Test run for festive lights runs smoothly

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, along with some of the featured artists, braved the rain on Tuesday to test the festive lights ahead of the official event on Sunday November 27.

The Festive Lights Switch-On will take place on the Grand Parade and along Adderley Street in the CBD. The open-air free entertainment event celebrates the official turning on of the Festive Lights in Adderley Street.

At the test run, Mr Hill-Lewis said he was excited to host the “very festive event“, and it was good to see that everything is working. ”We haven’t had these crowds for over three years.

“We cannot wait to see people fill the streets to enjoy this Cape Town tradition going back decades.”

He said the project costed around R4 million, and for the first time, the lights will be powered by renewable energy, due to the green credits banked by the City by way of the Darling Wind Farm, with whom the City has a partnership.

While this iconic event also marks the start of the festive season, this year there are some campaigns running alongside the event.

As an extension of the City of Cape Town’s ‘Let’s Act’ clean-up campaign, schools around Cape Town will participate in a new waste-to-art challenge, aimed to not only how one person’s waste is another’s treasure, but to highlight how much of what we throw away can indeed be recycled or upcycled, along with some tips on how to minimise the waste generated over the festive season ahead.

Four schools were selected by the City of Cape Town, to participate in the project, and has produced artworks with recycled material that will be on display at the Cape Town Civic Centre at the end of November.

A total of 40 pupils and four teachers from Dryden Primary School, Wesley Practicing Primary School and Cecil Road Primary School, all in Salt River, and St Paul’s Primary School in Bo Kaap have been involved.

• The Festive Lights Switch-On 2022 is a free event and no tickets are required. The entertainment programme will kick off at 4pm with the official switch-on moment expected at around 8.30pm. The evening will wrap up at 10pm, with a choreographed video mapping lights display across City Hall.