What's on in Cape Town

Thank you to WhatsOninCapeTown.com about the various goings on in Cape Town, South Africa

during the month of December. Below are a few of those events, but you can visit WhatsoninCapeTown.com for more:

Continuing Events

To 10 January - MUSICAL: CATS - The musical spectacular based on the poems from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.
Venue: Artscape Opera House (see map on WhatsoninCapeTown.com) Time: Tues - Fri @ 7.30pm,Sat @ 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sun @ 2pm & 6pm Cost: R 150 - R 375 Tel: 021 410 9800 Email: artscape@artscape.co.za www.artscape.co.za

To 20 December - WAVESCAPES SURF FILM FESTIVAL 2009 - An annual feast of surf and sea-themed films including a showing on a giant outdoor screen.
Venue: Clifton 4th Beach 11 Dec; Brass Bell, Kalk Bay 13 – 16 Dec; Labia Cinema, City Bowl 17 - 20 Dec Time: Clifton @ 9pm, Brass Bell @ 9pm, Labia @ 6pm & 8pm Cost: Clifton - Free, otherwise R 25 Tel: 076 505 4874 www.wavescape.co.za/wavescapes-film-festival/record-15-films-for-wavescapes.html

To 30 December - THEATRE: THREE WISER MEN - Take a Muslim doctor, a Jewish linguist and the son of a Pentecostal preacher... three of Cape Town's favourite comedians; Riaad Moosa, Nik Rabinowitz and Marc Lottering are directed by another South African favourite, David Kramer.
Venue: Baxter Theatre, Main Rd, Rondebosch (10 mins from town - see map on
WhatsoninCapeTown.com) Time: Mon - Fri @ 8pm, Sats @ 6pm & 9pm Cost: R 75 - R 120
Tel: 021 685 7880 www.baxter.co.za

New Events

4 December - 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL DRAW PARTY - A street party with a big screen for a live broadcast of the draw (taking place down the road at the CTICC), which decides when and where the 32 qualifying teams for the 2010 FIFA World Cup will play their matches.
Venue: Long Street Time: 7am - late Cost: Free Tel: 021 410 5000 Email: info@cticc.co.za

5 December - MUSIC: FRESHLYGROUND - The enormously popular Afro-Fusion band performs in a line up with Lost Sock and Checked Zebra.
Venue: Dunes Restaurant, Beach Rd, Hout Bay (20 mins from town) Time: from 1pm Cost: R 150 Tel: 021 790 1876 Email: dunes@worldonline.co.za www.freshlyground.com

6 December - KIRSTENBOSCH SUMMER CONCERT: JESSE CLEGG - The soft rock artist performs.
Venue: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens Time: 5.30pm Cost: R 75 Tel: 021 799 8783 www.sanbi.org

12 December - MUSIC: BOULEVARD BLUES - The unique and popular band performs jazz, soul and rock classics - perfect for a relaxed afternoon in a beautiful setting. Cash bar, braai food, safe children's play area.
Venue: Cape Farmhouse, 3km from Scarborough at the bottom of Red Hill Rd (50 mins from town) Time: 3.30pm Cost: R 50 Tel: 021 780 1246 Email: info@capefarmhouse.co.za
www.boulevardblues.co.za

12 December - LECTURE: THE FUTURE OF ASTRONOMY IN SOUTH AFRICA - A discussion facilitated by Professor Renée Kraan-Kortewegby of UCT. Guests then have the opportunity to view the night sky through various telescopes (weather permitting).
Venue: Main Building, South African Astronomical Observatory, Observatory Rd, Observatory (8 mins from town) Time: 8pm Cost: Free Tel: 021 447 0025 Email: enquiries@saao.ac.za
www.saao.ac.za

13 December - KIRSTENBOSCH CRAFT MARKET - 180 stalls of arts and crafts, food and delicacies as well as attractions for children.
Venue: grounds of the Kirstenbosch Stone Cottages, cnr Kirstenbosch Dr and Rhodes Ave, diagonally opposite the main entrance to Kirstenbosch Gardens Time: 9am - 3pm Cost: free
Tel: 021 799 8800

13 December - KIRSTENBOSCH SUMMER CONCERT: THE JONNY COOPER ORCHESTRA - The recreation of Glenn Miller's big band recalls the Swing era of the 1940s.
Venue: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens Time: 5.30pm Cost: R 75 Tel: 021 799 8783 www.sanbi.org

Regular Weekly Events

Mondays - THE BARLEYCORN MUSIC CLUB - Cape Town's oldest music club provides a stage for up-and-coming Cape Town talent.
Venue: Rygersdal Sports Club, Erin Rd, Rondebosch (10 mins from town) Time: 8pm Cost: R 20
Tel: 082 493 1564 Email: info@barleycorn.org.za www.barleycorn.org.za

Thursdays - AFROBEAT DRUMMING CIRCLE - A passion for drumming brings people from diverse cultures together.
Venue: The Katalist, cnr Lower Main Rd & Scott Rd, Observatory (12 mins from town)
Time: 7pm to 9pm Cost: R 40 (plus R 10 for drum hire) Tel: 084 566 0531 Email: info@afrobeatdrumming.co.za www.afrobeatdrumming.co.za

Saturdays - NEIGHBOURHOOD GOODS MARKET - Hippy chic gathering of stalls of organic produce, wines and oils, flowers, clothes and crafts in a large elegant warehouse. Lots of delicious things to eat at communal tables. Get there early!
Venue: Old Biscuit Mill, 373 – 375 Albert Road, Woodstock (10 mins from town) Time: 9am to 2pm Cost: free Tel: 021 461 2573 Email: info@neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za
www.neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za

Saturdays & Sundays - THE SKY TONIGHT - An introduction to the current night sky and the constellations and planets that are visible this month.
Venue: Planetarium, Queen Victoria St (see map on WhatsoninCapeTown.com) Time: 1pm Cost: R 20 Tel: 021 481 3900 Email: info@iziko.org.za www.iziko.org.za/planetarium/cshows.html

Sundays - GREENPOINT MARKET - A friendly market with a relaxed atmosphere, with traders from across Africa selling carvings, paintings, jewellery etc.
Venue: cnr Beach Rd & Western Blvd, Green Point Time: 8am to 5pm Cost: free

Sundays - VINTAGE FAIR - Over 100 vendors offer a diverse range of vintage products in a great setting.
Venue: Old Biscuit Mill, 373–375 Albert Road, Woodstock (10 mins from town) Time: 9am to 4pm Cost: free Email: info@vintagefair.co.za www.vintagefair.co.za

Party on Long Street!!!

As the Fourth of December approaches, news in Cape Town revolves more and more around the FIFA 2010 World Cup. As most everyone who is not in a coma in here knows, the draw for the South Africa 2010 World Cup will be held here in Cape Town, and a much anticipated party will be held on that day along one of Cape Town's more famous streets.

Jenny of Norbury Hill kindly passed on an e-mail about the party that will take place on Long Street after the 2010 World Cup Final Draw:

Detailed facts on the Long Street Party

• The festivities will start at 12h00 noon with music and cultural performances with a South African and African flavour. These stage performances will be complemented by buskers to embrace the festival theme.
• FIFA President Joseph S Blatter will officially launch the FIFA Fan Fest project at 14h00. The Long Street Festival will mimic the fan fest concept that will be used during next year’s football spectacle.
• Entrance to the festival is free and we expect thousands of Capetonians to congregate at Long Street to share in the world’s excitement over the Final Draw. Although the festivities start at noon, the real action is only expected to pick up from 16h00. Be sure to make it down and diski dance to CODA’s song Blow Your Vuvuzela.
• Volunteers will guide people from the Grand Parade public parking areas to the festival’s five access points in Wale Street, Leeuwen Street, Pepper Street, and Bloem Street.
• The hundreds of restaurants and bars in Long Street will continue with normal business, and their staff will be subjected to the same security measures as the visiting public.
• See the six-part Final Draw programme here.

Hiccups & Forecasts of Business Traveler Nightmares: the 2010 World Cup South Africa

FIFA will be here in Cape Town on 4 December 2009 for the draw that will determine who will play whom in the 2010 South Africa World Cup and where. But FIFA does not come to Cape Town without stirring up a bit of trouble.

The FIFA draw for the 2010 World Cup has already caused the Obz Fest, which normally occurs in the first week of December, to be cancelled due to bylaws that were put in place to prevent other events from stealing the 2010 South Africa Football World Cup's thunder. This has even put a damper on a planned march by school children in Salt River to raise awareness of AIDS and HIV, as they can not hold placards during their march, also due to the World Cup bylaws.

Yes, and there's more... and thank you to Paterson House for providing these interesting tidbits! All this relates to business travel. I suppose businesses, besides those who provide accommodation, food, etc. for 2010 World Cup fans, will lay low.

Volume of Travellers expected

The 2010 Soccer World Cup will be approximately 15 times bigger than the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The media contingent that will attend is estimated at 30 000. Business travel is disrupted purely due to the volume of supporters.

All indications are that approximately 220 000 long haul visitors will attend, 180 000 visitors from Africa and an average of 150 000 local supporters. On any match day it is envisaged that 100 000 travellers will need to use a travel commodity i.e. flight or road / rail transportation.

An additional 2 000 buses have been imported (overload on road transport) to carry these supporters. It is predicted that supporters will watch their team play every 3 or 4 days. When their teams are not playing, supporters will frequent the Fan Parks or embark on tours within the city of their choice.

So... I suppose it will be even more crowded in Cape Town than it is during the usual holiday season... a good thing for accommodation providers here.

Fan Parks

Fan Parks are situated in central areas so that general public can watch all the games. Entrance to the Fan Parks is free and it is expected that these Fan Parks will attract a lot of visitors. In Germany 2006 one Fan Park attracted 500 000 spectators to watch one game. To avoid large transport infrastructure expense, training venues will also double as public viewing sites.

Fan Parks in the Western Cape

The Grand Parade Somerset West Road

Stellenbosch Bellville Velodrome

Swartklip Atlantis

Khayelitsha Nomzamo Yethu (Hout Bay)

Training Facilities in the Western Cape

Newlands Rugby Ground UCT Rugby Ground

UWC Soccer Field Bellville Rugby Ground

Stellenbosch Rugby Ground Athlone Stadium

Now, I find this interesting. Does that mean that Newlands Rugby Ground will also double as a fan park? Also, in conjuction with this, there was an article in the Cape Times about the informal traders on the Grande Parade and elsewhere that will be affected by Cape Town's World Cup bylaws. I hope they figure out a way to compensate these traders. Really, why not let them trade? Informal trading is a part of what Africa is all about!

Flights

To date no airline has released any prices or strategies for the World Cup period.

On pre- and post- match-days flights into and out of the venue cities will be overbooked. Due to the sheer volume of travellers, huge delays can be expected.

World Cup teams will use charter aircrafts and plan to use 2nd tier airports however their supporters will use the general airports. These airports will focus on scheduled international and domestic flights.

This is going to be hairy... hope I don't have to go to the airport in June or July next year!

Accommodation

All the major hotel brands within South Africa have contracted with MATCH at a pre-defined room rate and therefore the normal Corporate rates will not be available during this period.

According to FIFA there is an approximate shortfall of 18 000 rooms for the World Cup. This supply and demand scenario allows B&B’s / Guesthouses to offer rooms at a premium.

Yes... accommodation is what this blog is all about... and the winter of 2010 should prove to be a good winter for all accommodation providers here in Cape Town.

Rental Cars

It is most likely that all car rental companies will go on “stop-sale” for the period of the World Cup and rental cars will be scarce.

Road Closures
It is indicated that there will be limited access and in some instances complete road closures in the areas surrounding the stadium and fan parks. This will make it difficult for travellers to move freely between offsite meetings.

Critical Date

The next critical date for the WC2010 is the 4^th December 2009 when the Pool draw is completed. This draw will indicate where the teams will be based and where their supporters will be spending most of their time.

And this critical date is coming up soon here in Cape Town.

Fixtures

The match schedule will be updated after the draw on the 4^th December 2009. Games will be played at: 13h30, 16h00 and 20h30. Travellers need to allow for traffic congestion both at the stadium and the Fan Parks. It is advisable to allow 2hrs lead time if travelling to / from these areas.

Here are some recommendations for business travelers during this period:

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRAVEL DURING THIS PERIOD:

• Do not travel during these periods unless it is critical to travel.
• Plan your trip well in advance, changes to a ticket over this period will be extremely difficult and very expensive.
• Try to make appointments at a location that is in the opposite direction of a stadium / fan park.
• Take flights during the times when the games are being played. Games start at 13h30.
• Allow for a minimum of 2 hours to get to the airport in Cape Town and possibly 3 hours for Johannesburg. The congestion on the roads both to and from the airports is going to be chaotic. Plan for delays.
• Parking at the airport will be virtually impossible and it is advisable to get someone to drop / collect you from the airports. Transfer companies will be busy with tourists and will also be very expensive.

The Best World Cup - Ever (And the Hand of Frog)

"We will show the world what they have been missing for the past one hundred years by making this World Cup, the first in FIFA's one hundred year plus history in Africa, the best ever." Danny Jordaan - CEO of the 2010 World Cup - 19 November 2009

As the day approaches for the draw for the 2010 World Cup, football aficionados around the world wait with anticipation to see where and who their countries' teams will play. Soccer websites like BigSoccer.com are already busy theorising who will play whom well before the FIFA draw for World Cup football teams on 5 December 2009.

Cape Town will be the scene for the December draw. It was the clear favourite for this FIFA event, and you just have to look at the breath-taking scenery around which Cape Town was build to understand why. Cape Town is the mother city, the place where the country that became South Africa was born, so it is only fitting that an event of this magnitude should centre around Cape Town.

Yet there have been a couple of hiccups in regards to the chosen teams who will appear in the World Cup next year in South Africa. Most notably, in regards to the Algerian win over Egypt and the French win over Ireland, both matches which put the other side out of next year's Football World Cup.

According to a UK website, the following countries qualified for the 2010 Football World Cup:

South Africa (hosts), Japan, Australia, South Korea, Holland, North Korea, Brazil, Ghana, ENGLAND, Spain, Paraguay, Ivory Coast, Germany, Denmark, Serbia, Italy, Chile, USA, Mexico, Switzerland, Slovakia, Argentina, Honduras, New Zealand, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, Greece, Slovenia, Portugal, The Cheating French, Uruguay

As an aside, it is good to see the English supportive of their neighbours across the Irish Sea in relation to the French "hand of frog", though those with a sensitivity towards profanity should avoid reading the comments below the video. To be fair to the French, one French football support said this:

"I'm French and I hope that we will ask to replay this game! In fact, all French football fans want to replay this game! Because, for us, it's a (real) shame and we could NEVER accept this ! We wanted to win but not in this way! It's only the fault of arbitrator and FIFA !! everybody has seen the hand except the arbitrator!"

But it's all over now, and the French are in the World Cup, along with hosts South Africa and thirty other teams. If you want to see the final matches that helped determine the field of 32 teams that will be in next year's World Cup, visit FIFA's website.

Now, if your team got into the World Cup, maybe it's time to start planning your trip to South Africa, and look into accommodation in Cape Town ...

Pricing Accommodation for 2010

I recently contacted a hotel in Cape Town's southern suburbs to find what kind of price they would charge for accommodation. In particular, I was interested in knowing what sort of prices they would charge during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Now, this was not an upmarket hotel at which I enquired by any means, but one that seemed to offer mid-priced accommodation in Newlands.

I was taken aback when they stated that the price would be R1195 per day... for the room only. Further, they told me that they had no accommodation available over the 2010 World Cup, as it had all been bought up for package deals.

It was then that I realised just how reasonable some of the small accommodation providers in the area were. Offering both bed and breakfast and self-catering options, these smaller providers offered more for a person's money. Most of them are set in idyllic settings, offering an intimate yet private place at which one can lay their head, and more. They offer something that no hotel can offer: a home away from home.

Many of these smaller accommodation establishments in Rondebosch, Newlands, Claremont, Kenilworth, and Bishops Court offer accommodation for less than half of what hotels offer! So why would anyone wish to stay anywhere else during their stay in Cape Town, whether it be for business, pleasure, or to follow their favourite World Cup soccer team.

The New Africa Theatre: Transit

Theatre goers in Cape Town's southern suburbs have frequented the Baxter Theatre since its inception in Rondebosch in 1977. But there is now a new theatre, the New Africa Theatre, that has opened to offer theatre lovers a new venue at which to enjoy performances in Cape Town.

The New Africa Theatre Association (NATA) began in 1987 as a training centre for talented people who could not get into university. Started by Mavis Taylor, a former head of the University of Cape Town's drama school, it began as an academy to teach people the various trades that are needed to put on a theatre performances.

The new box theatre, known simply as the New Africa Theatre, was set up in an old grocery store in Sybrand Park, an area that straddles two areas, Rondebosch and Athlone, that were traditionally "white" or "coloured" areas respectively during the apartheid era. As such, it is fitting that the first major performance would be Transit, a play written by Ian Bruce and directed by Clare Stopford.

(Transit) tells the tale of an ill-fated flight from Cape Town to Stockholm. The plane is detoured by a storm and is forced to make an unscheduled stop in a North African country; which has been destabilised by rebels. An assortment of Europeans and Africans are forced to wait in the claustrophobic transit area of a military airport. The passengers engage with each other in opportunistic, manipulative, and even physical ways that has sweeping consequences.

Bruce says this about the new venue:

“We have great potential to reach audiences from both sides of the apartheid created dividing line. We need this in Cape Town as theatres closer to the central business district are still inaccessible to most Capetonians. Attracting new audiences to the city theatres, no matter what effort you make, is always restricted by distances, transport and the cost of tickets. We have to still find out how successful we will be, but we believe we are in a much better position to reach marginalised audiences."

Rondebosch Guest Cottages has had the honour of providing the Swedish Royal Dramatic Theatre with accommodation for their stay in Cape Town while working with the New Africa Theatre on Transit. Rondebosch Guest Cottages has also been honoured to host other respected performers as John Kani, Athol Fugard, Winston Ntshona, Anna-Mart van der Merwe, performers from the Handspring Puppet Company, dancers from the Cape Town City Ballet, and others.

Of Local Artists, the 2010 World Cup, & Serendipitous Encounters

Lucille of Ivydene passed along some information about a local artist, Lesley Charnock, who has a studio in Newlands at Montebello Design Centre, just off Newlands Avenue and within minutes of many accommodation providers in the southern suburbs of Cape Town.

Lesley Charnock has painted a number of pieces in tribute to workers who are building the new Cape Town Stadium in Green Point, which will be used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and which I have taken the liberty to display on this blog. She says this about her work:

Our home is close to the site of the 2010 Stadium in Green Point and I am surrounded by the excitement and activity of the construction workers, road diggers and cable layers. Driving across Cape Town to my studio every day I see street sweepers, the ‘The Big Issue’ vendors and the car guards. I find these vibrant groups of men and women at work to be wonderful subjects to paint...

I have empathy for the construction worker’s quest to realise their deadlines. The Stadium will soon be complete and the workers will move on. Their contribution will be a memory that I have sought to record in some of these paintings, a part of the progression towards this momentous event planned in 2010.

Lesley's art can be found at her studio in Newlands at the Montebello Design Centre. Her work will also be appearing at The Cape Gallery on Church Street in Cape Town throughout most of November 2009.

Mel's Place owner Mel, who knows Lesley personally, also commented on Lesley's work: "She is the BEST example of self marketing I know! Her experience and skill has soared and I really do admire her. She is also a very chatty, friendly person and her gallery is well worth a visit."

It is interesting too how people meet each other in the accommodation business in Cape Town, South Africa, and how such chance meetings can change the course of people's lives. Trish of Paterson House describes how she met Lesley:

I met Lesley when she arrived on the doorstep of Paterson House asking if I had any accommodation for her. It turned out that she was looking not for a bed, but for a space to paint and store her canvases while she was between houses.

She rented my pottery studio for a few months and we became friends. Without realizing it she gave me, through her own zest, positive energy and work ethic, the idea to expand my business.

I decided to build a studio cottage in the very large Paterson House garden, in a space where a vine and apple tree were growing …. and so was born AppleVine Cottage. Her studio is a delight, as is she, and the whole ambiance of Montebello lends itself to creative thoughts.