Cape Town - After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the annual Festive Lights Switch-On is back.
The event is the City of Cape Town’s largest open-air free entertainment events and will officially be celebrating its return on the Grand Parade and along Adderley Street on Sunday, November 27.
The event previously saw thousands gather as the city ushers in the festive season with fun, music and food in the Cape Town central business district (CBD).
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said this year’s celebration, ‘Cape Town - City of Hope’, is to celebrate the resilience of Capetonians 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,” Hill-Lewis said.
The programme will kick off at 4pm on Sunday, November 27, with the official switching on of the festive lights expected at 8.30pm.
The event is expected to wrap up at 10pm with a choreographed video mapping lights display across City Hall.
“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.
“Much has changed in all our worlds over this time, but one thing that remains is our collective enthusiasm to celebrate the good in life and in our city. I’m really looking forward to sharing that with you all this year,” Hill-Lewis said.
The event also heralds the start of South Africa’s summer season.
And while load shedding may be a cause for concern for many across the metropole, those visiting the event will have nothing to worry about.
“In support of some of the City’s key strategic pillars, this year’s Festive Lights event will also run parallel awareness campaigns around the spring cleaning and clean energy missions, which underpin how residents can live smart – all year round.
“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,” Hill-Lewis said.
The event is free and no tickets are required.
The artist line-up will be announced in due course.
IOL