It’s an exciting day in Cape Town today, being the second New Year’s Day and proclaimed as a public holiday, the city showing its colourful side with two events.
The traditional Tweede Nuwe Jaar Cape Minstrel Carnival takes to the streets between Bo-Kaap and the Grand Parade this afternoon, with thousands of minstrels expected to participate in the procession. Continue reading →
I was surprised to receive so many hits for an Open Letter written on my Blog in 2014 to the Taj Cape Town in the past few days. It was only when I saw the report by News24 about the Taj Cape Town trying to control the Night March of the Cape Minstrels past the hotel on Wale Street that I could make the connection, given that our Open Letter is on the first page of Google Continue reading →
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines‘
* The Western Cape government has committed R 2,4 million to ‘preserving the Western Cape’s culture and heritage and therefore is committed to providing continued support for them’, MEC Nomafrench Mbombo has said, supporting the Cape Minstrels and Malay and Christmas choirs, and their Christmas Choir Bands March on 24 December, The Nagtroupe March on New Years Eve, and the Tweede Nuwejaar Minstrel March. The community will organise its own Cape Annual Minstrel Carnival next year, after the City of Cape Town’s interference in the past led to problems and poor publicity for the City.
* Australia has been using its unique food and wine bounty to market tourism via the ‘Restaurant Australia‘ campaign to the country. Last week it hosted some of the most important food and wine VIPs to its ‘Invite the World to Dinner‘ event in Hobart. Different creative dishes were served in different artistic venues. The organisers claim to have reached 400 million viewers through the event.
* First Thursdays is heading for Woodstock, and ‘Thursday Late‘ will take place in the suburb on Thursday 27 Continue reading →
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* For the first time ever Long Street (between Wale and Buitensingel Streets) will be closed to traffic from 20h00 on 31 December until 4h00 on 1 January, creating one of the biggest street parties Cape Town will have ever seen!
* Four low cost domestic airlines may take off in 2014, in competition to Mango and kulula, reducing the cost of domestic air tickets, it is speculated. Skywise, 1Time, FlySafair, and Fastjet are likely to begin operating next year.
* Tonight the City of Cape Town is hosting what has been billed as ‘Africa’s largest free’ New Years Eve party on the Grand Parade, not only to celebrate the start of 2014, but also to inaugurate Cape Town’s status as World Design Capital 2014.
* The Cape minstrel marches should be given ‘national heritage status’, reports the Cape Argus, to prevent the annual wrangle between the minstrel associations and the City of Cape Town, which has to offer permits, financial, and traffic service support. Tonight the Malay Choir Nagtroupe will march at midnight, while the daytime march in the streets of Cape Town will take place on Friday 4 January, two days later than the usual date.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage