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ABOUT VINEYARD CONCERTS
Vineyard Concerts launches Sunday afternoon lawn picnic concerts in
Durbanville Wine Valley
First concert at Bloemendal Wine Estate, Durbanville 23 March 2008
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Mike Crawford, of the Bloemendal Wine Estate, has created Vineyard Concerts - whose motto is "adding Culture to Cultivar" . Mike is launching a whole new addition to our local diaries with an ongoing season of Sunday afternoon concerts to be held at various Durbanville Wine Valley estates. |
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OYSTER & CHAMPAGNE FESTIVAL
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Mike is the initiator of the annual Tabasco , Oyster & Champagne Festival held at Bloemendal Wine Estate, and got the idea for the laid-back Sunday afternoon concerts from the success of this and other events. He says: "Over the 2007 Easter weekend we had over 2000 visitors - who ate more than 10 000 oysters and drank plenty of bubbly. It was a major success.
This year's Oyster & Champagne Festival will extend to become a three day event. The first two days will feature three stages with local musicians, celebrity chefs and a "shuck n slurp" competition to see who can open and "slurp" the most oysters in a given time. The third day will be the launch of Vineyard Concerts which will feature a Rock and Blues concert with Karen Zoid, Albert Frost, Rupert Mellor and the Thunderbirds and the Boulevard Blues Band where we expect about 1200 people. |
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The Season of Sauvignon which I held on a weekend in September brought in 900 visitors to Bloemendal Wine Estate making it the most popular of all the wine estates in the Durbanville Wine Valley . I realized what great potential there was here, and wondered why nobody was doing concerts and festivals on a decent, big scale. We have all these wonderful estates in our own backyard, and the combination of food, wine and concerts in stunning settings can only prove to be a winner." |
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Adds Mike, "There is nothing like this yet being held in this area. The Durbanville Wine Valley is just 20 minutes from everywhere - it is so accessible from Cape Town , Table View, and the northern suburbs. These concerts offer something new and refreshing to do in Cape Town at the weekend. They will also educate all those locals who just drive past these estates every day as to what exactly they have to offer." |
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LAUNCH CONCERT WILL BE HELD AT BLOEMENDAL WINE ESTATE
Sunday 23 March 2008 |
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The launch concert will be held at Bloemendal Wine Estate on Sunday 23 March 2008, the last day of the Oyster and Champagne Festival. Says Mike: "People can keep an eye on our website www.vineyardconcerts.co.za or www.bloemendalwines.co.za for all the latest details. We will rotate the concerts on a weekly basis between participating wine estates in the Durbanville Wine Valley , which so far include Bloemendal, Diemersdal, De Grendel, Nitida and Hillcrest. We have different sized venues that suit the capacity of each estate, ranging from 500 up to 6000 people." |
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Vineyard Concerts have a number of large sponsorship deals in the offing, and have put major planning into the events. "It's not your average 'band in the park' event," says Mike. "There will be professional lighting, sound, stage crew and professional bands. We will start with local acts but next year, with good sponsorship deals , we will bring in international acts as well. |
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Vineyard Concerts will be responsible for the set-up, logistics, security, crowd and parking control, emergency personnel, post-event clean-up crew and any other necessary controls for each event. At venues with limited parking there will be a central parking zone and a free shuttle service to the venue itself. Many of the venues will have kiddies' entertainment and facilities; the aim is to be family friendly. |
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Mike says they will be linking with the Durbanville Wine Valley Association to facilitate tours. "For example, we aim to link with hotels in Cape Town, whereby we collect the tourists, take them to the various wine farms for tastings and somewhere for lunch, and then on to the afternoon concert. What a wonderful day - and a wonderful way to showcase the offerings of the Durbanville Wine Route ."
He is certain that the events will greatly benefit the estates and the region as a whole. "Participating estates will receive publicity prior to their event and a marketing video of the estate will be shown on a big screen on stage before the event. They will also have exclusivity for the sale of their estate wines at the event." There is also great potential for various local traders and businesses - not just food-related - to obtain exposure by having stalls and marketing their products at these festivals and being linked with them. Says Mike: "The entire process is about keeping things local - it is on your doorstep, it's a Sunday afternoon, it's not late at night - get out there and enjoy!"
There is sure to be something for everyone, since all sorts of genres are to be embraced. Says Mike: "It's a cultural event, from mainstream rock to Afrikaans artists, to ballet, jazz and the symphony orchestra; it will happen every week in summer, weather permitting, and then in winter we aim to hold one event a month in a covered venue."
Ticket prices will be affordable and will vary, subject to the artists performing. Tickets will be available at Ticket Connection, at every Mr. Price store, or online.
How to get there: Bloemendal Wine Estate (not to be confused with Bloemendal Restaurant) is on the M13, Racecourse Road , Durbanville
For further information or interviews please contact Mike Crawford on 072 456 9071 or 021 976 2682. E-mail: mike@bloemendalwines.co.za
See: www.vineyardconcerts.co.za
E-mail: info@vineyardconcerts.co.za |
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