Cape Town has hosted an array of diverse and exciting events in the Mother City for 2022/23. With more than 1 000 events in the past year alone, the City’s Events Coordination Committee, which includes various City departments such as Disaster Risk Management, Metro Police, Fire Services, Transport and others – is now gearing up for another bumper events season.
The City’s ECC has been responsible for managing the safety and logistics of more than 1 100 events since the start of the 2022/23 financial year in July last year.
The committee is a team of City services led by the Events Department and includes Disaster Risk Management, Metro Police, Law Enforcement, Fire Services, Transport and Environmental Health, to name but a few.
The team is tasked with scrutinising all event plans to ensure they meet all the national and local requirements in terms of safety. Along with the South African Police Service, it is also responsible for coordinating and managing resources on event days for a safe environment.
‘This financial year, Cape Town has successfully hosted a Rugby Sevens World Cup, the Cape Town Marathon with a new complex route, a Formula E race with massive logistics and a record-breaking Women’s T20 World Cup without any major incidents thanks in large part to the ECC which works with event organisers and SAPS to ensure that the major spectacles hosted in our city are safe.
‘We would like to express our gratitude to this team of dedicated officials for the countless hours they put in to ensure that all those who attend and participate in events hosted in our city are kept safe at all times,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
In April alone, the ECC was involved in evaluating the plans and managing safety protocols for 75 events hosted in the Mother City.
At the beginning of April, more than 22 000 runners took on the Two Oceans Marathon over two days before closing out a busy month with the sold out four-day Comic Con Cape Town, where some 24 000 people attended from 27-30 April.
April also saw Cape Town host Monster Jam, Bayhill Premier Cup, Senior Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship, SPAR Women’s Challenge and Suidoosterfees which collectively saw more than 80 000 participants and spectators. Over and above this, Cape Town also hosted the World Travel Market Africa (WTM), the continent’s leading and only B2B exhibition for both inbound and outbound travel and tourism markets, where more than 7 000 delegates, including tourism industry professionals, exhibitors, buyers and media participated.
The ECC is now gearing up for a bumper few weeks of exciting events starting with the Vodacom United Rugby Championship semi-final clash between the Stormers against Irish side Connacht at the DHL Stadium on Saturday and then the Absa Run Your City Cape Town 10K on Sunday.
Cape Town is also scheduled to host the following events between now and the end of June:
- We are Africa (15 – 18 May)
- Enlit Africa (16 – 18 May)
- Slave Route Challenge (28 May)
- Jive Cape Town Funny Festival (6 June – 2 July)
- Decorex (22 – 25 June)
- Cape Town Jazzathon (23 – 25 June)
- Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival (22 June – 2 July)
At the same time, the Mother City is currently in the running for Africa’s Leading Festival and Event Destination at the World Travel Awards, an accolade Cape Town has won three times in recent years
Vote for Cape Town www.worldtravelawards.com/nominees/2023/africa
