BRING IN THE NEW YEAR AT VIC FALLS

With only a month until Falls Fest, the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe is gearing up for an influx of local and international visitors, set to celebrate New Year in style.

Now in its third year, Falls Fest will be taking place on 30 and 31 December 2011, to tie in with the New Year festivities. The two day festival was introduced as a way to increase the number of visitors to Victoria Falls and last year saw over 4000 people attending each day. This year has already seen overwhelming support for Falls Fest and organisers hope to see the destination boosted even further.

The headline act at this year’s festival is South African Music Award (SAMA) nominated and winners in the "NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR" category, Locnville. This Cape Town based electro hop music duo will be joined on stage by a number of support acts from South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Roddy Meiring, General Manager of Ilala Lodge, one of the primary sponsors of Falls Fest and a Go To Victoria Falls member, believes that the positive outcome of the music festival is undeniable. “Hotels and local adventure companies had their best season in several years and business in the falls is booming,” says Meiring.

Travellers visiting the Falls will of course be spoilt for choice when it comes to activities and day trips outside of the music festival. Go To Victoria Falls’ tour operators and adventure companies, will be offering white water rafting, river cruises, high wire activities, safari activities and lots more, allowing visitors the opportunity to experience Africa’s adventure capital at its best. Booking in advance will be necessary, as last year rafting companies saw their busiest day ever with over 600 people rafting in 1 single day.

The increase in visitors last year was not only seen in Vic Falls but throughout the country. “It got people travelling through Zimbabwe and received great international exposure, as people from all over the world came to experience the area and the country as a whole. It showed that Zim is still a safe destination and what better way to spend New Year than seeing one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and making a holiday of it,” concluded Meiring.

Following on from the success of 2010, this year’s Falls Fest and New Year period is set to be another excellent one for Victoria Falls.