Return of Cape Town International Jazz Festival set to be economic boost for city

Cape Town - A massive boost for the local economy is expected as the globally cherished musical festival returns to the Mother City next year.

The Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) announced its comeback through its social media platforms on October 27, with South Africa's renowned, Judith Sephuma being the main act.

The Cape Town International Convention Centre will continue its role as host to about 20 000 patrons from across the world on March 17 and 18, 2023.

It has been nearly three years since its last run, as many big festivals had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic since 2020.

EspAfrika will be organising the event. Its Chief Executive Officer, Amit Makan said the event wouldn't be the same as before the pandemic, but he promises a rejuvenated experience with improvised new features.

"It will never be business as usual as that ship has sailed, but it can be better business, as we look to build circular economies and sustainable models of commerce where individually, we are better off as a collective.

"We have implemented a digital ticketing system. We will also be launching an audience-engagement platform that allows festival-goers and non-ticket holders alike, the ability to take a deep dive into more content about artists, the festival itself, competitions, and give-aways.

"For festinos at the festival, there will be lots of activations, triggered by elements such as Bluetooth-enabled beacon technology, also way-finding tools and event planning and more. (It will) all be on a mobile app in the palm of the festinos’ hands.

"There will be three stages, and not the previous four or five as in past years. This has primarily been driven by requests from festinos who over the years have expressed a desire to spend more time watching and enjoying the acts they want to see, instead of dashing between as many acts as possible to grab a snippet of each,” Makan explained.

Jacques Moolman, president of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, warmly welcomed the news, saying there will be direct benefits for businesses involved, such as the multitude of suppliers needed to host an event of this magnitude, and indirect benefits for the economy as a whole.

"The loss of the Jazz Festival during the pandemic was a huge blow in terms of visitor-spend. Cape Town is considered Africa’s events capital, with an estimated income of well over R2 billion from its key events, such as the Jazz Festival, the Two Oceans Marathon, the Cycle Tour and others.

“The return of the Jazz Festival is all the more welcome, given the devastation wrought on the events industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope the festival lives up to expectations," he said.

Zandisile Rhayi, a local artist, added: "It is great initiative, a great platform for artists and music lovers. However, it can have more impact if they can rope in more local artists in their line-up, mainly Cape Town-based musicians.“

The event is sponsored by the City of Cape Town, whose mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, said: "As the City, we are thrilled that Cape Town gets to continue its love affair with jazz.

“The festival has been the perfect platform to showcase some of the country’s emerging artists during the main festival, workshops and the annual free concert on Greenmarket Square. It also brings thousands of national and international visitors to Cape Town who spend money on accommodation, at restaurants, at tourist attractions and at retail outlets over the weekend of the festival.”

Makan said the line-up of some of the performing artists would be announced in December.

Weekend Argus