Milla's Travel Book: Curious about the Cape Town Carnival?

15 March 2014

Curiosity had brought me to the 5th Cape Town Carnival, an annual event hosted by the city to create a Carnival which showcases and celebrates the diversity of South Africa.

This year the theme was ‘imagine’ and I couldn’t possibly imagine the magical ride the city was going to take me on.

At first I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about and arrogantly I even moaned that there was not enough energy and atmosphere compared to the festivals I had experienced in Spain.

Boy, was I surely mistaken! I apologise profusely to the City of Cape Town and the Cape Town Carnival.

My night was filled with an infectious energy. As I walked down Somerset Road my excitement built up with each step I took; I marveled at each float as it glided by and my body could not resist the beats of music emanating from the parade.

I am sure I will not stand alone when I make this statement and all those that were at the Carnival, young and old, would agree with me - I am proud to call this incredible city home.

I have stitched together a few photos and video clips of the evening to showcase the city’s diversity and the power of creativity. I am sure it will delight you as much as the evening did for me and if not I am sure it will spark your curiosity; so make a note in your diaries and see you next year at the 6^th Cape Town Carnival!

A 6 m tall, multi-coloured African Dream Doll, sponsored by Tsogo Sun, was the first float to tickle peoples’ imaginations.

“Imagination is the magic ingredient that makes new things possible and transforms old and outdated ideas. If you can’t imagine it, it’s hard to believe you can do it. We want to tickle people’s imagination with a sense of possibility,” says Cape Town Carnival’s Creative Director Brad Baard.

The Cape Town Carnival celebrates the diversity of our African identity – our diversity of culture, language, religion and musical genre.

A procession is lead by a Lead Performer who encourages a festive atmosphere with their euphoric energy.

From belly dancers to Spanish bulls and super cycles, all is possible at the Cape Town Carnival.

A vision of the Carnival is to provide opportunities for community participation in arts and culture and create employment and training opportunities in costume, float design and production, subsequently empowering the youth by providing them with the necessary skills they need to enter the job market.

The Carnival encompasses up to 2 500 dancers who form part of a carnival academy. Each academy has an average of 200 dancers, dressed in identical costumes and performing carefully choreographed dance moves.

Together with the Cape Town Carnival creative team, DHL Express have been working with children’s non-profit organization Project Playground to design a float that represents a borderless world. The children from the organization were asked to submit design ideas for the float in line with the Carnival theme ‘imagine’. Elements of their designs were then incorporated into the final design of the float.

Diversity and creativity comes alive at the Carnival with vibrant music, colourful costumes, energetic dance routines and magnificent floats.

Anyone who was at Afrika Burn 2013 would recognise this party on the move.

The Cape Town Carnival has accumulated a large variety of costumes, floats and props which are for hire and it is said that it has become a tradition for some of the costumes to appear in unusual places, such as at Afrika Burn.