Efforts to ensure that Nelson Mandela Bay had at least one “flagship” event that would secure tourists was behind the establishment of the Ebubeleni Music Festival.
Organisers of the festival – now in its seventh year – have lined up a number of acts with the hopes of attracting 22,000 festivalgoers over the event’s three-day run at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and the Boardwalk ICC.
Festival organiser Marc Mahambehlala said the concept for the festival was born from the idea that there was no flagship event in the metro in the festive season and the aim was to attract people to the Bay while entertaining them.
“Everyone knows there’s this one event where we’ll meet up and there’s also the tourism aspect of it because we’re able to attract a lot of visitors to the city,” he said.
“Over the years, with the growth of the event, we filled up the Adcock Stadium in Korsten and had to find a new venue.
“With that growth the festival is no longer a metro event but has become a provincial event and a national [one] because for the past two years we’ve seen ticket sales from all nine provinces,” Mahambehlala said.
For the first time, the festival has been expanded to a threeday arts, culture, music and comedy extravaganza starting on December 28 and ending on December 30.
More than 50 artists are expected to make their way to Nelson Mandela Bay.
Friday December 28 will feature the Urban Festival with national acts like Moonchild Sanelly, Nasty C, A Reece, Emtee, Sjava and Nadia Nakai in the lineup.
Ebubeleni Comedy on Saturday December 29 at the Boardwalk ICC will feature Joey Rasdien, Mpho Popps and actor-comedian Celeste Ntuli and others.
The main festival on the Sunday will include Zonke Dikana, Jonas Gwangwa, Ringo Madlingozi and Amanda Black.
Mahambehlala organises the festival alongside his mother, Tembi Mahambehlala, who has been in the entertainment industry for more than 35 years.
She has worked on music talent show the Shell Road to Fame – which discovered Rebecca Malope – as well as on the Macufe Festival and the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.
Mahambehlala said he wanted people to plan their December holidays around the festival.
“Ebubeleni means a friendly place and PE is known as a welcoming, friendly city because of the hospitality of its people towards strangers.
“The event is produced and themed as an outdoor music festival with a picnic feel that provides entertainment for the people of Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape at large,” Mahambehlala said.
In its first year, the festival had 3,000 guests and the numbers have grown each year, with the last festival in December 2017 attracting more than 17,000 people.
Musicians like AKA, Lira, Zahara, Nathi, Thandiswa Mazwai, Mi Casa, US jazz musician Andy Narell and Mafikizolo are some of the many artists who have performed at the Ebubeleni event
Mahambehlala urged people to buy tickets at Computicket to avoid scams and buying fraudulent tickets.
● Tickets for the Urban Festival on Friday December 28 cost R200 for general access, R250 for golden circle tickets and R800 for VIP tickets;
● Tickets for the comedy on Saturday December 29 cost R180 and the Main Music Festival on Sunday December 30 costs R265 for general tickers, R320 for the golden circle and R850 for VIP access.
● Cooler box tickets are R80, with patrons then allowed to bring in refreshments.