» Johannesburg

Upcoming tours of fossil sites in the Cradle of Humankind

liz — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:58:41 +0000

11th sept: Visit Cooper’s Cave situated 1.2km from the famous Sterkfontein Caves near Johannesburg, a relatively new excavation site where several species of animals and a number of stone tools have been found. Activities on offer for the morning include an interactive fossil and site talk, cave exploration and fossil finding, and an opportunity to learn how to make stone tools, all followed by a light picnic lunch. The price is R350 per person including lunch, and the tour will start at 09h00. This is a family friendly event. Remember to pack a hat, birng a camera, apply sunscreen and wear comfortable walking shoes.

18th Sept: join a small group led by scientist Morris Sutton to see Swartkrans, one of the Cradle of Humankind’s richest fossil sites, usually closed to the public. Swartkrans has yielded the largest sample of Paranthropus robustus, and contains evidence of the earliest use of controlled fire in Southern Africa, dating back 1-million years. I went on this tour this time last year and loved it. See blog post http://lizatlancaster.co.za/blog/cradle-of-humankind-fascinating-tour-of-our-origins

Rocking the gardens: Rock Festival Emmarentia Dam 9 and 10 Oct

liz — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:46:13 +0000

Rocking the Gardens is set to be huge this year! This rock festival will showcase some of South Africa’s top talent, including bands, dj’s and comedians. Eat, drink and save the world by treating yourself at the Green Market or getting pampered at the Daisy Den.
When: 9 & 10 October 2010
Where: Emmarentia Dam, Johannesburg
Price: Full Weekend Online: R230 At the Gate R280; Saturday (only) Online R150 At the Gate R200; Sunday (only) Online R100 At the Gate R120
More info: Tel: 021 481 1832 info@rockingthegardens.com www.rockingthegardens.com

RNB Winex Sandton Convention Centre 27-29 Oct

liz — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:26:42 +0000

Launched 11 years ago, RMB WineX is the premier wine event in South Africa. There will be some 1 500 wines available for tasting from the 250 Cape Producers exhibiting. The exhibitor line-up this year includes award-winning producers such as Nederburg, Fleur du Cap, Tokara and Saronsberg, while there will also be newcomers such as Bartinney and Kleinood, as well as specialist cellars such as The Winery of Good Hope. The task of engaging with more than 230 wine exhibitors and 1 300 wines at the show is quite daunting, so showgoers will have access to the WineX comprehensive festival guide and list of wines on the website. Visitors can also convert their best WineX tasting experience into a home consumption opportunity through the Shop@Show facility.
When: 27-29 October 5-9pm daily
Where: Sandton Convention Centre
Price: Early bird price for tickets booked by and including Sunday 24 October are R90 per person. Thereafter and at the door: Wednesday and Thursday nights R100; and Friday night R120. Includes tasting glass and unlimited tastings. Two-night ticket pass for Wednesday and Thursday nights, if booked by 24 October costs R160. Includes tasting glass and unlimited tastingsR90.00 – R120.00
Book: www.computicket.com or 083 915 8000
Tip: Given the vast choice of what is on offer, you may prefer to arrange to be driven to and from the Sandton Convention Centre. WineX promotes responsible drinking and its organisers have teamed up this year with Corporate Cabs. To book a Corporate Cab for your evening at WineX, either log onto the Corporate Cabs website (www.corporatecabs.co.za) and follow the WineX link, or phone the call centre on 0800 800 800. All bookings are immediately confirmed by email and you will receive an SMS 1 hour prior to pickup stating your driver’s name and cell number.

FNB Whisky Live Festival Sandton Convention Centre 10-12 Nov

liz — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:45:32 +0000

Now in its eighth year, The FNB Whisky Live Festival has grown into the largest whisky and lifestyle event of its kind, attracting more visitors and brands than any other whisky festival globally. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, South Africa is the fifth largest Scotch market by volume in the world. Last year’s FNB Whisky Live visitor breakdown showed that 73% of the total visitors were aged below 45 and the profile of whisky drinker is changing to include more women, and younger, upwardly mobile adults.
When: 10-12 Nov 18h00 to 22h00 daily .
Where: Sandton Convention Centre
Price: Tickets to the Tasting Hall cost R180, with a range of other ticketing options available through Webtickets from 15th September, including the multi-day passes/group bookings and the new Tasting Hall/Food Deli ticket.
Book: Www.webtickets.co.za
Tip: The FNB Whisky Live Festival promotes responsible drinking. No persons under the age of 18 years old will be allowed into the Tasting Hall, and dedicated driver tickets are available. Discounted food vouchers and a bottle of Valpre mineral water are included in the ticket price, and taxis will be on hand to ensure that everyone in your party is able to have a good time.

Taste of Joburg: Food Festival 30 Sept to 3rd Oct

liz — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:09:31 +0000

Taste of Joburg is back! This festival brings together the city’s most acclaimed restaurants and carefully selected exhibitors to attract 15 000 of Joburg’s most dedicated and sophisticated foodies. Taste of Joburg brings together the city’s finest restaurants, award winning wineries, premium drink brands, niche food exhibitors and fantastic entertainment. If you love eating out this is an opportunity too good to miss!
When: 2010-09-30 to 2010-10-03
Where: Bryanston High School
Price: R60.00 – R500.00
Book: Tickets available from: http://www.computicket.com
Contact: http://www.tasteofjoburg.com

Literary Festival 3-5 September at 44 Stanley Ave

liz — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:52:18 +0000

Mail & Guardian Literary Festival 2010 3-5 September@ 44 STANLEY Avenue, Milpark, Johannesburg in partnership with BOEKEHUIS at Fawley street, Auckland Park on 011 482 3609
Opening address (free event): Friday night 3rd Sept at 7pm, by Nic Dawes, editor of the Mail &Guardian – celebrate 25 years of the M&G with a glass of wine, RSVP: tamarinm@mg.co.za Find the full programme at http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport/mg-jhb-literary-festival-2010

This week’s pick of things to do and see in Joburg from Adrian@fiftytwo.co.za

liz — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:52:05 +0000

This week’s pick by Adrian of Fifty Two: Bohemian and Burlesque
Genre: Theatre of Dreams
What: Get into character and dress to the extreme – the more outrageous, enchanting, intriguing – the better. This is Madame Zingara and anything goes. Well known for their uniqueness in staging a captivating cirque, a fine show, a feast to the eyes – there isn’t a theatrical extravaganza in South Africa like it. Think Cirque du Soleil, Oompa Loompas, Moulin Rouge, Midsummer Night’s Dream or Avatar – all things wild and wonderful define this show. Super natural creatures, exotic contortionists, magic, acrobats, colour and sound. Here, all engines fire.
FiftyTwo review: “Was that for real?” we ask after leaving the show’s merriment – our senses totally roused, imaginations soaring. This is enchantment. As you step into Victoria, the plush mirrored dome, you’re whirled into a world of dream, mystique and wonder. The love magic tour is sheer escape – known to rock audiences – we highly recommend you book today and with the edginess that is Joburg the show will take a form of allure unknown in other corners of this country. All boundaries are blurred, all art forms fused, all dance styles combined and music mixed. Welcome to the known and unknown, anticipate anything and ogle as theatre unravels as an illusion before you.
Tip: When you arrive go pick out some fanciful hats, wigs and moustaches from the Bijoux Boutique – their in-house dress up store – there’s something for everyone. If you don’t secure seats, just show up and it’s been known that Madame Zingara will sprinkle magic dust and somehow welcome each person waiting at their door.
Interesting fact: The tent was shipped in from Belgium and one of the few 1920’s Vaudeville originals left worldwide. It boasts mahogany walls and is framed in hand carved teak columns and stained glass windows. This wonderland has toured the globe for the last eight years.
Where: Melrose Arch
Book: October to February 2011 from Monday to Saturday – call the box office on 021 001 3366 but hurry. (Prices start at R350)

Great website link for public transport in Joburg

liz — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:31:15 +0000

Without a car in JHB – Kultcha – Johannesburg Live The Beginners Guide to JHB Public Transport http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jhblive.com%2Flive%2Fkultcha_view.jsp%3Fkultcha_id%3D46843&h=7bb79

CURRENT EXHIBITION BY SAM NHLENGETHWA AT GOODMAN GALLERY

liz — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:31:34 +0000

In Kind of Blue, Sam Nhlengethwa’s latest solo exhibition of drawings, prints and paintings at the Goodman Gallery, he pays homage to trumpeter and composer Miles Davis and celebrates the recent 50th anniversary of Davis’ groundbreaking album Kind of Blue. WHEN? Opening at Goodman Gallery 26 August at 18.00 until 29 September 2010
MORE INFO: “When I was a youngster,” the artist reflects, “on Sundays when people were relaxing, from street to street people would sit with a portable vinyl player listening to Miles Davis.” And, he says “unlike with the other vinyls where we picked tracks, Kind of Blue was played repeatedly from the first track, ‘So What?’ to its last track ‘Flamenco Sketches’”. (Goodman Gallery invitation) Included on the show are a number of etchings and lithographs which Nhlengethwa produced at Mark Attwood’s Artists’ Press studio in White River. There are also mixed media collage drawings and paintings all the size of vinyl record covers. Goodman Gallery writes further: ‘ Nhlengethwa’s new works are stark, mostly monochromatic and affectingly vivid, echoing the emotion of Davis’s melody. Black and white rendered silhouette figures recall another era, an age when taking risks was central to cultural development.’
MORE ON NHLENGETHWA:
BORN: 1955 In the mining community of Payneville in Springs
GREW UP: In Ratanda location in Heidelberg, east of Johannesburg.
ART EDUCATION: Completed a two-year Fine Art Diploma at the Rorkes Drift Art Centre in the late 1970s.
EXHIBITIONS: Exhibited both locally and abroad throughout the 1980s and ’90s. Major turning point was his 1993 solos show Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow in 1993
AWARDs: Standard Bank Young Artist Award in 1994 amongst others
Goodman GAllery is at 163 Jan Smuts Avenue Parkwood T: +27-11-788-1113 GALLERY HOURS: Tuesdays–Fridays 09:30–17h30, Saturdays 09:30–16:00, Closed

FiftyTwo:30 Collector’s Treasury

liz — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:40:39 +0000

With thanks to Adi@fiftytwo.co.za yet again. Collector’s Treasury is one of my FAVOURITE places BUT be warned … take a ball of string with you because like Theseus in the minotaur’s cave, you might get lost in the maze of book-lined passages !!

Genre: Book store bizarre
What: Paperbacks, hard copies, leather bounds and titles from 1800s – this mystically rare book dealer has the edge. Doors swung open in 1974 and over its 36 years the collection has matured – there’s an accumulated mass of literary wealth and some 2 million books are shelved here. Astounding. The Collectors Treasury doesn’t just horde books, it carriers collectable vinyls (The Beatles, The Jackson Five), sheet music, mathematical journals, framed artworks, porcelain everything, medium format cameras and family photo albums probably from a different chapter. Spilling over four floors – there’s a rich world waiting for you.
FiftyTwo review: Books are stacked in piles everywhere (up staircases, blocking the entrance, above and below book shelves). Collectors Treasury is the most phenomenal maze to loose yourself in. Scan the shelves for titles, you’ll find volumes and volumes to read from cover to cover. Words can’t capture the wonder that this aged bookstore conjures up. Meet fascinating people while you browse, from the academic scholar wishing he were in Boston to muso hippie types, everyone speaks the same language in a space such as this – a great opportunity to not judge a book by its cover. This gallery isn’t cheap but the experience is worth the buck. Whoever thought atlases from the Ice Age would lose value, you’re wrong. FiftyTwo say, “Stay the day.”
Tip: First edition books make quite the gift so the next time you’re looking for something unique and feel mainstream bookstores offer the unadventurous, head to Collectors Treasury. Secondly, look intently as there are remarkable things on sale, very recently an original South African Parliamentary photograph from 1936 (with signatures of all parliament members) was found. Own your page of South African history.
Interesting fact: This legend store has claims of being the Southern Hemisphere’s largest bookstore of its kind.
Where: CTP House, 244 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg – call 011 334 6556 if you need help with directions.
Book: No booking necessary – it’s open from Mondays to Fridays 09:00-17:00 & Saturdays 10:00-13:00