Arts Writer
MEET 2016 in style with the V&A Waterfront’s free annual festival-styled New Year street carnival presented by Coca-Cola from 6.30pm until 2am.
It doesn’t matter whether you prefer calypso, jive, samba, toyi toyi, waltz, salsa, hip hop or rock n roll, there’s bound to be something for everyone.
This year they have introduced different outdoor entertainment zones and various carnival-like performances to keep visitors entertained throughout the evening as they meander about the property.
Crowds in each entertainment zone will find themselves immersed in a sensory experience bursting with colour, constantly moving visuals, sound and activity to get them in the mood to party.
Zones include the Amphitheatre and children’s playground, the NSRI tree, the Alfred Mall, Pier Head, Nobel Square and the Clock Tower.
From 5pm onwards, the various areas will come alive with activities from buskers to Zip Zap Circus performances, roaming musicians, singers and bands, dance performances, floats and characters from the Cape Town Carnival and much more.
The approximately 80 restaurant tenants and caterers operating from food trucks will also be available throughout the evening.
Roaming performers will entertain with violin, saxophone, drumming, opera singing, Dixie, classical, acapella, guitar, pop, rock, accordion and more.
Popular performers Dave Ferguson and Chad Saaiman will perform from the Amphitheatre stage, Jimmy Nevis at the Pier Head, and Jeremy Oliver at Nobel Square. A host of other bands and artists will share these stages with them.
Saaiman, Nevis and Oliver’s performances will start at 11pm, stopping ten minutes before midnight to prepare for the countdown, and resuming at 12.10am until 12.30am.
As always, partygoers can look forward to the midnight countdown to New Year which will be marked by a fireworks display, co-sponsored by the City of Cape Town.
Given the popularity of the event, parking fills up quickly, andcongestion in the city can make getting into the Waterfront difficult. Solutions include using the MyCiTi bus or taxis. Parking in the Silo garage at the Clock Tower, a five minute walk from the main Waterfront area, will cost R10 for four hours.
l www.waterfront.co.za