Joburg Carnival

The second Joburg Carnival will see thousands of people congregate in the Newtown cultural precinct to celebrate the City's planned year end festivities on New Year’s Eve. People from community-based troupes and cultures will be part of the creative display of costumes, floats, singing and dancing. The theme of the 2005 carnival is 'Nyakaza - Joburg on the move'. This design allows for a broad creative interpretation, which will be showcased in the carnival activities, as well as the procession of the carnival through the City. Hosted by City of Johannesburg Arts, Culture and Heritage Services (ACHS) and The Carnival Consortium, the carnival will feature the City of Joburg business entities like City Power, Joburg Water and Pikitup. The South African Police Services (SAPS) will play the role of lead collaborative partner. The 11 metropolitan regions of the City will also participate in the design and production of the 2005 Carnival, each competing with its own sub-theme and identity, represented by costumes, flags, floats, dances and songs. The carnival procession will also be made up of other cultural groups residing in the city, such as Zimbabweans, Zambians, Ethiopians and Chinese, with colourful representations of their countries' traditional attire. The carnival aims to promote the transformation of Hillbrow, Joubert Park, Newtown and the Joburg Inner City into a crime and grime-free zone, where free and safe movement is encouraged, to boost existing urban renewal programmes. Marshals trained in crowd control, first aid and emergency skills will accompany the procession, to ensure that proper order is maintained and the carnival remains a safe, fun, family event. A big message this year is safety," says Sack, "this is why the procession ends in Newtown, which is known as a safe destination." Starting at 2pm, the procession will wind its way from Kotze Street, opposite Constitution Hill, through Hillbrow, to the Mandela Bridge, where photographers will capture the colorful event. "We are drawing people out of Berea, Hillbrow and the Inner City to Newtown, the hub of arts and culture," explains Notuku, "the carnival celebrates our heritage, living history and freedom of expression." The procession ends at Newtown Park, where the floats will line up on Miriam Makeba and Jeppe Streets for the public to view at their leisure.