Good news for imbibers as Matobo gin festival returns

LAST held in 2020 before the Covid-19induced lockdown, the Matobo Gin Festival is making a return this year, with organisers saying this time around, not only will imbibers get an opportunity to enjoy their hand-crafted, locally produced gin, but half of the proceeds raised during the one-day festival will be donated to ZimParks for conservancy.

Last year organisers were forced to cancel the festival due to the global pandemic. However, this year its making a comeback and will be held at the Sandy Spruit Dam on 29 October, which is located close to the Matopo recreational park.

Entertainment and gin lovers will finally have a means of quenching their two-year long air lock with a variety of hand-crafted gin not only from Zimbabwe but other parts of Africa. Revellers will also get to enjoy the scenic view of the Sandy Spruit dam while they sip on their favourite gin.

In an interview with the Sunday Life, Langa Bright Moyo, the public relations officer of the festival said prior to the festival there are other activities lined up to the big event meant to wet the appetite of gin lovers.

“For all those who will be coming through for the festival or those who know that they will miss the big event, don’t lose hope because we will be at the Sanganai/ Hlanganani expo and you can come through and experience the pure African taste of gin that we have,” he said.

Langa mentioned that the Covid-19-induced lockdown gave the festival organisers an opportunity to sit down and come up with ideas that could make the festival even more exciting. Adding to the already existing activities, this year there will be games such as Gin-pong and an exhibition of Gins from other countries.

“We realised that we could improve on the activities, and we are going to have canoeing as well as gin pong. In terms of the gins, we will not be having Matobo African gin only, but we have added more from other African countries such as South Africa and Swaziland,” he said.

With the spirit of promoting local brands, several local artistes such as Thandi Bhala, Msizkay and Ryan Synth have been lined up to perform at the event. The festival will also be branded with T/shirts which are being done in partnership with the Ndebele Crush brand.

“We have merchandise such as T/shirts for the festival and these will be going for $10, so people can order their swag from the Ndebele Crush shop. A line-up of local artistes has been done and we are still working on getting more artistes to come and perform at the event. We are expecting to have lots of fun and people should not forget to bring their camp chairs,” said Langa.

The festival officially starts at 11:30am and tickets for the event will be on sale at the gate for a fee of US$10. Vehicles will carry a separate charge of US$4. There is a limited number of early bird tickets which can be purchased from several places in town.

“Early bird tickets sale started on 11 October, and you can get these at The Mitre bar, Greys Inn bar and Soko’s butchery,” he said.

The Matobo Gin Festival is an annual outdoor event that seeks to recognise authentic African experiences and culture. Pioneered by the makers of Matobo African Gin, the festival acknowledges the Matobo region and works closely with Zim Parks to aid in boosting local tourism and conservation of the amazing national park.–@rumbie_mbewe