Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Get your spook on by trick or by treat
A grimly fiendish range of Halloween events offer Capetonians a frightfully good time
HAPPY Halloween to all you tricksters and treaters, ghosts and ghouls, and unimaginative sexy nurses. It’s going to be a crazy day and night in Cape Town with most bars and nightclubs hosting dress-up events, so we’ve rounded up a few extremely diverse options.
The big one will be the official Zombie Walk, taking place for the sixth year with the longest route so far – 4.5km.
It begins at the top of Government Avenue at 1pm today, winds through town, along the Fan Walk, and into the V&A Waterfront, finishing at The Lookout where the Zombie Fest is taking place.
Google Maps estimates less than an hour to complete the route, but it has most likely calculated that based on human walking speed, not a zombie shuffle.
Check out the Facebook event page for more details and some rules.
After the walk, Zombie Fest, which also begins at 1pm if you decide not to walk there, will have bands, DJs, food, drinks, stalls, and the rugby on big screens if anyone still cares.
In the line-up are The Rudimentals, Reburn, Grimehouse, Voodoo, The Damned Crows, The Ratrod Cats, Cami Chaos and many more.
The walk and the fest are familyfriendly, but the beer garden with its view of the stage will only be open to over-18s. Zombiegamer will be there and have gaming stations set up, and there will be prizes for the best dressed zombie.
Tickets are R200 at the gate (the walk is free). All new Uber users can sign up with the promotional code CTZombieWalk to enjoy a free first ride up to R200.
● Halloween Slaughter VI at Mercury Live (De Villiers Street, Zonnebloem) is a free show. There will be hampers for the best dressed, and vouchers from Arcane Tattoo and Piercing for the first 20 people through the door, which opens at 8pm. Bands are SUBVERS, Infiltrate Neutralize Govern - ING, BULLETSCRIPT and DevilSpeak.
● If there’s one night with more people in costume than tonight, it’s the annual MCQP (Mother City Queer Project). This year’s theme and venue will be announced at midnight tonight at a party in the Napier Street precinct in Green Point, including Crew Bar, Anatoli’s, Café Dijon and a 60m street party.
Live acts, DJs, and dancers will be on stage in front of three dance floors. Tickets are from Computicket and range from general access to VIP (complimentary drinks all night, Café Dijon), and VVIP (includes two-course dinner and wine at Anatoli’s, plus complimentary drinks all night at Café Dijon).
● The South African Horrorfest movie festival is at the Labia (Orange Street, Gardens) until Friday. On the programme tonight is a special 40th anniversary screening of creature feature The Rocky Horror Picture Show at 8.30pm, which is going to be one of those dress-up-and-participate events where you get to shout at the screen. Call 021 424 5927 for more information or see www.horrorfest.info.
● For the energetic, there is the
route so far – 4.5km
Dirtopia Halloween Forest Night Run at Muratie wine estate in Stellenbosch.
There are prizes and surprises. Registration for the 5km or 10km trails is from 5.30pm and costs R100/R130 respectively. Incorporate a headlamp in your costume.
● My friend Mr Shine says he goes to trance parties because he finds the people highly entertaining, and he gets to spend a nice day somewhere pretty in the country as a bonus.
You can do the same at Transylvania today and tomorrow at Flenterskloof Farm. The line-up includes Hippie Mafia, Paralocks, Broken Toy, Bruce, Rubix Qube and more.
Among the attractions will be a shaded dance floor, camping area, swimming option, food stalls, bar, security, clean toilets (so they say), and craft and clothing stalls. Full festival passes are R310 (Quicket) and R200 for Sunday only (at the gate).