Cape Town Carnival gears up to host 10th annual street parade

The street parade will kick off at 7pm, with performers, giant floats and puppets making their way down Somerset Road from the intersection within Napier Street and ending opposite the Green Point traffic circle adjacent to the stadium.

Spectators can enjoy free street-level viewing, or book comfortable seating in one of the many hospitality stands. VIP tickets cost R1,390, which includes a raised-platform seat, delicious finger foods, a full bar, security, DJ and music. Seated tickets on tiered stands cost R350 per person.

Jay Douwes, CEO of Cape Town Carnival, says: "Over the years we’ve deepened our understanding and ability to bring together, a very broad cross-section of Cape Town people. Whether it’s the aunties or cool kids, wherever they’re from – we bring them together for an unforgettable shared experience."

Experiential platform to market entertainment

Longstanding sponsors Mutichoice, Dstv, Tsogo Sun and Kfm are also using the carnival as an experiential platform to market the entertainment values of their brands to their many guests, viewers and listeners.

"The Cape Town Carnival gives us a truly unique opportunity to really engage with our people in a very meaningful, colourful, vibrant way, whether it’s from our branded float, on our hospitality stand, or on our Facebook or Instagram page. It’s 100% in line with our brand ethos, of providing unrivalled hospitality and entertainment," says Jacques Meyer, marketing manager, Cape region of Tsogo Sun.

Last year’s event attracted over 54 000 people, with 36% being Black African, 35% Coloured, 26% White and 3% Indian/Asian. Of those, 69% came as a family, and 31% came with friends. 64% were younger than 40 years old, with roughly 45% falling into the 26- to 40-year-old age category.

Community-driven programmes

Douwes notes: “The carnival has a year-long community-driven programme that works at a grassroots level in communities across the Cape, by offering skills-development programmes for men, women and children, to take part on carnival night as a performer.

"Alongside this, we’ve become a job creator, by offering apprenticeships and entry-level positions in float-building, costume production, makeup, event logistics, marketing or in our admin office – so aside from the entertainment and engagement value, it offers opportunities of corporate social investment and job creation."

Regarded by the City of Cape Town as a strategically significant tool for tourism and social cohesion, the Cape Town Carnival is one of the city’s signature 'jewel events'. In 2018, the economic impact of the Somerset Road event exceeded R58m, up just over 40% from the year before. Net spending by non-local visitors reached the R38,5m mark on Carnival night last year, with an attributed R20,27m of direct spend on the actual event night.