Big music concert to be held in Nelson Mandela Bay in May

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality will host the biggest music show to be ever held in the city in May, following the signing of an agreement between the municipality and the organisers of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival today.
 
The agreement that was signed with espAfrica at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a culmination of many months of preliminary work between the renowned international event organisers and the municipality. Significant milestones have already been reached in this initial phase necessitating the formalisation of the relationship between the two parties.
 
Funding to the tune of R8.1 million has already been secured from the National Lottery Fund for the marketing and successful hosting of the event. The concept and line up of artists will be made public next week and international, national and local acts are expected to feature prominently.
 
Speaking at a council meeting earlier in the day, Executive Mayor, Cllr. Zanoxolo Wayile said the music concert would help profile Nelson Mandela Bay as a destination for major events and will help increase the tourism profile of the city. "We are building on the gains of hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup and we seek to maintain the good exposure we had as the city last year," said Mayor Wayile.
 
He added that the music festival was a much welcome boost in ongoing initiatives to harness the growth of the music industry in Nelson Mandela Bay. "Many of our artists leave the city for places where there is more vibe in the entertainment scene because they get better chances of success there. This results in the city loosing out on the economic benefits of the creative industries that tends to contribute significantly to the economies of some of the major cities accross the world," added Mayor Wayile.
 
"We have to continue to make interventions like these in order to make sure that we nurture the growth of this industry and maximize its economic potential".
 
Festival director from espAfrica, Rashid Lombaard, said the concert was a key initiative in the developmental and growth objectives of espAfrica. "To us this is not just about an event, it is a necessary developmental initiative that can boost the tourism potential of Nelson Mandela Bay and enhance the economic potential of the local music industry," said Lombaard.
 
EspAfrica also revealed they had been trying to bring an event of this nature to the Bay for the last three years but without success. "I am happy now that I have finally had a chance to boost the place of my birth and bring in the wealth of experience we have gained as a company to benefit the city," said Lombaard.
 
The music concert will be held on Friday, 13, and Saturday, 14 May 2011.