It’s back to earth for matric ragers
A WEEK of wild partying has ended for thousands of matriculants who flocked to Durban for the annual Rage festival this week.
Friday night saw the main event and matrics left the province to return home yesterday.
Revellers attended a host of parties with the principal events at The Sound Factory at Kings Park, with five stages, 26 night clubs and a contingent of 90 international and local artists.
While the festival was all about fun and dance, the organisers came down hard on those found misbehaving.
Four matriculants were detained by police on Friday night after they were caught with ecstasy tablets and dagga.
Police spokeswoman Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed the arrests and said the suspects would appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.
She said no other incidents were reported.
Those in attendance forked out thousands of rand to attend, with passports (tickets) ranging from R1 000 for general access to R3 650 for a VIP black passport.
The festival has become a rite of passage and a way for matrics to celebrate their freedom after 12 years of schooling.
The organiser, Greg Walsh of G&G productions, said it was “a resounding success” with no serious incidents reported.
“We have seen more than 16 000 matriculants attending the events throughout Durban during the course of the week. At the Sound Factory, we had at least 18 000 pupils a night. The event has grown exponentially since its inception in 2004. Our black passports sold out in seven minutes when they went on sale in May this year,” said Walsh.
Catherine de Wet, 18, from Joburg, said she flew to Durban especially for the Rage and had been planning for the festival since the beginning of the year.
She saved her pocket money to buy tickets and her parents helped her to cover her travel and accommodation expenses, which amounted to more than R12 000. Thousands of ragers from across the country had a ball at the annual Matric Rage Festival in and around Durban this week. They bade farewell to friends new and old to return home yesterday.