Vic Falls Carnival 2023 | Zimbabwe and Zambia share the spoils
The 11th Vic Falls Carnival has come and gone.
The three day event which was being held in Zimbabwe at the Elephant Hills Resort and in Zambia at the Radisson Blu Mosi-Oa-Tunya, Livingstone Resort was interesting in many respects.
Those who were in attendance can confirm that they are still recovering from the non-stop action, which included border-hoping for some.
The format gave fun lovers the opportunity to explore the carnival and Victoria Falls scenery from two different perspectives.
In this article, we take a look of some of the elements that made this year’s Vic Falls Carnival interesting and those that might need revisiting.
Attendance
As expected, the numbers were always going to be diluted as both main venues had to share the spoils for the duration of the festival.
Many of the foreigners who usually come to the carnival are from Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and South Africa, which meant logistically it made more sense for a significant number to opt for the Livingston gig.
In this scenario, it was always going to be a case of locals making up the majority of fans on the Zimbabwean side.
Last year, most of the locals who attended the event were from Harare and Bulawayo. Since the event was starting on a work day, many were not able to make it on day one considering it takes at least 9 hours to travel from the capital.
This might have been the reason why the two day passes for Saturday and Sunday were the first to sell out.
While there weren’t many people on the first day of the event on the Zim side, traffic started picking up on the second day with the Sunday also attracting a lot of people.
Performances
The organisers did their homework when it comes to putting together the lineup with every artist who performed brining their A-game.
Some of the best performances came from Jah Prayzah, Enzo Ishall, Mi Casa, Mafikizolo, Black Motion, Oskido and Musa Keys.
Despite taking to the stage on the day that was not well attended, Musa Keys showcased his professionalism pulling off an exhilarating performance that was full of energy.
Many people were skeptical about how Black Motion’s set would be like with new member Problem Child Ten83. That skepticism was put to bed when the two went on stage to put on a captivating show that left fans clamoring for more.
The Saturday night was stacked and the artists did not come to play games. They came to entertain.
Mi Casa has been in the game for a long time and showcased their prowess during their set where they were dropping hit after hit with the crowd singing along.
When Jah Prayzah came on, he managed to prove why he is regarded as one of the biggest musicians in Zimbabwe. His set was full of energy and kept the crowd on their toes right to the end.
Oskido is clearly the “godfather” of house music and he was showing the lighties how its done on the night. His set comprised of both old numbers and new tunes, with every track accompanied by large cheers from the crowd.
MacG and Sol also went in hard, dropping some earchopping Amapiano bangers that had that put the dancefloor on steroids.
The closing set is usually the hardest, considering people will be tired and some will be thinking about leaving. However, no one was leaving this party early with Toss, Mdoovah and 9umber being given the task of shutting the night down.
Shut it down they did. The “Umlando” hit makers are born for the stage and their performance was top notch.
While the final day was marred by technical hiccups, the performances got the crowd going once everything was sorted out.
Mokoomba might not have managed to perform a full set due to time constraints, but they had the crown on its feet from the moment they got on stage to the moment they left.
Andre The Vocalist might need a bit of polishing up with his stage performances, but he managed to rock on the night.
It was Enzo Ishall who stole the show when he came on. The Zim dancehall artist was in the mood to entertain and had the crowd eating out of his hands as soon as he jumped on stage.
In terms of performances, not one can complain.
Vic Falls Carnival Overall Assessment
As has become the norm, the Vic Falls Carnival is always a vibe and those who came managed to enjoy.
While the crowd was a bit diluted as two venues had to share the fun lovers, the atmosphere was festive.
Many people have been calling for the event to be moved back to December when people are on holiday and can easily travel. Hopefully they listen as more people would want to come to the event without compromising their work schedules.
