Pretoria - As the country marks Heritage Day, plenty of activities have been planned around Johannesburg to celebrate the day, but the place to be is the Soweto Festival Expo.
With traditional music and dance on the entertainment menu, along with various fun-filled and learning activities, the Soweto Festival Expo is definitively worth a visit over the Heritage Day long weekend, reports Joburg.org.
The expo, which will be held from 23 - 26 September at the University of Johannesburg's Soweto Campus, opposite the Orlando Power Station, attracts thousands of people each year.
Well-known and emerging artists and deejays will provide the entertainment, while visitors enjoy beverages and mouth-watering local dishes.
On the bill are soul singer, Ntando; rapper and singer, Howza; performers Ntombi, Vuyo Tyolo and Winnie Mashaba and DJ Neo, among others.
Fun for all ages will come in the form of The Boma, KidsZone, YouthZone and Amstel Beer Garden.
For the third year running, radio station Jozi FM will host The Boma. It will be the main stage of the expo, with entertainment ranging from traditional music and dance, to gospel, poetry, storytelling and a whole lot more to keep with the tradition of Heritage Weekend.
KidsZone will cater to the 3-10-year-olds, as well as the 11- 18-year-old age group.
There will be a safe area where parents can drop off their children while they enjoy the exhibition and activities.
Kids will be kept occupied with jumping castles and face painters under the watchful eyes of dedicated and experienced staff.
For the older children, there will be Willard's Hip-Hop Teen Stage, with a line-up of performers targeting teens.
In partnership with the Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA), the festival organisers will bring 5 000 learners in grades 10 to 12 from Soweto and surrounding schools to visit the YouthZone, which will entertain, motivate and give career guidance.
There will also be a full programme of food preparation and tastings with celebrity chefs, as well as wine tasting aimed at the Soweto consumer.
One of the major aims of the Soweto Festival Expo is to get small micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) to participate.
This year, the Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority will sponsor 200 SMMEs, giving them the opportunity to showcase and sell their goods at the expo, while promoting themselves to the public and to other businesses.
Over the four years that the Soweto expo has been held, more than 300 small businesses have been given an opportunity to exhibit and sell their products and services, some of them coming away with over R1 million worth of new business.
The University of Johannesburg Centre for Small Business Development will provide training to all participating SMMEs, which will equip business owners with skills in business management, marketing, sales and merchandising.
