Lake October Festival back with a bang

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By Rutendo Mambume

The Lake October festival roars back to life after it had been postponed for three years due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

The unique three day tourism extravaganza will be held at two different locations in Masvingo, at Caravan Park and Great Zimbabwe Monuments, the epicenter of Zimbabwean history, culture and heritage.

It will start from 21 up to the 23th of October 2022 under the theme, ‘Reimagining Tourism’.

Lake October festival head of Public Relations, Tavita Natasha Mpala said their main aim is to celebrate Zimbabwe’s diverse tourism attractions with a particular focus on Masvingo which boasts of diverse arts, sports, music culture and dance activities.



“The event was recognized and endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority as an important destination marketing festival and this year’s edition is set to become one of the Africa’s largest. It will comprise of various disciplines including sports, adventure and cultural tourism and arts in form of music and dance,” she said.

Mpala confirmed that the festival begins with a Fundraising Golf Day at Masvingo Golf Club on Friday 21 October, followed by a music concept dubbed ‘Unforgettable Night’ in the evening at Caravan Park featuring live performances by Zimbabwean top artists, Winky D, Freeman, Volts and Feli-nandi .

The festival will then shift to Great Zimbabwe Monuments for the marathon and the day will be punctuated by performances by cultural dance groups. On 23 October, the first auditions of the chef’s culinary competition will take place, followed by a jazz and Rhumba night music concert.

Mpala noted this year’s event was targeting over 10 000 attendees over three days and everyone is encouraged to attend as this will create huge business opportunities for the tourism sector, in particular hotels, lodges chalets and camping sites.

“Local businesses will generate sales worth over US$1.5 million during the festival period, hence this will positively impact on the growth of the provincial economy,” she said.

A lot of entertainment activities are lined up, and these include boat cruising and beach volleyball at Tambai Lakeside Park on the shores of Lake Mutirikwi.

There will also be a children play centre full of fun games. People will also visit the Great Zimbabwe monuments and see the rehabilitations which are being done at the site and there will be also a visit to Sikato Zim Parks.

“Next year we are going bigger as we are hoping to bring an international artist for the first time in Masvingo,” said Mpala.

The Lake October Festival was established in 2018 by Garikai Garande with the aim of reviving tourism to Great Zimbabwe Monument. 

The inaugural event attracted over 5000 attendees including tourists from different countries.

However, the event was postponed for the past 3 years due to the outbreak of Covid pandemic.

Besides the Great Zimbabwe ruins and monuments, Masvingo province boasts of many tourism attractions that includes, Gonarezhou Game Park, Tugwi Mukosi dam, Kyle recreational Park, Mutirikwi rock paintings, Lion Park at Skato Bay Zimparks, Mushandike Game Park and Lake Mutirikwi. These attractions will help in the boosting tourist arrivals and educational visits. 

 

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