Cape Town Carnival, Absa Cape Epic delivers significant economic impact & water savings

“Cape Town Carnival and the Absa Cape Epic show that Cape Town and the Western Cape are open for business. We warmly welcome guests to enjoy the entertainment and activities, and encourage them to be water-wise when doing so,” commented Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris. “We applaud the organisers who dedicated months of meticulous planning to attract support and participation from local and international audiences alike.”

#CTCarnival2018 #Zumba #Saturdayvibes #vibes #IamTavioLouis pic.twitter.com/BEkMIHbJI0

— Tavio C Louis (@TaviodaLouis) March 17, 2018

Water wise events

To ensure minimal water usage over the course of the weekend, both events have implemented water saving initiatives. Cape Town Carnival has made provision for chemical toilets only, with hydration for the event being sourced from outside municipal water grids.

Similarly, the Absa Cape Epic announced a Water Neutral Prologue for the first leg this Sunday, with hydration supplied by aQuelle Serviced Water. As per previous years, the organisers have made use of non-potable shower water with initiatives to further reduce shower time, following the positive uptake last year. A conservative 25,000 litres maximum per day has been secured for catering and hydration purposes for the week-long event.

What song would you want to hear at the start line that will get you ready to take on the #untamed? �� @garyperkin

A post shared by Cape Epic (@capeepic) on Feb 7, 2018 at 7:14am PST

Harris commended: "These two events show that it is possible to continue to host large events while saving water. We are setting a new world-standard for how to respond to climate change, and events like these are playing a critical role in helping build a truly water-resilient economy in doing so."

Minister of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde, added: “Both the Cape Epic and the Cape Town Carnival are important events on the Western Cape calendar, aligned to our Project Khulisa tourism growth strategy. Events of this magnitude are a major tourism drawcard, building on our reputation as a world-class destination, creating growth and jobs for local residents. We also applaud the event organisers for making plans to be water neutral."