There is a lot of activity and excitement in the City of Johannesburg during November. The world-class African City is opening its doors to top events this month. These include Sunday’s Soweto Marathon, 947 Ride Joburg, and the Joburg Open Golf, which will attract supporters, cyclists, runners and golfers from across the world.
The City is also honouring heroes on Remembrance Sunday and providing top entertainment for locals with the Arts Alive International Arts Festival.
The first big event to kick off the month is the Soweto Marathon on Sunday, 6 November 2022. Thousands of athletes are expected in the 27th edition of the People’s Race.
The starting point is FNB Stadium for all the distances, including the 42km marathon at 05:30am, 21km at 6:30am, and 10km at 7:30am. The organising team has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring the tough race back to Soweto after the Covid-19 break.
The following Sunday, on 13 November, the City will pay tribute to the South Africans who lost their lives in service of the country at the Remembrance Sunday, which will be hosted at Cenotaph in the Joburg CBD.
On Sunday, 20 November, cyclists will saddle up at FNB Stadium to compete in the Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg. According to the organisers, the ride is the world’s second-largest timed cycling race.
From Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 November, the City will host the Joburg Open Golf Tournament at the Houghton Golf Club. This international golf tournament is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour.
Another event to look forward to is the Arts Alive International Arts Festival, which brings an exciting line-up of cultural content and events to the City and this year the event is celebrating 30 years.
The festival showcases visual arts, theatre, music, poetry, comedy, dance, masterclasses, and workshops. The programme runs from October to December. Visit Arts Alive on social media platforms for more information. On Twitter on @Arts_Alive and on Instagram @joburg_artsalive.
The Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community Development, Cllr Ronald Harris, says the City is excited to host events of such magnitude. Harris says the Arts Festival features something for everybody.
“It echoes some of the Executive Mayor’s priorities, which are an inclusive and caring city and it is a reminder that the arts form a big part of Joburg’s diversity in culture as well as its heritage, and we celebrate this through this festival,” says Cllr Harris.
Laura Vercueil, the Public Relations and Communications Manager for Joburg Tourism, says events contribute to the economy and help reignite the City’s tourism and creative industries, which have been severely affected by the Covid-19 global pandemic over the past two years.
“As Destination Joburg, we’re excited to see the City’s events calendar coming back with some tried and tested signature favourites, as well as a whole host of new experiences to look forward to. Be they business, leisure, or lifestyle, this includes so many sectors, from accommodation establishments and tourist attractions to restaurants, entertainment, shopping, and transport, to mention a few.”
Vercueil adds that the sheer volume and variety of events and experiences hosted in the City all contribute to Joburg Tourism’s Company’s objective of positioning Johannesburg as a global, all year round diverse and vibrant business, leisure, and lifestyle destination.
“It’s a prime opportunity to promote our City to festivalgoers and visitors and to remind them that there is so much more to Joburg than business.
With the international theme of rethinking tourism as we implement our recovery strategies locally, events play a pivotal role in continuously promoting Johannesburg as a key destination to both locals and visitors.”
Written by Brümilda Swartbooi and Getrude Mamabolo
04/11/2022