With so much on the go over the holiday season, here are a few highlights that are great for the whole family!
Trail of Lights
Bigger, better and brighter, the Durban Botanic Gardens Trail of Lights is back! Festooned with thousands of lights in awe-inspiring displays and buzzing with live entertainment, it’s not to be missed! You’ll find magical festive characters, a charity-hosted Santa’s Workshop, KZN’s brightest Christmas tree, a Secret Garden of Lights, horticultural displays, a Festive Market, two food gardens and more. At Santa’s grotto you can take a photo with Santa and his elves and the Grinch will be there too! An exciting addition to the event are the two Paws and Claus nights on December 4 and 11, when visitors can bring along their ‘fur kids’ …dogs only… to join in the fun. Funds from these ticket sales will go to the Feeding the Furballs charity. The Trail of Lights takes place from December 2 to January 2, excluding Christmas Day, from 6pm to 9.30pm. Tickets are priced from R70. Children two and under enter for free. Tickets on the Paws and Claus nights are R30 a pet, when booked with a full-paying adult. Details: Tickets are available from www.webtickets.co.za or Pick n Pay.
Jack and the Beanstalk
We love a family pantomime, and KickstArt Theatre has always been brilliant at putting on some of the best we’ve seen in Durbs, so we won’t be missing Jack and the Beanstalk which runs at the Sneddon Theatre from December 8 to January 15. Join some of Durban’s best-loved actors on a magical romp up the famous fairy tale beanstalk and beyond, that includes toe-tapping songs, jokes, slapstick, romance, fantastic sets and fantasy costumes!
It’s a must-see holiday treat for all ages. Written and directed by Steven Stead, designed by Greg King, with lighting design by Tina le Roux, this magical and hilarious pantomime stars new-comer William Young as the hero, Jack, with Roshanda Lewis as his love-interest. Blessing Xaba steps into the Dame’s high heels to play Jack’s long suffering mother, with panto favourites Bryan Hiles and Iain ‘Ewok’ Robinson as the inept robbers. The forces of good and evil are played by Shelley MacLean as the ditsy good fairy, Liesl Coppin as the deliciously nasty Lady Beastly; and Lyle Buxton on stilts as the Giant. Tickets are priced from R130 to R250. Details: Book at Computicket.
Christmas carols concert
The Playhouse Company will host its annual Christmas Carols Concert on Friday, December 23 and everyone is invited! It’s an ideal sing-a-long date where you can feel free to raise the rafters of the venue’s stately Grand Foyer to the strains of a bumper programme of best-loved Christmas Carols performed by The Playhouse Chorale who will be conducted from the piano by Juan Burgers. Think Joy to The World; O Holy Night; All I want for Christmas; Santa Clause is Coming To Town and more! The concert starts at 2.30pm. Details: Get your tickets at www.webtickets.co.za or Pick n Pay.
Litchi harvest
If you’re a litchi lover, pack the kids into your car and head to Umhlali’s famous Litchi Harvest where you can wander through the beautiful orchards to pick and eat the freshest, juiciest, sweetest litchis straight from the tree. It’s R50 for a child under 3 (you get to take home 800g worth of litchis) and R150 for everyone else who gets to take home 1.6kg. You can also buy freshly picked litchi bunches, 2kg bags and 20kg crates if your heart desires. Gates are open December 16 to 31 from 8am to 3pm daily except for December 24 and 31 where gates are open from 8am to noon. They’re closed on Christmas Day. Details: contact 071 276 9959.
