything to go by.

“We are witnessing record numbers in ticket sales if we take the average sales that we have sold two months prior to the carnival in the past. So far, we have sold double meaning we are expecting a bumper crowd.

“The fact that festival fans across the world have been starved of entertainment for so long is also a big reason for the hype and excitement to get out and go have some fun again in a safe and controlled environment where there is world-class entertainment,” added Bright.

While Covid-19 regulations have been relaxed with showbiz seemingly back on track, the need to be vigilant cannot be ignored.

Organisers of the carnival have stressed that they will stick to World Health Organisation and Government set Covid-19 health protocols.

“Things are changing daily, but, whatever is required, we will strictly adhere to these requirements during the Carnival.

“We advise everyone to get vaccinated before you arrive in Vic Falls and if not we will certainly need a negative PCR test within 48hrs of your arrival.

“We will do what is required to make sure everyone is in a safe environment. After all, this is our tenth celebration of the carnival and we are throwing everything and the kitchen sink at this year’s event.”

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