City hosts exciting events

Another event is the Arts Alive International Arts Festival, which brings an exciting line-up of cultural content and events, with the event celebrating 30 years this year

Brümilda Swartbooi and Getrude Mamabolo

There is a lot of activity and excitement in the City of Joburg this month.

These include the recent Soweto Marathon, then the 947 Ride Joburg and the Joburg Open Golf. The City also honours heroes on Remembrance Sunday and provides top entertainment with the Arts Alive International Arts Festival.

The first big event was the Soweto Marathon, in which thousands of athletes took part in the 27th edition of the People’s Race.

On 13 November the City will pay tribute to South Africans who lost their lives in service of the country at the Remembrance Sunday, which will be hosted at Cenotaph in the CBD.

On 20 November cyclists will saddle up at FNB Stadium to compete in the Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg. According to the organisers, the ride is the world’s secondlargest timed cycling race.

From 24 to 27 November the City will host the Joburg Open Golf Tournament at the Houghton Golf Club. The international golf tournament is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour.

Another event is the Arts Alive International Arts Festival, which brings an exciting line-up of cultural content and events, with the event celebrating 30 years this year. The festival showcases visual arts, theatre, music, poetry, comedy, dance, masterclasses and workshops. The programme runs from October to December. For more information visit Arts Alive on social media platforms; Twitter @Arts_Alive and on Instagram @ joburg_artsalive.

Community Development MMC

Ronald Harris says the Arts Festival features something for everybody.

“It is a reminder that the arts form a big part of Joburg’s diversity in culture and heritage, and we celebrate this through this festival,” Harris says.

Public relations and communications manager for Joburg Tourism, Laura Vercueil says events contrib- ute to the economy and help reignite the City’s tourism and creative industries.

“We are excited to see the events calendar coming back with some tried and tested signature favourites, as well as new experiences to look forward to. Be they business, leisure or lifestyle, this includes so many sectors, from accommodation establishments and tourist attractions to restaurants, entertainment, shopping and transport, to mention a few,” she says.

Vercueil adds that the sheer volume and variety of events contribute to the objective of positioning Johannesburg as a global, diverse and vibrant business, leisure and lifestyle destination.

“It is a prime opportunity to promote our city to festival goers and visitors, and remind them that there is much more to Joburg than business. With the international theme of rethinking tourism as we implement our recovery strategies, events play a pivotal role in promoting Joburg as a key destination to both locals and visitors,” Vercueil says.