Obrein Simasiku
Omuthiya-The UN Park is now too small to host the annual Tsumeb Copper Festival as the number of exhibitors and show-goers has grown tremendously over the years, hence the famous park can no longer accommodate rising demand.
Therefore, this year, the festival will be hosted at the J.P. Ratledge Stadium.
“We decided to change the venue to create more space as the park was getting overwhelmed due to a lot of people coming through the gates and the increasing interest of exhibitors. We want to provide a very conducive environment where business and interactions can flow swiftly. Safety is one thing we enhanced – and we have to make sure people’s cars are parked safely and protected, unlike in cases where cars get broken into,” explained the chairperson of the organizing committee Julius Gaeseb in a telephonic interview.
Gaeseb gave the assurance that this year’s festival will be bigger and better than previous ones. “I would like to inform the public that this will be an exciting festival with a lot in stock – we will have musical shows by various artists, modelling, a business conference and women’s summit, among others.”
“The festival has been and remains the backbone of the town’s economic growth,” he added.
The festival, organised annually by the municipality, will be held under the theme ‘Copper aspiring a better tomorrow’. It will start on October 31 and end on November 4.