We all have dreams. Some of us even make them happen. One woman is bringing her fantastical vision of the Mother City's biggest ever street party to life come 2010.
When Rachel Jafta (left) attended the renowned Rio Carnival in Brazil, she was immediately struck with the thought that Cape Town would be the ideal venue for a similar celebration of life and culture.
Unlike many of us who have brilliant but fleeting ideas, Rachel came home and got stuck into making this dream a reality. 2010 is a big year for South Africa what with the
FIFA World Cup happening throughout the country. Now it will also be the year that sees the inaugural
Cape Town Carnival take place on the weekend of 12 - 14 March 2010 – although preparations are already underway.
The Cape Town Carnival, while inspired by the one in Rio, will be a truly South African event, bringing together all cultures in a celebration involving music, dance and creative expression of many kinds. And where better than the beautiful Mother City for such festivities! The Carnival will have a unique theme each year and the 2010 first-ever event’s theme is “Rhythm, Roots & Boots”.
The Friday evening will see official street, club and beach Parties arranged across Cape Town in a cross-city Grand Carnival Ball. In addition, local communities will be encouraged to organise their own events as part of the whole celebration in Community Halls.
The Cape Town Carnival main event – the Procession on the Saturday, will include a competition for the best floats, costumes and performances, with professional judges. The public will also be able to vote via sms throughout the day. The event will end with the winners named at midnight.
The team behind the Carnival is currently looking for the perfect venue for the Carnival Home – a space where designers and seamstresses will create the elaborate floats for the main procession that will wind through the streets of the city on the Saturday. It’ll have to be in very large premises as some of these floats will be three and four stories high. The Carnival Home will be open to the public so that we can go in and see this event being built literally from the ground up.
For more information, or to get involved, check out the colourful
Cape Town Carnival website, or contact
Programme Manager Isabel Meyer (above, in silver dress) on083 6019097.
