The Victoria Falls Carnival roars back into the limelight

After a two break, due to the Covid19 pandemic which restricted travel and social gatherings, fans are wildly excited to get back into the festival groove. The Carnival offers party goers three full days of fantastic African flavoured musicians, award winning DJs and a unique cultural, social and lifestyle experience unlike any other. It runs from the 28^th to the 30^th of April, in the world-renowned resort town of Victoria Falls – obviously. It’s been rated among the top 5 music festivals in Africa so it’s definitely an event not to be missed. Apart from the chance to hear some of the best musical artists which Africa has to offer there are opportunities for adventure and adrenalin fuelled activities – or the chance to chill out and relax and take in the beauty of one of Africa’s greatest natural wonders.

Michael Nott from Destination Zimbabwe spoke to the Victoria Falls Carnival organisers to bring you more information and whet your tastebuds in anticipation of this awesome event.

Destination Zimbabwe (DZ): Could you tell us a bit about the history of the Carnival? When did it start and why?

Victoria Falls Carnival (VFC): The Carnival was created 13 years ago in 2010 but we missed two years during the Covid outbreak so this year will be the 11^th edition.  The first year it was started to bring business into the region by doing something cool in an absolutely magical place set in the heart of Africa right beside one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It began as a travel or destination festival then we added music to it. The idea was to get people to experience amazing adventure activities during the day, like White River Rafting, Sunset Cruises, viewing the Big 5 or bungee jumping and then at night enjoy the awesome music on offer.

DZ: The Carnival used to be around New Year. Why the change of dates?

VFC: The Carnival takes place over a long weekend. We are tying into Freedom Day (South Africa) and Worker’s Day which all African countries celebrate. The 1^st of May (Monday) is a public holiday so it gives us the full long weekend and allows a day for travelling. The new date allows us to offer more competitive packages because its low season, access a bigger, diverse array of artists from across the continent, and the opportunity to experience Victoria Falls at its finest following the summer rains. It also opens it up to the corporate sector.  We rely heavily on sponsorship, and we also find it’s easier to get sponsorship packages and create corporate suites over the new dates in April as it’s not a family holiday like Christmas or Easter. By moving to the low season we also bring a huge cash inflow to the town of Victoria Falls. It’s is usually a very quiet period, so everyone in the town benefits financially from this economic boost. 

DZ: How has the carnival developed and grown over the years?

VFC: The first carnival featured more South African acts, more rock bands and singer songwriters. We developed into a more distinctly African sound including Afrotech, Afrohouse, Dancehall, etc.  We are now booking artists from as far as Kenya and Nigeria but we are mostly representative of the sub-Saharan African countries.

DZ: Are there any provisions for rain or bad weather? Is it usually very hot in Vic Falls in April?

VFC: One of the reasons we moved the carnival from New Year is because of the rain factor. By hosting it at the end April, after the summer rains, we are really well positioned for no rain or bad weather. Over the last ten years it has not rained over that period and the weather is generally beautiful around that time. We have incorporated plenty of pool parties to escape the summer heat as well!

DZ: Who are the majority of the festival goers?

VFC: Ticket sales are from all over the world – we’ve had people coming in from Australia, Canada, the UK, a lot of expats, and a large audience from Botswana, South Africa and Zambia. We are booking artists from Namibia this year, so we’ll have travel packages from Namibia and from Mozambique. We’re also looking at booking an artist from Angola – we want to have all the countries that touch the Zambezi River represented this year and to bring in an audience from all those different countries.  The majority fanbase last year was from Zimbabwe obviously because of the COVID and travel restrictions, but this year we are looking at a broader sub-Saharan African audience. For the locals we offer great discounted tickets and that usually draws a large audience of Vic Falls residents. We also have various ticket options for fans including one-day tickets to make it more accessible for more people.

DZ: You have special packages which include accommodation at Elephant Hills. Is it because Elephant Hills is the main venue – and sponsor? Who are the other sponsors? Is the event organised in conjunction with Victoria Falls Tourism Board or other organisations like National Parks?

VFC: Elephant Hills is not a sponsor. We hire their venue and we book out the whole hotel and then we sell the packages. Zimbabwe National Parks and Game Reserves are definitely on board, supporting us and giving us the means to manage the whole event in a National Park area. Zim Tourism is also on board, and they help us financially as well as connecting us to large corporates who help with sponsorship.

Other partners like SAA help create discounted tickets to assist with affordable flights from SA. We are very grateful to all our partners and sponsors – from media partners, adventure partners, tourism boards and individual brands – without them, we simply cannot operate. 

For the first time this year, we’ve partnered with the ‘We Are Victoria Falls’ initiative representing the tourism community of Victoria Falls. Formed under the direction of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry they coordinate all events in the region to be cognizant of the fact that they are operating in a wildlife space. They’re partnering with us as a “blueprint event” that is aligned with looking after the animals and creating an event that is animal friendly and animal safe.  We’re trying to bus people in and not have cars on the roads late at night to protect the animals. It’s exciting because this is going to be the launch of this campaign to try and set a precedent for event organisers that run large events in wildlife areas to work with wildlife organisations to ensure that there are no animal fatalities during the event. 

DZ: Apart from the accommodation specials at Elephant Hills are there special flights, buses or trains for transport? Any discount offers?

VFC: We have SAA on board offering discounted flights into Vic Falls and we also have buses coming in from Botswana, Harare and Bulawayo. Fans can book all options through our website www.vicfallscarnival.com 

DZ: Besides Elephant Hills what other accommodation is available – especially for those on a tighter budget?

VFC: Visit our website for accommodation packages including camping options. We are offering the camping village at the Rest Camp with tented camps for the traveller on a budget. We also offer three-, four- and five-star hotels and lodges with information available on our website.

DZ: You’ve had some impressive international artists performing over the years including Mango Groove and Makoomba? Who do you have lined up for this year?

VFC: We have already confirmed a number of artists including Black Motion (SA), MacG & Sol (SA), Mafikizolo (SA), DJ Rimo Jackson (Zim), Anita Jaxson (Zim), Nitefreak (Zim), Mokoomba (Zim), Hans-C (Botswana), Top Cheri (Namibia), Boity (SA), Enzo Ishall (Zim), LKG (SA) and many more still to come. 

We will be announcing more big headlining artists in the coming weeks, so follow our social media for updates on the line-up.

DZ: What other activities are available for festival goers – a visit to the Falls obviously – sunset cruises, township tours, game viewing safaris, bungee jumping (not for festival goers with a hangover!)

VFC: Indeed, we can book most of the adventure activities available at the best rates for our fans if they book through our website www.vicfallscarnival.com  

DZ: What benefits are there for the community? Increased revenue for restaurants, hotels, pubs? Would tour guides benefit? Local curio vendors?

VFC: Everyone benefits significantly! We generate around $10 million worth of business in the town over that weekend. Statistically, over our carnival weekend there used to be 10% bed occupancy in the past – we are aiming for a 100% occupancy rate this year. Our economic impact to the region is very important to us.

DZ: Are tickets available at the door or only by prior booking?

VFC: If we’re sold out before the festival start there unfortunately won’t be tickets available at the door – our best advice is to get your tickets as soon as possible because they are selling very fast. We only sell tickets at the door in the event of us not being sold out prior to the festival start.

DZ: What’s new this year?  

VFC: For the first time in its long-established history, Vic Falls Carnival will cross the border to include the Zambian side in a host of curated, standalone music experiences at the new 5-star Radisson Blu Resort situated on the banks of the Zambezi. We have 200 rooms at the hotel on sale as part of a VIP package that will include exclusive VIP experiences. Headlining acts from Vic Falls Carnival will perform at a host of private parties on Friday and Sunday as well as a Sunset Cruise party and VIP tickets to the Mosi Day of Thunder music festival on Saturday. Bookings and more information available on our website and social media platforms. 

From DESTINATION ZW EDITION 2