South Africa Blog

Various international, national and local performing artists are lined up for the annual Mangaung African Cultural Festival (MACUFE) in Bloemfontein, the organisers said on Thursday. Organising company Bashomi-Ba-Africa spokesman Lungile Jan said each and every day during this year’s festival, to start on September 28, would be a “big day” for entertainment seekers.

“For visitors of Macufe we will make the ideal possible that they will be entertained by the best of the best,” Jan told journalists in Bloemfontein. Held for the 10th year now, Macufe features jazz, gospel, kwaito, hip-hop, R&B, rock and classical music events in and around Bloemfontein. Other events are drama, musical theatre, poetry, fine art and traditional arts and crafts.

This year the festivities kick off with an R&B – Hip Hop concert which includes artists like Soul-II-Soul, Tuks and Morafe. Other concerts include classical performers such as Wendy Oldfield and the Afro Tenors in the Sand du Plessis Theatre and a gospel music show featuring Joyous Celebration and Benjamin Dube.

An Afro Jazz concert will include performances by Themba Mkhize All Star Band, Gloria Bosman and Paul Hammer. A reggae festival, rock and pop concert and the main Jazz Festival featuring Angie Stone, Andy Narrell and Larry Carlton are also on the cards.

Macufe would end with a four team soccer tournament – the Macufe Cup – at Vodacom Park between Free State Stars, Bloemfontein Celtic, Chiefs and Pirates on October 7.

 Macufe Festival Programme (Download the .pdf festival programme).

Related Sites:
Macufe Festival Website
Find accommodation for this event:
Free State Accommodation
Bloemfontein Accommodation

“Aren’t you going to take a coat?” a friend asks me as we rush out the door to attend a charity event in Cape Town’s lush Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens. Although the sky is clear and the sun is shining, in Cape Town this is no simple question. Situated between two oceans, and languishing in the shadow of Table Mountain, the Mother City consistently confounds meteorological attempts to predict her weather. The Crowded House song “Four Seasons in one Day” is a rather apt description of the ever-shifting set of microclimates that is the Cape Town weather …

More about Cape Town’s Weather
Cape Town Accommodation
Things to do in Cape Town

Carnival City is proud to present “Disco Inferno”, an evening saluting the heady days of the late 70’s’ disco era. On Saturday 13th October 2007, the Big Top Arena will be transformed into a giant discotheque with DJ’s playing 70’s disco favourites, mirror balls, giant video screens, dancers and scantily clad waiters.  Plus international stars, Village People and Sister Sledge (featuring Kathy Sledge), darlings of the disco movement, will be performing live on stage.

Now cult icons, both acts dominated charts worldwide during the late 70’s and early 80’s, selling millions of albums along the way.

They delivered strings of unforgettable hits:  From the Village People anthems such as YMCA; Go West; In The Navy; Macho Man and You Can’t Stop The Music.  From Sister Sledge classics like Frankie; We Are Family; He’s The Greatest Dancer and Lost In Music.

A DJ will spin classic disco hits prior to the show and during the interval in order to get everybody moving and Master of Ceremonies, Matthew Stewardson, will be on hand to whip audiences into full tilt boogie mode.  A great retro 70’s evening and the perfect way to sail into summer!

So ladies, don your satin pants and sequined boob tubes, and gentlemen dust off those white flared suits and platform shoes.  Come and celebrate a retro night with two of the most popular and enduring acts from those intoxicating disco days at Carnival City’s DISCO INFERNO!

When? 13 October 2007
Where? Big Top Arena at Carnival City, Gauteng
Who? You, you and you!

Johannesburg Accommodation
Gauteng Events
Gauteng Hotels

Don’t know what to do with your kids? Great news for frustrated moms, dads and teachers who never know where to look to find child-friendly places to visit, restaurants, extra-mural activities, extra lessons, shows, educational class outings and much much more!!  Jozikids is here to assist all those who want to find out what they can do with their children today, this weekend or during the holidays in Joburg.

At long last Joburg  has its very own in-depth, on-line directory  with 100s of listings, devoted to helping parents and teachers find what they need for their children from birth to 14 yrs old. You can search for something specific (by subject/area) or  just browse through the various categories for inspiration:

to learn for a wide range of extra-mural activities, extra lessons and clubs
to go for all kinds of day outings, activities and interesting places to visit
to eat  for child-friendly restaurants & markets
to party for a comprehensive range of party services
to read for library storytime, children’s books and magazines
to shop for retail outlets specialising in items for children
for teachers for educational class outings and shows relevant to the curriculum

And the in-depth, regularly updated calendar will provide details of what’s on across the city from Soweto to Sandton on a daily basis. Find out what’s showing in theatres, when libraries have storytime or when the Junior Spider Club meets. Users can  Review what  they have experienced to help others choose.

Parents can get a wide range of detailed, independently reviewed and regularly updated information about every possible kind of activity and place to visit with their children. Teachers can get detailed information on educational class outings/shows that are relevant to the curriculum.

Businesses can list their services on a full page for a very affordable fee and can manage the content of their own listing via password access. They can also use the Review function to market their services by encouraging clients to write reviews.

www.jozikids.co.za is a unique user-friendly on-line directory & calendar that is designed to change the face of what Johannesburg/ Gauteng has to offer children.

CONTACT: info@jozikids.co.za
Tel: 011 482 4310
Cell: 083 4762597
Fax: 086 516 9136

Related Links:
Gauteng Events
Gauteng Attractions

I received a fabulous set of photographs of a paraglider in Cape Town this week. Paragliding off Lions Head, the photos show the magnificent views of Sea Point and Green Point below with Robben Island in the distance. You can view the full set as a Flickr photo gallery at: Paragliding Photo Gallery.

Paragliding off Lions Head, Cape Town photographs with thanks to and © Ryan Minnaar of Paraglide South Africa and Celebration – The Wedding Directory.

Related Sites:
Paragliding in South Africa
South Africa Activities
South Africa Events

For all the wine lovers who will be in the Cape this coming weekend (15 September), Bloemendal Wine Estate in Durbanville are having their Festival of Sauvignon Blanc on 15 and 16 September. Connoisseurs and novices alike will be joining the fun for two days – 2 full days filled with exceptional wine, excellent local cuisine, a variety of music and of course the relaxed country ambience.

“Bloemendal Wine Estate, having won the Terrior Wine Award, two years running, for the best Sauvignon Blanc in South Africa, is going to make this Season of Sauvignon Festival a memorable and enjoyable weekend for the whole family. You will have the opportunity to taste Sauvignon Blancs from the Bloemendal Estate dating back to 1988, a rare opportunity in itself. We will offer cellar tours, awesome food, great live bands and entertainment for kids”.

A great line up of entertainment includes the Southern Gypsy Queen, Boulevard Blues Band and a number of their regular muzos. There will also be an open-air seafood kitchen, sushi bar and 3 Streams Smokehouse Salmon deli, all complementing our Bloemendal Sauvignon Blanc.

The R30.00 entrance fee (for adults) gets you a free tasting and glass with the enjoyment of all the live music, water slides and jumping castles for kids. Sounds like a lot of fun and great value for money!

How much? Adults – R30.00; kids – R20.00
Where? Bloemendal Wine Estate, Durbanville
When? Satureday 15 and Sunday 16 September 2007
Contact the Estate on: Telephone: 021 976 2682
Visit the Website: Bloemendal Wine Estate

Related Sites:
Cape Wine Routes
Durbanville Attractions & Info
 

The Annual Cape Town Wedding Festival is here again. Definitely the place to be if you are planning a wedding or getting married in the near future. Plan a stress-free wedding with the help of the experts at Celebration House’s 11th Cape Town Wedding Festival, on at Market Square, V & A Waterfront from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 September. Get advice from the experts, try on designer dresses, have free makeovers, enjoy fashion shows and enter a competition with fabulous prizes, including a R10 000 wedding dress by designer Robyn Roberts!

When? 7 to 9 September
Where? V&A Waterfront
Tickets: R35 pp (under 18 free).
For more information tel: 021-674-7350
Visit www.capetownweddingfestival.co.za

Related Sites:
Cape Town Weddings
South Africa Weddings

Wine Valley Horse Trails operate from the beautiful Rhebokskloof Wine Estate in Paarl in the Cape Winelands. They offer horse-drawn carriage drives for those that do not want to actually ride a horse.  A variety of different carriage drives are on offer, ranging in duration from one hour, two hours to half day wine tastings and lunches in the spectacular Cape Winelands. This sounds like very special experience and judging by the photographs on their website, it is one of those “must-do” things to do when visiting the Cape. (Note to all husbands and boyfriends out there: Surprise the lady in your life with a romantic carriage drive through the Cape Winelands – you’ll score big points with this one!).

Some of the carriage drives they offer are:
15 minute drives around Rhebokskloof Wine Estate; a 1 hour wine tasting carriage drive which includes 1 tasting, (requires a minimum of 2 passengers); 2 hour wine tasting carriage drive (includes 2 tastings, minimum 2 passengers); Champagne breakfast trail (approximately 1:30 minutes, minimum 2 passengers); Half day trails (includes 2 to 3 wine tastings on different estates) … lots more of these available on the website!

So there seems to be a good variety to select from to suit mosts budgets and of course depending on how much time you have to spend doing this! Enjoy and we would love to hear from anybody who has done this before or let us know if you go and do this!

Contact Wine Valley Horse Trails on: 021 869-8687 or 083 226-8735 or visit the website at: Wine Valley Horse Trails.

Related Links:
Cape Winelands Accommodation
Things to do in Cape Town