Mossel Bay’s annual summer holiday programme is shaping up to be the best yet.
“Actually it’s not just one programme because all the music, events, shows, and entertainment are arranged and managed separately by organisations and companies like the ATKV-Hartenbos, the Garden Route Casino, the Diaz Hotel and Resort, the Barnyard Theatre, and the Mossel Bay Municipality,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm.
“But because of all the energy and work they put into their individual programmes, the overall effect is that Mossel Bay probably has the biggest summer programme of any small town in Southern Africa,” she said.
The Municipality will host 6-a-side beach cricket, 6-a-side beach soccer, and volley ball for the 10- to 14, 15- to 18 and 18- to 35 year old age groups on Santos Beach. (Santos is one of four local beaches that are included in the international Blue Flag programme this year – the others are De Bakke Beach and Hartenbos Beach, while Little Brak River Beach is being operated as a pilot Blue Flag Beach for the 2012/13 season, and in the run-up to an application for full Blue Flag status during 2013.)
The Diaz Summer Sun Festival in association with the 8ta ‘Live Unlimited Summer’ tour is expected to kick off in a blaze of beach bodies and beautiful bikinis when it introduces the sport of
Bossaball to South Africa.
This will be a first for Africa, too, since Bossball – which was invented in Spain and combines volleyball, soccer and trampoline gymnastics – has never been played on this continent before.
International professionals will demonstrate how players need to bounce high enough so that they can spike the ball to ground it on the opposition’s side of the field. And the games will take place with all the necessary adrenalised fun and, of course, DJs, music and dancers.
The Diaz Beach’s outdoor stage will be the venue for competitions and giveaways, beauty contests and live bands – while the Diaz Beach Hotel’s Pero Diaz Theatre will host a Summer Music Festival which will feature acts like Piet Botha, Akkedis, Taxi Violence, Andre the Hilarious Hypnotist, Karen Zoid, Arno Carstens, and Chris Chameleon – and the hit comedy ‘Bloemers & Roemers’ starring Marion Holm, Shaleen Surtie Richards and 7de Laan’s Paula.
The amphitheatre at the ATKV-Hartenbos will host Splash in A Tribute to Neil Diamond and playing at an Old Year’s Eve dance, as well as Jay and Liani May, Nicholis Louw, Ray Dylan, Bok van Blerk, Bobby van Jaarsveld, Kurt Darren, Riana Nel and her band, and Die Broers.
There’ll also be a potjie competition, a Miss Hartenbos beauty pageant, carols by candlelight, and two different services on Christmas day.
Many of the performances at the Barnyard Theatre are free for children under 12. Featured artists include Chris Chameleon, Zamar, Die Heuwels Fantasties, a tribute to Rosette and Bryan Adams with Frans and Danie Wessels and Cornel van Zyl, Koos Kombuis, Albert Frost & the Blues Brothers, Andriëtte, Van Coke Kartel, the Mike McCullagh Band, Jan Blohm and his band, Elvis Blue, Mark Haze, aKing , DJ Ossewa, Pieter Smith, and Radio Kalahari Orkes.
The eighth annual Bravo Festival hosted by the Garden Route Casino in partnership with KykNet and Garden Court Mossel Bay will run from the 18th to the 22nd of December.
Theuns Jordaan, Juanita du Plessis, Die Campbells, Wicus van der Merwe, Steve Hofmeyr, Snotkop and Karlien van Jaarsveld have been booked to perform – while the Festival Grounds will as usual open at 5:00 o’clock each afternoon, and will offer a line-up of great entertainment until the main events kick off at about 7:30.
For parents of 6 to 12-year-olds who want to equip their children with skills and knowledge that will help them appreciate the ocean – and enjoy a safer, more pleasant holiday – the Shark Lab and Oceans Aware will present their annual half-day Summer Camps at the aquarium at The Point.
Participants will receive t-shirts, tide pool nets and personalised shark tooth necklaces, and will learn the basics of snorkeling, and about the marine food web and life in tidal pools – while also feeding the sharks, octopus, and fish in the aquarium, and enjoying games under the supervision of qualified personnel.
“There’s more to do in Mossel Bay than any one article can tell you about, so it’s always best to check our on-line calendar at www.visitmosselbay.co.za,” said Ms. Holm.
More information
Mossel Bay Tourism: www.visitmosselbay.co.za and www.facebook.com/VisitMosselBay Bay
