Cape Town - More than 80 000 people are expected to gather on the Grand Parade and Adderley Street for the first festive lights switch-on-event since 2019.
The event makes a grand return this Sunday.
Fresh off his first-ever Grammy nomination, award-winning musician Zakes Bantwini will anchor an all-star line-up which includes Mi Casa, Emo Adams, Will Linley, Abavuki, Sasha-Lee and more for the free open-air concert.
The City said safety remained a priority and measures would be put in place to ensure people could enjoy the evening without incident.
“We will be deploying our Safety and Security personnel who will work with the SAPS as well as private security to ensure that we keep to our promise of safeguarding all the patrons at this family-friendly event,” safety and security mayco member JP Smith said.
“We would like to remind residents and visitors that there will be zero tolerance of any weapons, alcohol, drugs and other illegal substances at the event. We are aware that in previous years there have been some elements who sought to bring anti-social behaviour to this event and those people must be warned that our personnel on the ground will not hesitate to act swiftly against these actions.”
The festival’s entrances will open at 1pm ahead of the start of the event at 4pm.
Patrons will be searched at all entrance chutes and those found in possession of any prohibited items including drugs, glass, hookah pipes, fireworks, umbrellas and gazebos, gas spray cans or any other corrosive, will be turned away.
The City is again partnering with the Kid Smart Project to provide a more sophisticated monitoring system to help reunite any lost children with their parents.
Children will be kitted out with a temporary “Smart” bracelet with contact details of their parents on arrival at the event. This is not compulsory.
There will be a lost-and-found area at the City Hall in Corporation Street.
There will be demarcated water points including four on the Grand Parade, one in Upper Adderley Street and one in Lower Adderley Street.
MyCiTi services to Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain will run during the event with last departure at 10.30pm from the Civic Centre station.
There will be road closures on Saturday and Sunday.
For a full list of road closures, visit: http://bit.ly/3EtfsxY
Cape Times