Get ready for carnival

New Year’s Eve in Joburg is time for carnival, starting with parades as early as 20 December to get into the swing of things.
A KALEIDOSCOPE of colour will celebrate the sights and sounds of the city’s multicultural residents when the annual Joburg Carnival takes to the streets on New Year’s Eve.

Coulourful floats and lots of music and dance characterise the carnivalColourful floats and lots of music and dance characterise the carnivalIn light of the international Conference of the Parties (COP 17), held in Durban from 28 November to 9 December, the festival will be going green this year.

The theme is Jozi, My Jozi 125, marking Joburg’s 125th birthday this year. And for the first time, there will be a troupe of street kids from all over the city.

Participants are hard at work putting together their costumes and fine-tuning their acts, which will include music and dance that is expected to amaze onlookers. Troupes will show off their particular regions with colourful costumes, flags, floats, choreographed dances, music and poetry. A group of stilt walkers will also entertain and interact with the audience during the parade.

Now in its eighth year, the festival - a stalwart on Joburg’s entertainment calendar – will make its merry way through the famed city of gold. More than 2 000 carnival participants from all seven regions will converge at Kotze Street in Hillbrow.

Each region has its own subtheme and will have its own mini-carnival in the weeks leading up to New Year’s Eve. Other cultural groups living in Hillbrow, Berea and Yeoville will also be in the parade. “The 2011 carnival will be bigger and better than ever,” says the City’s acting director of arts, culture and heritage, Alba Letts.

“Come and join us and support the participants who have been working long, exhausting hours to design costumes, build them and rehearse their moves for the big day. Come and join Joburg as we celebrate 125 years and see in the 126th year of Joburg’s official existence.”

Stunning costumesThe carnival ushers in the New YearMini-carnivals begin on 20 December in Alexandra, Sandton and Norwood with the theme Siya Da. On the following day, Soweto will parade its theme, Going Green.

On 22 December, it will be the turn of Midrand and Ivory Park, which has the theme, Shuku Shuku Seed to City. The Westbury and Riverlea area will take to the streets on 23 December with its interpretation of Jozi Chameleon 125.

Roodeport and Bram Fischerville have the theme Going Green, Going Clean, and will take their mini-carnival public on 27 December. The next day, Inner City Evolution shows off the theme Revolution, and on 29 December Lenasia, Eldorado Park and Orange Farm celebrates with Untold Stories and Millpark Skills Development celebrates with Indigenous Games.

The main parade will start at noon in Kotze Street in downtown Jozi, and make its way to the Newtown precinct across Nelson Mandela Bridge. It will end in Newtown Park with troupes from different regions competing against each other. There will be prizes for the best large costume, best troupe costume, best overall interpretation of the sub-themes and best choreographed region.