City ready for festive lights switch-on party

IT’S LIGHTS, soap stars and summer tunes tomorrow evening when Mayor Patricia de Lille switches on the Adderley Street festive lights.

The fun starts with the Festival of Lights concert, from 4pm on the Grand Parade.

Events company espAFRIKA have been drafted in to organise the line-up.

Chief executive Rashid Lombard said 80 000 to 100 000 people were expected in the area of the Grand Parade and Adderley Street tomorrow, to enjoy a varied line- up with trumpeter and songwriter Hugh Masekela as the headline act.

Lombard listed the popular Alexander Sinton Jazz Band and Afro pop regulars Hot Water as among other performers.

“Hugh Masekela has mass appeal. We have another exciting artist in Selim Kagee who has been compared to Josh Groban. We have Mi Casa with their radio hit song Jika, The Rockets for the older people, and up- and- coming singer Jimmy Nevis.”

Electro-swing group GoodLuck are also on the bill, along with DJ LuWayne of The Bang Bar, who will entertain revellers until 10pm, after De Lille switches on the lights at 8.30pm. This year’s hosts are Sorina “Die Flooze” Erasmus, of 7de Laan fame, and theatre and soap opera star Terence Bridgett.

The World Design Capital theme features strongly too.

Grant Pascoe, mayoral committee member for events, said the gathering would mark the four- week countdown to the city becoming World Design Capital.

The fun doesn’t end with tomorrow’s event – the Cape Town Summer Market continues daily in The Company’s Garden from December 14 to 30.

A New Year’s Eve party is also planned for the Parade, with Toya DeLazy and DJ Ready D secured.

The Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade has been moved to Saturday, January 4, to accommodate Muslims observing a holy night on January 2.

wendyl.martin@inl.co.za