In one weekend, Cape Town hosted Formula E, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final, the Ocean Race and the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s Championship, capping off a stellar month of events.
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On the final Saturday of February, Cape Town’s first-ever Formula E attracted 25,903 spectators in the Green Point Precinct.
The following day was the Women’s T20 World Cup final between host nation South Africa and Australia, which broke the record for the number of spectators at a women’s cricket match in South Africa.
More than 13,000 people packed into the Newlands Cricket Ground on Sunday to witness Australia being crowned the 2023 champions.
On the same day, over 6,000 people gathered at the V&A Waterfront for the final day of the Ocean Race’s stopover in Cape Town.
The epic event featured a fleet of five fully crewed IMOCA 60s sailing around the world for 60,000 kilometres, with some of the best offshore sailors from around the world competing.
The IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s Championship Division II Group B, which also concluded on Sunday, drew thousands of spectators over the course of seven days.
The International Ice Hockey Federation’s 2023 Senior Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship, sponsored by the City of Cape Town, was hosted at the Ice Station in Grand West and culminated in a hard-fought match between South Africa and Australia.
Many other events happening in the vibrant City brought friends and family together to enjoy live music, good food, drinks and all-around merriment.
On Sunday, February 26, 2023, a 5,500-person crowd gathered to hear Goodluck and Shekhinah perform at the popular Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concert.
Across town, at Kenilworth Racecourse, over 3,000 people attended the Cape Town Seafood and Jazz Festival, which featured food, music and horseracing.
The three-day Wynberg Family Festival at Maynardville Park in the Southern Suburbs drew 10,000 people.
“We are blessed to have the infrastructure, the locations, and city officials who are able to work hand-in-hand with event organisers to make these events happen,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
“It is even more satisfying for us as the City because our Events Department provided financial support or services to all the above events,” he continued.
Smith stated that coordinating these events at the same time is a difficult task, and the successful execution demonstrates the expertise we have here in Cape Town.
While the event organisers are still compiling data on the economic impact, such as the number of visitors in the City, hotel stays, and retail spending, early indications are that these events have provided a significant boost to the local economy.
Cape Town is preparing for another month of exciting events, including the Cape Town Cycle Tour, Cape Town Carnival, Cape Town Pride, DriftCity, Cape Town Fashion Week, ABSA Cape Epic, Investec Women’s Open, International Public Art Festival and the Cape Town Ramadaan Festival.
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Picture: City of Cape Town / Facebook
