WHETHER you choose to see in the new year under the stars with a picnic, dancing to live music or DJs, or with a sumptuous multi-course dinner while wearing your most glamorous glad rags, Cape Town has a party to suit any budget, all the way from thousands of rands to free.
The V&A Waterfront hosts the biggest of them all and there is no entry fee. This year there is a street carnival theme presented by Coca-Cola.
The bar has been raised with the introduction of different outdoor entertainment zones and various carnival-like performances to keep visitors entertained throughout the evening.
Revellers in each entertainment zone will find themselves immersed in a sensory experience bursting with colour, constantly moving visuals, sound and activity to get them in the mood to party.
Entertainment zones include the Amphitheatre and children’s playground, the NSRI tree, the Alfred Mall, Pier Head, Nobel Square and the Clock Tower.
From 5pm onwards, these areas will come alive with activities from buskers to Zip Zap Circus performances, roaming musicians, singers and bands, dance performances, floats and characters from the Cape Town Carnival and much more.
The approximately 80 restaurant tenants and caterers operating from food trucks will be available throughout the evening to cater for all late-night tastes.
Roaming performers will entertain with violin, saxophone, drumming, opera singing, Dixie, classical, a capella, guitar, pop, rock, accordion and more, while popular performers Dave Ferguson and Chad Saaiman will perform from the Amphitheatre stage, Jimmy Nevis at the Pier Head, and Jeremy Oliver at Nobel Square. A host of other bands and artists will share these stages with them.
Saaiman, Nevis and Oliver’s performances will start at 11pm, stopping 10 minutes before midnight to prepare for the countdown and resuming at 12.10am until 12.30am. As always, partygoers can look forward to the midnight countdown to New Year which as usual will be marked by a spectacular fireworks display co-sponsored by the City of Cape Town.
Given the popularity of this event, parking fills up quickly while traffic congestion in the city can make getting into the Waterfront difficult. Far better solutions include using the MyCiTi bus.
Protea Hotel Fire & Ice!
New Church Street, Cape Town.
phone 021 488 2555
The seventh annual Carnival Fiesta will have a DJ line-up playing a continuous flow of house and hip hop beats mixed with old time favourites, ensuring everyone dances till the early hours of 2016. With DJs such as Sphechtacular and Naves from Metro FM and Dino Michael from Good Hope FM plus Choice, DJ Loyd (Good Hope FM) and many others, features include a massive screen projection for the countdown with confetti cannons and lasers, larger-than-life Brazilian fiesta-feathered dancers, live LED dance performance and an exclusive performance by House Society with George Sax, fresh from a four-month circuit in Ibiza, Spain, loaded with the latest hits and trends from the international music scene.
VVIPs will get exclusive treatment with a bottle of French Champagne or vodka or whiskey with cocktail snacks, a view of it all from the first-floor pool lounge and deck with their own dance floor and DJ line-up.
Or if you choose to be a VIP, relax inside the hotel bar lounge and outdoor cocktail terrace where you can comfortably enjoy the night sipping Champagne.
VVIP tickets are R1 750, VIP R400 and general admission for the street area with full bar services is R200. To book go to proteahotelfireicect.nutickets. co.za/nye or email nye@theinspir ationroom.co.za or at The Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Cape Town.
Alliance Française du Cap, 155 Loop Street, Cape Town. phone 021 423 5699
Jazz Rendezvous starts at 8.30pm and includes a three-course dinner designed by the creative team at Mustard Catering, music by Titilayo Adedokun, Alvin Dyers, Dave Ridgeway and Maurice Gawronsky, and Champagne at arrival and at midnight. Tickets R950 through Quicket or e-mail: culture.cpt@ alliance.org.za
Dieu Donne, La Pineta Restaurant (Off R44 – Stellenbosch airfield).
phone Michelle Viret 021 855 4907 / 082 8810 627 or Andrew – 079 717 7912
Enjoy a three-course dinner and dance to bands Smooth Tones and Salsa Eintma from 8pm till 2am. Complimentary glass of Champagne on arrival and complimentary bottle of Dieu Donne cabernet at every table. Cost R950, dress code smart/salsa , e-mail [email protected]
Bentleys Oyster Bar & Bistro, Toffee Lane, 20 Dreyer Street in Claremont. phone 021 671 3948
Wendy Oldfield will perform original tracks from her new album and her classic hit Acid Rain, along with Nomadic Orchestra who will bring in 2016 at the adjacent Shebeen Shack. Deep house-electro DJ Vanessa Holliday will be spinning her sexy early morning set from 2am until 4am at Bentleys.
Tickets are R595 include Champagne, oysters, and food platters. Doors open at 4pm.
Azure Restaurant & Atlantic Terrace Marquee, The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, Victoria Road.
phone 021 437 9000
A glamorous Bond-themed extravaganza will see guests being spoilt with a decadent five-course menu courtesy of executive chef Christo Pretorius, who is set to pull out all the stops to make this a night to remember. Whether diners take their martinis shaken or stirred, they are encouraged to dress to kill in black and red for the night. After dinner, guests are invited to party the night away to live music, followed by the traditional countdown and a Champagne toast to the New Year. From 7pm for 8pm, cost is R2 550/person including the meal, gratuity, glass of sparkling wine on arrival and a glass of Champagne at midnight. For reservations 021 437 9029, e-mail [email protected]
Café Roux, Chapmans Peak Drive, Noordhoek. phone 021 789 2538
Sit under a bedouin tent and enjoy a long lazy supper with a table of friends. Your ticket includes a welcome mojito and three-course shared supper experience for R350. From 10.30pm, or whenever you’re ready, you are invited to bring in the New Year at the “Boogie in The Village” party with music by Jorge’s Mobile Disco. Buy your tickets online through www.caferoux sessions.co.za
Cape Town Comedy Club, The Pumphouse, 6 Dock Road, V&A Waterfront.
phone 079 495 3989
What better way to celebrate than with laughter? Shimmy Isaacs headlines the show, with MC Martin Davis (UK) and support comedians Devin Gray, Dalin Oliver and Lungelo Ndlovu, followed by an afterparty with DJ Aaron. Meals are not included in the ticket price, and the full a la carte will be available as well as some New Year’s Eve specials. Champagne cocktail on arrival, doors open at 6pm, show at 9pm. Tickets are R350 and available from any Computicket outlet or Shoprite, Checkers stores. E-mail [email protected].
Harald’s Bar & Terrace, Park Inn by Radisson, 29 Heerengracht St, Foreshore, Cape Town. phone 021 427 4800
Party the night away at this rooftop pool bar on the 11th floor of the hotel overlooking the city and Table Mountain. The R825/person cover charge include a welcome drink, fun candy station, loads of tapas and canapés, DJ, and a glass of bubbly at midnight. E-mail info.capetown@ rezidorparkinn.com.
The Bungalow, Glen Country Club, 3 Victoria Rd, Clifton.
phone 021 438 2018
Say goodbye to the last sunset of the year and dance into the new with an exceptional DJ line-up playing on two dance floors. Tickets are R550 general and R850 VIP. To buy go to www.newyearsevesa.co.za.
Baxter Theatre, Main Road, Rondebosch.
phone 021 685 7880
Stuart Taylor’s 2015 in Revue includes a ticket to the show at 8.15pm and after party with live music and balloon drop in the foyer after the show. Cost R100-R200. E-mail [email protected].
Nederburg Wine Estate, Sonstraal Rd, Paarl.
phone 021 862 3104
Take a picnic, but not your own beverages as Nederburg wines will be on sale as well as other refreshments and light meals, and enjoy a live performance by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and former Idols winner, Elvis Blue. Gates open at 5pm and the concert is at 9.30pm. Cost R300 for adults, children 12-18 R175 and under-12s free. E-mail [email protected]
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Rhodes Drive, Newlands.
phone 021 799 8783
One of the most popular New Year’s Eve parties in Cape Town so take your blankets, wine, bubbly and picnic baskets and stake your claim on the lawn when the gates open at 7pm. The show, which this year features Jeremy Loops and Grassy Spark, begins at 8.30pm and ends after midnight. Tickets cost R330, book through www.webtickets.co.za or the Kirstenbosch ticket office 021 762 2866. The concert goes ahead even if (heaven forbid) it rains, and there are no refunds.
Contermanskloof Durbanville. phone 021 794 4032
Rezonance music festival from December 30 until January 2, four music arenas, characteristically magical decor, world-class sound system and the perfect space for reckless abandon and general mayhem. A new addition is a Rejuvenation Station which includes hot showers, luxury flush loos, separate ladies facilities and more. Tickets R520-R680 available at outlets or through Quicket. See http://rezonancefestival.com/ for more info or e-mail [email protected].
Grand Café & Beach, V&A Waterfront.
phone 021 425 0551
The R750 ticket price includes Pacha Ibiza dancers and DJs Danny Wade and Josef Bamba, as well as local DJs. For R2 250 a three-course dinner and a dessert platter for your table is thrown in. From 9.30pm. e-mail [email protected].
Shimmy Beach Club, 12 South Arm Road, V & A Waterfront. phone 021 200 7778
Cost R900 to R6 000 including canapés and snacks, and selection of complimentary beverages at the top end. E-mail tickets@shimmy beachclub.co.za
l No matter what you do on December 31, don’t drink and drive.