Let’s get the July party started already

LADIES and gentlemen, gird your loins: party season in Durban has officially kicked off. It certainly feels that way, judging by my e-mail inbox which is suddenly crammed with invitations to parties and events in Durban.

It figures ,though. June is when the things start happening and the party season only ends in mid-august, with just a short break before the Spring Break parties kick off. So if I’m talking about spring, which is only three months away, that means the year is basically over.

I’m always grateful that I’m paid to party – or something like that. I don’t really party. I’m the perennial wallflower, sometimes moving from one wall to the other, greeting friends, meeting new people and making fake promises about meeting for coffee soon. Imagine if I chose to go to those events? I’d be even poorer.

I went to my first Vodacom Durban July-related event last week, where Gagasi FM announced to the world they were bringing back their fancy marquee village, the Red Star Experience, and it would be better than last year.

They will have a glass marquee this year, complete with the fanciest decor and amenities such as a pampering room and a man cave. I get the pamper room as everyone needs to touch up after a few hours, but a man cave? Is that going to be where men go to smoke cigars and play video games? If so, it’s genius. But they would have to let women in because gentlemen-only clubs are stupid.

The second event I was invited to was Gateway’s annual pre-july bash, where fashion and music come together. I’ve attended this event over five years and one of the best things they ever did was make it a week before the July. While it might lose some of its lustre because the A-listers from Jozi and Cape Town are not there, it gains from prioritising the Durban socialites, influencers and celebrities who actually shop at the mall. The event will take place on June 30 and tickets will be on sale soon.

Fashion designer, David Tlale plans a red collection for the July and will himself wear red. This is monumental as he only ever wears black. I’ve never seen him in any other colour. He reminds me of Karl Lagerfeld, who also sticks to black and white. So it will be interesting to see how much black Tlale will try incorporate in his outfit.

I recently saw posters of the Glenlivet Jazz Town marquee on the streets. This was my favourite marquee last year. It had amazing musicians, a great mix of ordinary people, business leaders and TV stars. The food was amazing and the decor elegantly done.

I’m not surprised they are bringing back Lira as one of the headline performers. She is amazing on stage and able to get the audience to loosen up. She called some gentlemen, clearly going through a mid-life crisis, onto the stage last year and they danced better than their early 20s children would have at the club. I was sure one would not make it off the stage without help from paramedics. Instead, my jaw dropped at every should-be-impossible-foryour-age dance move he did.

So get your coins ready. These are just three Julyrelated situations. There will be more as the weeks go by. It’s officially a month before the craziest weekend in Durban. Oh, and Durban designers, I need a cool 60s outfit to wear to the July. E-mail me.