With the countdown to Ramadan, Cape Town is gearing itself for the 6th annual EID Shopping Festival (ESF), set to take place in the Mother City for the very first time. Hosted annually in Johannesburg in association with Gauteng Tourism, this high profile lifestyle cultural festival is going bigger and better than before. Organisers are expecting over 80 000 visitors over the four day period in both cities. VOC is the official radio media partner for the Cape Town leg of the event.

This year’s event takes place in Johannesburg from the 26 -29 May 2016 at The Ticket Pro Dome and in Cape Town from 2 -5 June 2016 at The Lookout, V&A Waterfront.
The ESF has been growing exponentially over the past few years, from its humble beginnings of 10 000 visitors at its inception in 2011, to expecting over 80 000 visitors this year. The festival attracts both national and international exhibitors and visitors and has now earned its place as the only professional Islamic platform where exhibitors may enjoy both a B2B and B2C interaction.

Whilst the theme of the festival may appear to appeal to a niche market, the environment is accommodating of all religious, cultural and ethnic groups. Diversity is a key element at the ESF as it presents an opportunity to bring together our Rainbow Nation, in the spirit of understanding and celebrating our various cultures.

“It’s humbling to see the growth ESF has experienced over the past 6 years. ESF has now positioned itself as a premium shopping expo attracting visitors not only from across the country but from neighbouring African countries and from the likes of Dubai and Syria. We look forward to welcoming new visitors alongside our loyal following to experience what will undoubtable be the best ESF yet,” says Nisha Steenkamp, organiser of the EID Shopping Festival.

With 350 exclusive stores under one roof, shoppers can browse anything from homeware; décor; hair; health products; beauty products; make up; designer clothing and shoes; eastern, modest, and western clothing; financial Services; jewellery; food and spices and more.

Some highlights to look forward to this year include exciting fashion shows over the weekend highlighting the latest garments hot off the Catwalk. For the ‘foodies, there’s the innovative cuisine, hosted by some of South Africa’s highly respected culinary Chefs. The ESF offers an exciting array of Eid meal-must-haves in just 30 minutes. Three daily interactive cooking shows and informative talks will bring the excitement of a Master Chef show-down.

Tired husbands who have had enough of shopping need not worry. This year there is also a show-within-a-show concept catered at the male audience. Men can look forward to an exotic car display, the infamous Classic Car Show, for the speed-enthusiast, the ‘suped-up’cars and an exhibition of gadgets and other innovations.

A premium, secured and supervised KIDZONE will provide a fun and educational environment during the festival where parents can register their kids to enjoy a fun filled experience set in over 1500m² of secured space to keep your little ones entertained.

Tickets are available at the door and are priced as below:

Cape Town
• Kid under 6 – FREE
• Adults – R30
• Pensioners – R20
• Family of 4 – R100

Johannesburg
• Kid under 6 – FREE
• Adults – R50
• Pensioners – R40
• Family of 4 – R180