Cape Town - The City of Cape Town is preparing to host the return of the full-fledged Cape Town annual Festive Lights Switch-On, completely powered by renewable energy.
Cape Town’s largest open-air free entertainment event which marks the beginning of the festive and summer seasons for Capetonians, is back and promising to be a showstopper.
The iconic festival of lights set in the heart of the Cape Town CBD will be taking place on November 27 this year on the Grand Parade and along Adderley Street.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis made the announcement on Tuesday, saying while much has changed in all our worlds over the past two years, one thing that remained was our collective enthusiasm to celebrate the good in life and Cape Town.
Over the past two years, the City of Cape Town conducted the Festive lights switch-on, however, on a much smaller scale in an effort to adhere to the Covid-19 safety regulations.
This year with little to no restrictions, the City is promising a bounty of fun under the theme Cape Town - City of Hope.
Explaining the meaning behind the theme, the City said it was chosen to celebrate Capetonians’ resilience, and how, as a united force challenges can be overcome.
“Cape Town - City of Hope encapsulates that feeling of expectation, promise and irrepressible energy that is wrapped up in all the people who call the city home,” it said.
Hill-Lewis said: “The Festive Lights Switch-On is a wonderful Cape Town tradition and has always been a personal favourite of ours. I am particularly excited this year to welcome back the whole of Cape Town so we can celebrate as a ‘city family’ for the first time since 2019.”
The entertainment programme will kick off at 4 pm on Sunday, November 27, with the official switch-on moment expected at around 8.30 pm.
The evening will end at about 10 pm, with a specially choreographed video mapping lights display across City Hall.
The City said since the Festive Lights Switch-On also heralds the start of South Africa’s summer, this year’s event will also be an opportunity to champion some of its key strategic pillars, and awareness campaigns such as the spring cleaning initiative and clean energy mission.
“In fact, for the first time, the Festive Lights Switch-On event in 2022 will be powered by renewable energy, thanks to the green credits banked by the City by way of the Darling Wind Farm, with whom the City has a partnership.”
The City will also be facilitating a new waste-to-art challenge at several schools in and around Cape Town. The challenge aims to showcase not only how one person’s waste is another’s treasure, and highlight how much waste can be recycled or upcycled, along with some tips on how to minimise the waste generated over the festive season ahead.
The artwork that will be entered into the competition will go on display at a mini-expo on the 2nd Floor Concourse Level of the Cape Town Civic Centre at the end of November 2022.
Performances and artists that will headline this year’s Festive Lights Switch-on will be announced at a later stage.
