MZANZI ISSUE 16

Summer Fun
WESTERN CAPE
Cape Town: V&A Waterfront New Year’s Eve
Celebration
Billed as the biggest New Year’s Eve party in South Africa, this
is an annual tradition with a spectacular fireworks display.
Entry is free to all areas of the V&A Waterfront, except for those
Waterfront establishments that will be hosting their own parties,
such as restaurants. A good event for the whole family.
Cape Town: Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts –
New Year’s Eve Concert
This forms part of the annual Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts
series. An open-air setting in the beautiful Kirstenbosch National
Botanical Garden, with a mountain backdrop. An entrance fee
is charged. Bring you rugs and picnic basket and come early
to find a good spot on the sloping lawns close to the stage.
Cape Town: Table View Beachfront
Although Cape Town’s municipality has announced they are
not allocating any designated areas of the city this year for
public fireworks displays, the beachfront of Table View is still
a good spot from where you can watch the V&A Waterfront’s
fireworks display across the bay.
Cape Town: Camps Bay
Camps Bay beach offers families a quieter New Year’s Eve
experience. Bring blankets, candles and picnic baskets. While
the beach is a nice quiet spot, the beachfront area lining the road
with its many bars and restaurants draws a bigger, noisier crowd.
Cape Town: Table Mountain & Signal Hill
The last cable car comes down at 9.30pm, so waiting for the
New Year on top of the mountain is a no-no. But there are many
good vantage points where you can park along Tafelberg Road
(after the lower cable station) and along Signal Hill Road. From
here you will have a spectacular bird’s-eye view of the city lights
below and the fireworks display in the V&A Waterfront. Take a
picnic basket and blankets along. But don’t park alone in any
isolated spots – stay with the crowds.
Cape Town: Long Street & De Waterkant
Upper Long Street and the Waterkant area at the beginning
of Green Point are the two epicentres of the city’s clubbing,
bars and entertainment scene. These two areas get extra
crowded and busy on New Year’s Eve with their many
establishments filled to capacity with revellers. In Long
Street the revellers line the first-floor balconies to watch
the street action below. When midnight approaches, both of
these areas are brought to a complete standstill by crowds
and it becomes a massive street party. A note of caution
though: in Long Street one has to be wary of pickpockets
and other bad elements.
Paarl: Nederburg Wine Estate
Traditionally the New Year’s Eve concert on this historic and
famous wine estate starts at 9.30pm with laidback classics
being played in a relaxed atmosphere far from the crowds.
Ideal for bringing your picnic basket and the whole family.
The estate offers a range of some of the best wines.
Franschhoek: Winelands celebrations
Many of the restaurants lining the main street of Franschhoek,
as well as the surrounding wine estates, lay on superb New
Year’s Eve events, which turns the entire village and valley
into one big celebration. Special outdoor music and dance
events also take place here.
Gardens, Cape Town: Alcazar New Year’s
Party
Billed as the premium inner-city New Year’s Eve Party. The
party hosted at Alcazar will showcase 12 hours of music
by the best of electronic dj’s. There will also be Cirque-style
performance art by Olympic gymnasts and fire dancers
across three distinctly decked-out stages, with VIP options.
Price: R390–R690.
Cape Town Central: Sotano’s island style
party
You can dress up island-style for the party at Sotano’s on
Bree Street, the cool inner-city venue. The evening kicks off
with a welcome cocktail and canapés, followed by dancing
to the tunes of DJ David Sandler (deep tech, deep house)
right up until the year turns 2020 and beyond. Limited tables
of six are available for booking for R3,500, which includes
a bottle of Tanqueray and Fitch & Leedes mixers at Sotano
on Bree. Price: R450.
MZANZITRAVEL| www.mzanzitravel.co.za|ISSUE 16 | 99