Big turnout at All-White picnic augers well for main event
The turnout at Saturday’s AllWhite Heritage Day picnic painted a promising picture of what is to come when the annual Ebubeleni Festival returns to its usual starting date ushering in the new year at the end of December.
Attracting more than 5,000 guests, the picnic was presented by the festival’s organisers as part of a series of events leading up to the main event in December.
Headlined by hometown favourite Zonke Dikana, the picnic saw thousands of patrons flock to Victoria Park to celebrate Heritage Day in white and traditional attire.
Organisers announced during the show that the December festival would be held on December 30 after it was shifted to the beginning of December and cut short in 2021 due to fears of another Covid-19 wave.
Ebubeleni Festival Projects chair Marc Mahambehlala said Saturday’s stellar turnout was a sign of music lovers’ hunger for outdoor events after a two-year hiatus.
The event attracted guests from various parts of the Eastern Cape and other provinces, including Gauteng, KwaZuluNatal and the Western Cape.
“The turnout was amazing and truly humbling,” Mahambehlala said.
“It was a beautiful sight seeing all the festinos in their AllWhites with a touch of heritage as they filled up Victoria Park.” The event sold 5,800 tickets. Mahambehlala said the
turnout was not only a win for the organisers but an economic boost for the city too.
“One of the important highlights is the boost to the economy of the city through the direct job creation and the boost to the local businesses like petrol stations, liquor stores, fast food outlets, B&Bs, hotels and all the nightclubs all around Nelson Mandela Bay which turned into All-White after-parties.
“If you took a drive down the beachfront, you could see mostly people clad in their white outfits,” he said.
The picnic boasted a stellar line-up including Dikana, Ntsika Ngxanga, Nomfundo Moh and globally acclaimed singer Bongeziwe Mabandla.
The national acts shared the
stage with Nelson Mandela Bay talent including Joliza Magayiyana, popular DJ duo Hermanos, DJ Lorna Targaryen and vocalist Siya Koyo.
Guests were also pleasantly surprised when Short and Sweet star Vuyokazi “Vovo” Nguqu made a surprise appearance during the show.
Mahambehlala said they had decided to invite Nguqu over when ticket sales reached 90%.
“When we saw that sales were on 90% we decided to add a surprise of including Vovo Nguqu from the reality
show, Short and Sweet, as a gesture of gratitude to our loyal and many new Ebubeleni festinos,” he said.
“We would like to thank all our patrons for making this such a huge success and we look forward to seeing them for the main festival.
“I cannot leave out our sponsors and partners who made this possible and who believed in our vision. Thank you to the National Lotteries Commission, Eastern Cape Parks & Tourism Agency, UMhlobo Wenene FM, Nkqubela FM and Event Hire Network.”