Emmanuel Kafe
Zimpapers Entertainment Hub
Thousands of music lovers braved two spells of rain at Glamis Arena on Saturday night to attend the Hunters Big Refresh Party, featuring performances from several leading Zimbabwean musicians.
The event began at midday and ran into the early hours yesterday, drawing a large crowd, with a significant turnout of women.
Despite the wet weather, revellers remained at the venue, singing and dancing throughout the night.
DJs Chuhwi and Chainz opened the afternoon programme with a mix of local and international dance tracks. Alongside Andile Brown and DJ Rush, they maintained the tempo between live sets by rotating dancehall, Afro-pop and party anthems, while MCs managed crowd engagement and stage changeovers.
Atenda Chinx performed early in the afternoon to a smaller crowd before attendance grew later in the day. Nisha Ts, MC Tatts, Jazz Wrld and Feli Nandi followed, building momentum as the evening progressed.
The biggest crowd reactions were reserved for headline Zimdancehall and urban grooves acts.
Fast-rising Zimdancehall artiste Hulengende drew a strong response, performing tracks from his recent project, Tsvimbo Mutauro, including Kupenya, Benzi, Ndakapinda Nemoyo, Zviroto, Pinda Mukati, MaDreams, Fire Time and Ako Ako, alongside recent singles such as Baba Chitungwiza, Satan Uri Nhova, Night Shift, Ngoma Hobho and Tambaoga.
During his set, Hulengende invited his father, Madzibaba Eddy, onto the stage to credit him for supporting his career early on.
“Today my father came to see the legend performing. His name is Madzibaba Eddy. He is the man behind my success. I respect you, my father; you prophesied this, my father,” Hulengende told the crowd, before embracing both his father and Malloti onstage.
Saint Floew kept the energy high with his catalogue before veteran urban grooves musician ExQ took the stage, followed by an energetic set from Nutty O.
HKD boss Freeman closed out the main performances as the second spell of rain arrived.
Despite the downpour, the packed arena continued singing along to his hit songs until the event concluded.
