Celebrate Heritage Day at jazz fest

Three days of jazz, house music and hip-hop and an after-party are planned for revellers celebrating the Heritage Day weekend at the Festival.
WITH a line-up featuring Jamaican reggae artists, Queen Ifrica and Tony Rebel, the upcoming Eldos Jazz Festival is set to explode with talented performances, converting the suburb into a musical oasis.

Zarchia ZacheosSongbird Zarcia ZacheusOn the local scene, this year’s jazz festival will stage Allou April, Dr Victor and the Ratsa Rebels, Prince Lengoasa, Zarcia Zacheus, Excellent Jazz Band, Hot Shots Dance Band, and Collaboration. The programme will also include performances by Ernie B St Clair, a Michael Jackson impersonator.

The festival is being held in partnership with the 2011 Joburg Arts Alive International Festival. The programme will light up Kremetart Park, Ext 3 Eldorado Park on 25 September from 10am to 6pm.

Other dates to diarise as part of the Eldos Jazz Festival are Friday, 23 September for the painting of the clay pots at Main Road and Saturday, 24 September for Street Beat, a Hip Hop and House extravaganza at Walter Sisulu Square, in Kliptown.

Grown into what is now a three-day festival for the first time this year, the Eldos Jazz Festival is branded and recognised as one of Joburg's leading open air events. Steven Sack, the City’s director: arts, culture and heritage has dubbed the festival an Arts Alive "true success story".

A number of stalls will be set up for novelties and refreshments and the entertainment will be followed by an after party at the LAPA in Ext 5, making for a brilliant way to spend this Heritage Day weekend.

The Eldos Jazz Festival is managed by Tess Promotions and Events and Besupreme Music. The Joburg Arts Alive International Festival is a project of the City and is a month-long programme of all things artistic, including music and dance, theatre, poetry and film.

Celebrating its sixth year, the Eldos Jazz Festival has deemed itself unstoppable. This year the brand has been elevated into a recognisable festival that is linked to the strong heritage and cultural backdrop in Joburg.

According to organisers: “The brand has extended its vision and mission to educating and exposing the community to the visual, performance and musical arts ... strongly linked to their diverse culture. The three-day festival promises to bring a strong sense of positivity to a previously disadvantaged community that will uplift the area to new heights and possibilities.

“Our vision at Eldos Jazz Festival is to be the unifying voice of a community, with a rich and diverse cultural heritage that inspires guidance, innovation and empowerment to a people worthy of celebrating. The brand also reflects commitment, not only to cultural awareness, but to contribute to the cultural growth of our nation.”

Established in December 2006, the Eldos Jazz Festival hosted its first event at the local swimming pool in Eldorado Park Ext 9, with performances by Paul Hammer, McCoy Mrubata and Vusi Khumalo.

The organisers say they are able to continue treating the Eldorado Park community with an event that surpassed expected standards in an area that was increasingly rife with drugs, domestic violence and crime. The jazz has had a zero incident rate since its establishment.

Bringing renowned artists from greater distances, the Eldos Jazz Festival has previously staged the likes of Selaelo Selota, Giovanca, Ernie Smith, Bianca Le Grange, Auriol Hays and a number of local talents in the area.

For more information on the Eldos Jazz Festival visit www.eldosjazzfestival.co.za.