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Absa Kirkwood Wildlife Festival toasts new sponsor
www.MyAddo.co.za: Kirkwood’s annual Absa Wildlife Festival is toasting the signing of another major corporate sponsor – Brandhouse Beverages, distributors of Windhoek and Heineken beers, and a range of premium spirit brands in South Africa.
“The three-year contract with brandhouse is a major achievement for the festival in these challenging economic times. It shows that the festival has proven itself, and is a firm fixture on the South African festival calendar,” says Absa Kirkwood Wildlife Festival director Jenni Honsbein.
Absa became the naming rights sponsor of the festival in 2008.
“This sponsorship is part of our commitment to the Eastern Cape and the Sundays River Valley. Our approach is to help festivals like the Absa Kirkwood Wildlife Festival grow over the long term,” says Carel Hoffman of Oppikoppi Productions, which evaluated the festival on behalf of Brandhouse and brokered the sponsorship.
brandhouse is also sponsoring the Grahamstown Arts Festival and Oppikoppi Festival held in August.
“These are all multiple-year contracts, which include brandhouse promotions of Windhoek and other brands,” says Hoffman.
A whisky tasting is planned for the Absa Kirkwood Festival, as brandhouse distributes a full range of premium whiskeys.
Honsbein says this year the Absa Kirkwood Wildlife Festival organisers are promising an even wilder celebrity line-up including the Bala Brothers, Mean Mr Mustard and the ever-popular Steve Hofmeyr.
Over 35 000 visitors attended the 2008 event, which is a unique blend of wildlife, arts, crafts and live entertainment.
As usual, this year in addition to wall to wall entertainment on the stage, there will be hundreds of creative flea-market stalls and food stalls with a wildlife theme.
“What makes us different is that we have something for everyone included in the entrance fee at the gate – live performances on stage, specialist stalls, a kiddies entertainment area, one of the biggest vehicle displays in the Eastern Cape, a small agricultural expo, cooking demonstrations, the province’s biggest wine fair, whiskey tastings and more,” says Honsbein.
The festival, which will run from June 26 to June 29 this year, also hosts the second biggest game auction in South Africa.