Festival of Motoring at Kyalami postponed
The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed another motoring event, with Messe Frankfurt SA deciding to postpone this year’s Festival of Motoring to August 2021.
Originally to have run at Kyalami from August 21 to 24, the Festival of Motoring, presented by WesBank, has been staged annually since 2016. It is the largest automotive show in Africa and the only national industry-supported event endorsed by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa).
“In the light of uncertainty about Covid-19 and its impact on the industry and the economy at large, we thought it in the best interest of all stakeholders that we postpone the event to 2021,” said Joshua Low, MD of Messe Frankfurt SA.
“We pride ourselves in putting together world-class events. This decision has not been taken lightly. It is important that we support the industry and offer a platform that meets its needs. We have been engaging with the industry over the past two months. The view is that they would like to support the event and would aim to do so in 2021,” adds Low.
Messe Frankfurt is finalising dates for next year’s show and will make an announcement when these are confirmed. The festival showcases what the motoring industry has to offer and has become a favourite among car enthusiasts, families and a much broader audience in recent years.
“We have exciting new initiatives planned for the 2021 event. These include the introduction of the SA biking fraternity, enhanced activations and displays for electric vehicles, trendy lifestyle content, a charity ride and other motor-tainment elements to ensure we broaden the appeal of the event and make it a fun-filled day for all visitors,” Low said.
The Covid-19 pandemic and uncertainty about how long it will go on has affected other motoring events:
The 2020 Concours SA has been postponed until next year. The annual classic-car contest was to have taken place at Johannesburg’s Steyn City lifestyle resort on August 28-30, bringing together rare classic, luxury and sports cars from prewar vintage to the modern era.
The Simola Hillclimb, due to have taken place in Knysna from May 7 to 10, has been postponed to later in the year when this becomes “sensible, safe and possible”, according to the organisers. The annual hill climb has become one of SA’s premier motorsport lifestyle events, with about 17,000 people from around the world attending over the weekend.
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