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Melissa Mpofu
Showbiz Editor
“If you have never been to the Victoria Falls Carnival, you need to do yourself a favour and attend.
It’s such a wonderful experience.
“I would like to do this every year if I can, that will be great,” were sentiments shared by South African personality Boity Thulo.
She attended the event for the first time and watching her participate in various activities from boat cruises, pool party to a tour of the rainforest, it was clear that she was having a ball.
Her sentiments basically summarise those of many attendees, as some have been attending the event for several years and do not want to miss out on the fun annually.
The carnival made its return this year following a two-year hiatus.
The event kicked off on Friday with scores of people thronging the Elephant Hills Resort.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the carnival had a new venue which was not a bad idea at all as the setup was on point.
Those who had never boarded Zupco buses had a rare experience as people were required to park their vehicles at the venue’s golf course and be shuttled to the entrance points.
This was a humbling moment that also united people as they got to engage while waiting for the shuttle buses.
Upon arrival at the entrance points, it was smooth sailing as things were orderly although this year’s security was a bit compromised.
DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small and Shasha were the main drawcards on Friday but they failed to show up with organisers highlighting ‘travel hiccups’.
While the opening acts had to perform to a paltry crowd as people were still trickling in, they managed to put on a show with Ngoma Ingoma setting the pace.
With the stage heated up, Botswana’s Khoisan did not disappoint and kept the groove in an upward direction.
The group’s captivating performance and their connection with the crowd really amped up the atmosphere.
A big chunk of the crowd even bunched up for some synchronised dance routines which led to the band jumping off the stage to join in.
Master KG did not disappoint.
The artiste dug deep into his hit list which kept the crowd on their toes, singing along and dancing throughout the set.
His long-time collaborator, Zanda Zakuza joined him with the songstress adding fuel to the fire.
In an interview after his performance, Master KG said Zimbabwe was a beautiful country with a fan base that always shows him love.
“I haven’t been in Zimbabwe since 2018 when I was still starting out and now a few years later, I’m having back-to-back shows here. It’s a beautiful country and the people here show love and support the music.
This is like my second home now and I wish I could stay longer,” he said.
On Saturday there were a series of events taking place. People were spoilt for choice as they could either attend Boity’s All-white and peachy affair, Munch n Sip, boat party, partake in the resort city’s tourism activities or simply attend to everything which was really impossible.
Boity’s pool party was quite relaxed with those in attendance having an opportunity to sample her BT Signature range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
They also got to party with her, but not for long as she had to grace the boat party and prepare for her performance later in the evening.
This is how hectic the event was, it was impossible to be in one place for long as so much was happening at one go and people did not want to miss out on the action.
However, event organisers may want to hire more boats if ever they are to host another boat party as one clearly was not sufficient.
A lot of people who bought VIP tickets with the hope that they would access the boat parties were left disheartened after learning that they were a reserve for VVIP ticket-holders.
What’s Vic Falls without a sunset cruise really?
What disheartened people more was that a party had been organised on the banks of the Zambezi River where the Pure Africa boat docks. So missing out on the boat party that had Boity on board also meant missing out on the party that had performances from Gemma Griffiths and Nutty O.
VIP ticket holders could not have that so they made their way to the boat site to at least experience the party.
And worth it, it was as just the experience of relaxing on the riverbank while watching the sunset was to die for.
To top it off, Gemma and Nutty O put on stellar performances with Nutty O joining Gemma for the performance of their song, One Call Away.
Thereafter, it was time to return to the hotel for people to experience the main stage performances.
One of the first groups to take to the stage, Djembe Monks was misplaced, the same applies to Ngoma Ingoma.
Their sets deserved prime slots as their performances actually complimented the carnival vibe.
Some of the DJs whose sets were below standard are the ones who should have been placed earlier.
But anyhow, Djembe Monks did the things and the crowd was appreciative.
Newcomer in the music scene, rapper Boity who was performing for the first time in Zimbabwe also delivered.
She kept her performance short and sweet.
Her set was long enough to convince people that she is coming up well in the music scene and has the potential to blow up.
Another first-timer at the carnival, Mr Okay Okay, Takura also performed well, charming the ladies in the process.
“It feels great to have finally managed to perform at the carnival after four years. I was super excited because it’s an experience that a lot of people want to get. I’m happy that I managed to perform on a big stage like that,” said Takura adding that experiencing the Vic Falls Carnival live is important.
Meanwhile, there has not been an update on the DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small and Shasha situation with the organisers saying they are working on a statement.
“We will be giving you those details as they come.”
Last night was the last day of the carnival.
Online Reporter