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Paheja Siririka
WINDHOEK - The fourth edition of the annual Bush Party, which was slated for October 5, 2019, has been cancelled and shifted to October 3, 2020, at the same venue in Otjiwarongo.
Founder and event organiser of the Bush Party, Fernando Carlos (also known as Carlito) informed Entertainment Now! that they (management) had to take a lot of things into consideration to come to that conclusion.
“One of the reasons why we shifted it to next year is that the venue where the party is hosted is currently under renovation and it won’t be done in time,” explained Carlito.
“We normally do it in the bush and we wanted to adopt another approach of taking the bush to the kasi (location) but that didn’t sit well with us. So, we had to postpone it,” said Carlito.
Another reason was that the main act of the day also ditched them at the last minute.
“Our headlining act ‑ Burna Boy from Nigeria ‑ notified us he won’t be able to make it due to other commitments,” Carlito said.
For an event of its magnitude, sponsors are bound to pop up somewhere in the conversation. “Sponsors were also a slight issue and their budget play a big role, as most of them were also catering to other events happening on the same day. The Bush Party has a lot of expenses and if sponsors slightly decrease their annual share, it will serve no purpose to host the event,” stated Carlito.
The Kasi Vibe Festival, the Pop-Up Festival, the Champagne Festival and the Windhoek Spring Fiesta, which are happening on October 5, 2019, all pull the same crowd.
“The events are happening on the same day and they pull the same crowd. Therefore, it was impossible to also host it (the Bush Party) on that day,” he said.
He said they have realised that based on their ticket sales, 60 percent of the Bush Party-goers are from outside Otjiwarongo and with its population of more than 21 000 inhabitants, and they had to consider a lot.
Carlito advised fellow event organisers that pull the same crowd to be extra careful when setting dates. “Competition is good but be careful. But if you have the right sponsors on board go ahead and host your event,” he said.
In past editions, the Bush Party has attracted continental musicians such as Busiswa, DJ Maphorisa, Prince Kay-Bee, DJ Zinhle and Somizi Mhlongo, all from South Africa.
The Bush Party is an annual event hosted in the Otjozondjupa region. It attributes to the social life within the region. The Bush Party event creates a platform for the community to benefit by showcasing the different arts.
Staff Reporter
2019-09-20 08:32:57 | 2 months ago
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