One of the reasons I embarked on my journey to Zimbabwe was for “the greatest party on earth” – the Vic Falls Carnival. I am an avid music festival attendee and have partied at most of the well-known festivals in South Africa, so I was very interested to see what one in Zimbabwe would be like. Here’s how it went….
Zambezi Lager Party Express VIP Party
29 December
Having visited the Falls in the late morning, my friend and I were running late and almost missed the train (well, it was me who was running late as I wanted to have a swim at the Victoria Falls Rest Camp before heading out). We almost ran to the station and were pleased to see the steam train was still there, impatiently puffing out billows of black smoke. There were hundreds of people, both on the train and on the platform. Ticketing chaos reigned and we only just managed to get our tickets in time.
Once we made it onto the train we found a spot by the window. The train was packed (I had to wonder if they expected so many people) and it was as hot as hell. There was no air conditioning and the ceiling fans had little effect. The obvious next step was to acquire a few cold Zambezi Lagers as fast as possible. To our horror, the Zimbabwean beer of choice had run dry (the advert says it never does!). The Zambezi Lager Express had no Zambezi Lagers and we had to resort to drinking imported Reds ciders! We were also mistakenly under the impression that the ticket price included drinks and we were not the only ones. There was an advert in the Carnival booklet about a party train that clearly caused some confusion (we caught that tram on the 31st). Good thing we brought some money along otherwise it would’ve been a very dry party altogether!
The train journey itself was stunning and there is something special about being on a steam train. The furniture and finishings on the train have been kept in line with yesteryear which added to the charm. The theme was “carnival” and quite a few revelers had dressed for the occasion. DJ Francis got everyone into the party mood within minutes and before long everyone was having a great time. Trevor was also with us for this auspicious journey and did a great job of watching over our ciders!
We came to a stop in the middle of the bush where marquees and tents had been set up. It all looked very festive and everyone got off the train and headed straight to the well-stocked bar. Well-stocked with everything but Zambezi Lager! When I asked about this state of affairs (I really was shocked that the sponsoring beer company had run out of their beer) I was told that a lorry was arriving soon with supplies. Phew! While I waited for the beer to arrive I spent some time exploring the train as it was the first time I had ever been on a genuine steam train. It’s one of the few authentic steam trains still in use in Africa and uses 3 600 gallons of water and 7 tons of coal! The interiors have been refurbished, but have been kept to the same style of the 50’s era (she was built in 1953). Well worth a trip if you are in Victoria Falls (and I am sure it won’t be as packed).
Eventually more Zambezi’ Lagers arrived, bands played and ZiFM (a new local radio station) kept everyone entertained and upbeat inbetween. My favourite band of the evening without a doubt was Chikenbus. Not only is the band name awesome (you can’t say it without smiling) they are a fun group of guys with a fabulously charismatic lead singer. I loved their African infused rock tunes and found myself singing “welcome to the chickenbus, destination conservation..” very enthusiastically! They are also big into conservation and anti-poaching which also sat well with me. Chikenbus is an awesome band that deserve to go places – take a listen.
Another interesting feature of this party were the loos! I know this is not something that is usually talked about, but these were special. No portaloos here, but rather your very own canvas tent, complete with animal skins on the floor. Very swish and very brave – I really hope no-one brought up their beer and burgers on them! Then to finish off the experience you went to a table and had your hands washed Ethiopian-style with water being poured over your hands into a bowl, followed by being given a clean white cloth to dry them. Nice touch guys!
At around midnight we were all herded back onto the train and taken back to the town. Apart from the initial beer disaster and warm tequila, it was an entertaining night out.
Vic Falls Beerfest and Music Carnival
30 and 31 December
The Carnival was held at the primary school, which was a fair distance from the town. Drinking and driving is not cool, so we caught a taxi for US$5. Turns out it wouldn’t have been a good idea to walk it as you could bump (literally) into an elephant! I think Carnival buses from the town centre would’ve been a nice touch, but perhaps the idea was to get people to support the local taxi business, which is fair enough. The Adventure Lodge had courtesy buses every hour (nice one guys) which we used for the second night as we were staying there.
There was a tent where everyone had to buy tickets for drinks. They were very kind to me at the end of the first night as I needed change for a taxi – change is hard to come by in Zimbabwe and I wasn’t going to pay US$10 for a taxi to take me a few kilometres home. Carnival t-shirts (US$20) and CD’s were on sale. Pity they only had South African band CD’s – I really wanted to buy a Chikenbus CD and probably would’ve bought an Oliver Mtukudzi one too if they were available.
I took a wander around the various stalls, which were mostly full of flashing jewellery, fluorescent bracelets, swords, lasers and other novelties. They also had fireworks, which was interesting – nothing like a drunk person setting off a firecracker in the middle of a concert crowd! I literally got the shock of my life when I picked up a miniature fire extinguisher thinking it was a nifty little lighter. I pressed the button expecting to see a flame and an electric buzz shot up my arm! Turns out it was a “mini shocker” and not a lighter. The stalls were filled with them in all sorts of shapes – makes me wonder why so many are needed? Wanting to support local business I decided to buy a flashing “Rocky Horror Picture Show” lips necklace (which snapped before the evening was done).
The food stalls had hotdogs with an egg (US$2.50), burgers (US$3) and steak rolls (US$4). Two bar areas offered a wide range of drinks, including beers, ciders and shots. The best deal by far was two Zambezi Lagers for US$3. Thankfully they didn’t run out this time! Vendors selling biltong roamed between the crowd, there was a pool table which was popular and most of the marquees and tents had pretty fairy lights making it all quite festive. Being at a school there was also plenty of room to move around.
The first night wasn’t very full and it was obvious most of the people there were waiting for Zahara to perform. Unfortunately not much thought had gone into “rain planning” (it is the rainy season in Zimbabwe) and in the early evening the heavens decided to open. There was no cover by the stage and everyone scattered, leaving the band to be cheered on by flying ants. The rain was coming in at an angle and eventually the band left the stage while the backstage team hastily covered up equipment. It was at this point I decided to have supper and can say the steak roll was probably the best I’ve ever had at a festival. I sat down to enjoy my meal on a comfy couch under the shelter of a tent and within minutes was asked to leave. Turns out only “Delta employees” were allowed to sit there, despite there not being any signs to say so. And there I was thinking how nice that they had couches!
Zahara was clearly the hit of the first night (her Brenda Fassie tribute song even got the VIP section dancing), with most people leaving straight after the following speech by the Minister of Tourism, Walter Mzembe. Things were running very late (due to rain) and Zebra & Giraffe played to a few stragglers at 01h00. Being one of my favourite South African bands I stuck around to watch them play and they put on a good performance as always, despite a rain-damaged guitar. I didn’t get to see any of the DJ’s as I was sound asleep in my tent at that point!
The second night pulled a much larger crowd and they were selling bottles of JC Le Roux (US$15) which most people enjoyed (including us!) despite the price. There was no rain and everything ran smoothly. Chikenbus played again which was definitely a highlight for me! I will get a copy of their CD as soon as I can. Jeremy Loops put on a good show as always – my friend had never heard of him before and is now a fan. Next up was a Zimbabwean icon, who has produced almost 60 albums in his career, Oliver Mtukudzi (affectionately known as Tuku) and it was an honour to watch him play. I did feel that he probably should’ve played the night before as more of his fans would’ve been present then. Tuku took us to the midnight hour and after many hugs and fireworks, The Graeme Watkins Project took to the stage to see everyone dancing 2013 in. I took the 02h00 bus back to The Adventure Lodge, leaving my friend and the masses to party until the sun came up.
By most accounts the Vic Falls Carnival was heaps of fun. It was a little disorganised at times and they have a fair way to go before reaching the standards of some of the festivals I have been to. Running out of the sponsoring beer is never going to go down well (not to mention that imported beer is quite a bit more expensive) and if a festival is being held during the rainy season, it is probably best to make a plan for any downpours. I also had the best intentions of taking part in the tree-planting (Day of 1 000 Trees) at 08h00 on the Saturday, but having gone to bed at 02h00 after a party on a train, getting out of my bed at 07h30 was not an option. Apparently most others felt the same and it was poorly supported, which is sad as trees are vitally important to our planet. But lessons get learnt and it is not an easy job organising a massive music festival. I am sure things will get better and better and the carnival will get bigger and bigger. I will have to pop in again in a few years’ time.
Note:
The Vic Falls Carnival has in fact been running for many years, known as The Falls Fest, and very successfully with headline bands such as The Parlotones, and Watershed. This was the first year where the event was organised by another group as the initial organisers decided to take a break this year. All the people I spoke to thought highly of the The Falls Fest in previous years, saying it was very organised, pulled huge crowds into the town and everyone had a great time. This is the first time I have attended the Vic Falls Carnival and only giving an honest account of my experience.
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