Having outgrown its existing venue, organisers are relocating the event from the University of Johannesburg, Soweto Campus, to the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication for the 11th edition of the festival, taking place from 4-6 September 2015.
The move to relocate is perfectly timed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Freedom Charter on the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication and – taking place in early September – is the perfect event to kick off a Spring Celebration in Soweto. It also gears the festival up to take its place as Africa’s largest wine and lifestyle event.
Another significant change to this year’s festival is the opening times. Feedback from previous editions of the Soweto Wine and Lifestyle Festival have prompted the following changes: the festival will no longer launch on a Thursday, Friday kicks off from 6pm to 10pm, Saturday 6pm to 10pm, and for the first time in history will be open on Sunday – 2pm to 6pm.
Says Maryln Copper, Festival Co-founder: “Moving to the historic Walter Sisulu Square allows us to introduce a new format that will increase the festival’s capacity to create a multi-tiered platform for visitors, wineries, food and lifestyle brands. This includes the launch of a magnificent premium wine floor with VIP tickets for sale to the public for the first time in our ten-year history. Those brands looking to present their wines to an exclusive audience of VIPs are now able to do so in a most beautiful setting.”
Over the past decade, the Soweto Wine and Lifestyle Festival has established itself as the benchmark for success for township wine festivals, attracting thousands of visitors to Soweto, positioning Soweto as a tourist destination and business hub, and inspiring the launch of sister wine events in Gugulethu, KwaMashu and Mozambique.
The festival itself encourages continued investment in Soweto and secures in excess of R10 million annually in positive AVEs across media platforms worldwide, whilst many of South Africa’s leading brands have used the festival to launch products and campaigns.
Over the past ten years the Soweto Wine and Lifestyle Festival has been highly influential in growing the “emerging” black wine consumer market, creating a large new wine-loving market that corporate sponsors now have easy access to.
Highlights:
* Soweto-based businesses and entrepreneurs ensure that the festival provides a showcase of the Best of Soweto with the Best of South Africa for #72HoursInSoweto.
* Host City, Joburg Tourism, will be showcasing the city’s top events, from Joy of Jazz to the Sansui Summer Cup.
* VIP Host, Durban Tourism, will be launching their summer campaign to media, tourism stakeholders and key partners in a VIP night filled with music, wine and entertainment from the City of Sun. Festival visitors can once again expect to find the Best of Durban on display.
* A number of South Africa’s top wineries will be offering tastings, wine classes and activations.
* Visitors to the festival can buy the best South African wine at cellar door prices; an ideal opportunity to grow your own wine collection to enjoy at home and impress your friends with.
Into a new decade of growth:
Soweto is the largest “township” in the world; however, it is the vision of the festival to position Soweto as the largest, most vibrant city in Africa; the source of all trends – from fashion, lifestyle events to innovation in tech, green solutions and pioneering urban developments.
The Soweto Wine and Lifestyle Festival’s new #72HOURSINSOWETO campaign developed and run in association with Destinate, aims to get Sowetan entrepreneurs more involved as well as encourage visitors, exhibitors and stakeholders alike to stay in Soweto for the duration of the festival.
This will have a real positive impact on the local economy by attracting tourism and direct investment into Soweto.To this end, the move to the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication meets an end-goal, as exhibitors and visitors are encouraged to stay in Soweto and experience the vibrancy of life in this iconic city. The four-star Soweto Hotel is offering a special deal to all festival exhibitors.
The campaign will also provide pre-event activations for wine, food and lifestyle brands to get involved in networking with captains of industry. These include a range of premium lifestyle events hosted in Soweto, including a golf day, cycling experiences and a jazz afternoon, all located within the festival’s new home in the Kliptown precinct.
Join in, on a wine revolution as we embark on a new decade of growth, bringing new events and entrepreneurs into the economic hub of Soweto – the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication.
Dates and times:
Friday, 4 September 2015, 6pm – 10pm
Saturday, 5 September 2015, 6pm – 10pm
Sunday, 6 September 2015, 2pm – 6pm
For more information go to: http://www.sowetowinefestival.co.za/
