Whether you’re into swinging jazz, cosmopolitan inner-city club grooves, Afro-pop sounds, home-grown hip-hop or good old-fashioned rock’n’roll, the Mother City lives up to its billing as the party capital this New Year’s Eve.
The Homecoming Concert at the Good Hope Centre boasts smooth-jazz songbird Zamajobe, Afro-pop phenomena Malaika, Nthando, Stimela and more.
Meanwhile, at the Marimba Restaurant Bongani Sotshononda leads an all-star combo through a swinging mix of African jazz chart-toppers and American songbook standards tailored towards the dinner-dance jazz jet-set.
An exclusive performance by live jazzy house trio Flash Republic (first lady of house Tamara Dey teams up with top-notch beat boys Ryan Dent and Craig Massiv), at the Castle of Good Hope, should make the 5fm Pacha Ibiza Party the clubber’s first choice.
Revellers after a more adventurous start to 2006 can catch cooking all-girl hip-hop crew Godessa and a mix of ska, ragga and rock bands at the New Year’s Fiesta at Zula Sound Bar.
Rockers will wake the sleepy suburb of Pinetown at Mad House where a killer cast of independent rockers including Seventh Son, The Tornados, All Star Funk Four, Doppler Effect and Hog Hoggidy Hog celebrate New Year with a massive open-air mosh.
Finally, the ideal family-friendly way to tune into 2006 is with melodic rock favourites Watershed and smooth R&B sensation Loyiso at the Kfm94.5 New Year’s Eve Concert in the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
Jo’burg comes in as a close second for most happening New Year’s Eve jol-spot, but let’s face it: Jo’burg pretty much closes down in December when the ‘Vaalies hit the coastal resorts.
The second annual Jo’burg Carnival sets out from Constitutional Hill at 2pm on December 31. The procession of floats, singers and dancers will travel via Hillbrow, over Mandela Bridge, to the Newtown Park. A party with fireworks at Mary Fitzgerald Sqaure continues well into the new year.
From this location, clubbers can easily catch the 5fm Pacha Ibiza Jozi sister-party at DCM in Heartlands, Braamfontein’s new gay district. Juan Diaz, voted best Spanish DJ of 2005, headlines with more than 10 locals on support. Otherwise, give birth to the new year in water at the H20 party at Sutra with 25 DJs over five floors. Top German DJ Pedro del Mar headlines.
For something more Afrocentric, head down to the Horror Cafe where the PolitBuro Sessions and DJ 2Lani usher in the new year in “strictly Bantu style”. Afro-grooves, nu-jazz, swing, dancehall, motown, salsa and more will keep the dancefloor alight.
Rockers will have to head up to Pretoria to catch either the Tuks FM Gods of Rock party at Hatfield Square or Foundry Fly Lounge‘s bash. Hatfield will no doubt be milling with craziness, especially with garage-rock rebels Fokofpolisiekar, smooth indie-rockers The Parlotones, rock-chick Karen Zoid, punk-rockers Fuzigish and more on the line-up. With blues-rock legends Jack Hammer, hard-rockers The Narrow, brain-crumbling hip-hop rebel Waddy Jones and others, the Foundry Fly Lounge’s bash won’t be much quieter, but possibly more intimate.
For quality Afro-jazz, the Nickelodeon Room at The Carousel is the place to be where guitar and singer Selaelo Selota showcases his unique jazz melodies influenced by traditional Pedi singing and dancing.
Wanting to head out of town? Revel In, near Rustenburg, hosts Pig-Innit from December 29 to January 2. They promise “tantalising low-fi beats” and a “squeal-inducing” fireworks display.
Heading down towards the South Coast, unfortunately the popular outdoor New Year’s festival Flux is in hibernation. But, AmaFullThrottle, the precursor to Flux, has agreed to a revival. Running from December 30 to January 1 in the same spot in Mooi River as the Flux festival was, the event specialises in dance music, as opposed to Flux’s live music. Breakbeat outfit Trip Hazard and trance crew Lightworkx headline the funk, hip-hop, house, electro, retro and reggae DJs.
Durban’s gambling and entertainment paradise, Suncoast Casino, sets the pace with the Coast to Coast New Year’s Eve party, which takes place on the sundeck overlooking the Indian Ocean. Prime Circle, Baby Boy, Spoonfeedas, Lebo Matosa, Melanie Louw and Denim ensure all genres are represented. Popular East Coast Radio DJ Trevor Williams is the evening’s MC. There will also be fireworks.
Krakatoa Bar at the Sibaya Casino promises a pulsating evening with party-band Dr Victor and the Rasta Rebels — famous for their single advising to “get an ugly girl to marry you”. They must be planning an early morning with tickets including breakfast.
Clubbers should get to Au Barr None where DJs Craig Shacid, Michael Pereira and Clifford Paterson showcase the sounds of dance music-defining international label Renaissance.
Further down the coast, into the Eastern Cape, the sleepy hamlet of Kenton-on-Sea comes to life at the Neptune Festival with Cutting Jade, Sugardrive, Running with Scissors, 16Stitch and Niemand sharing the modern-rock spotlight on New Year’s Eve.
Finally, Knysna‘s beach-themed party at Stones boasts Tweak, Mel-Function and DJs Lady Lea, Brett Jackson and Vimo. St Francis Bay hosts Just Jinger and 5fm DJs Nicole Fox, Gareth Cliff and Zuraida Jardine.
Compiled by Miles Keylock, Nadine Botha and Alex Sudheim