Johannesburg

Emerald Resort & Casino earns TripAdvisor 2016 Travellers' Choice award TripAdvisor recently announced its 2016 Travellers’ Choice™ awards for Hotels, and Emerald Resort & Casino is recognised for being placed in the top 1% on Tripadvisor, ranked 12th in the South African Top Hotels for Families category. "As the premier business and leisure destination in the Vaal, adventure is on your doorstep at our Resort for the entire family," says Tanuja Gangabishun, Marketing Executive at Emerald Resort & Casino. "We are proud to be recognised by TripAdvisor, for this achievement, particularly as the results are based on the reviews and opinions of the global travel community ." For the 14 th year, TripAdvisor has highlighted the world’s top properties based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from travellers around the globe. Winners were identified in the categories of Top Hotels, Bargain, B&Bs and Inns,...

Iconic South African Jazz Idols reunite at Emperors Palace The Jazz Epistles were South Africa's earliest most influential Jazz (bebop) band.   This was an all-black, all esteemed band of young, swaggered men consisting of these world-famous names. Abdullah Ibrahim (then known as Dollar Brand)   on piano, Hugh Masekela   on trumpet, Jonas Gwangwa on trombone, Kippie Moeketsi – on alto saxophone, Johnny Gertze   on bass, Makaya   Ntshoko   and Early Mabuza   on drums. The band was in full swing in the 1960s, the height of terror on the black man. These gentlemen were young, smart, creatives and jazz- cool. After time and a lot of heated practice, they emerged as a resistant, anti-apartheid music group. Jamming into the late and fuzzy nights on the streets of Sophiatown, especially at the Jazz at the Odin Club , they morphed into the legendary Jazz Epistles . Their adoring fans were mesmerized by their yellows, blues and reds resona...

OAKFIELD FARM – BRIDAL EXPO 25 th & 26 th JUNE 206    Every bride deserves to fulfil her dream.   Oakfield Farm Wedding Venue   is renowned for slick co-ordination. Our two Bridal Expos held in January & June each year continue to celebrate their uniqueness - upholding both an easy-going vibe enhanced by the exceptional quality of exhibitors; the elegant grandeur of its existence and of course the proficiency of Oakfield’s friendly staff members. Couples get to meet SA’s leading wedding specialists in the beautiful and romantic gardens of this sought after wedding venue.   Add to that, no expo is complete without great food and entertainment. And great food can only be “GREAT” if there is no compromise on ingredients. Visitors can enjoy their food by either enjoying a take away from one of the food vendors or a scrumptious meal from Oakfield Café & listening to great live entertainment.   With over 150 Wedding Specialists to ch...

DROSTDY HOF LETS YOU BRING THE BOKKE GEES HOME WITH BILTONG PÂTÉ While rugby gees at the stadium or pub is always exciting, sometimes the winter cold makes us want to curl up and stay indoors! Drostdy Hof invites you to make the most of the moment in your own home when South Africa takes on Ireland this June 11. Drostdy Hof, as South African as the “Bokke”, was originally established in 1964 just outside Tulbagh. The success of the wines is a result of careful selection and b lending of the grapes – take Drostdy Hof’s Merlot, for example. This medium-bodied wine with strawberry and cherry flavours is an ideal companion to most red meat and game dishes. For a lekker South African spectator snack, try this fuss-free, delicious biltong pâté on melba toast/toasted baguette slices paired with Drostdy Hof’s Merlot (available nationwide in a 750ml bottle or 3l box.) Ingredients: 100g biltong, finely grated 100g cream cheese 50ml double cream 2tbsp Worcestershire sauce ¼ tbsp...

  GAUTENG TRAILSEEKER SERIES LAUNCHES WITH POPULAR LIONMAN   The 2016 Gauteng Nissan Trailseeker Mountain Bike Series will get underway on Saturday in true South African bushveld style – at the popular Lionman race in the Mabalingwe Game Reserve, north of Pretoria. There are four race distances on offer catering for all ages and levels of fitness, while some route changes from the 2016 edition will ensure a challenging, yet rewarding experience for all entrants. The 70km marathon will once again include the formidable climb to the Vodacom tower, the highest point in the region. The descent that follows makes the ascent worthwhile and the views of the Waterberg mountain range are simply spectacular. There’s just under 1000m of vertical ascent in total, fairly evenly spread after a relatively flat first 15km. The 40km race has a total of 336 metres of ascent and offers participants a good mix of terrain and vegetation. The 20km Fun Race and 10km Fu...

SOUP AND WINE PAIRING AT DURBANVILLE HILLS WINES Cosy gets a new meaning in winter when you sit down to a warm, interesting bowl of soup paired with an award-winning wine. Join Durbanville Hills Wines and explore the wonderful combination of soup and wine for the annual Soup, Sip and Bread on 4 and 5 June 2016. The selection of soups is paired, amongst other, with the Rhinofields range, wines that have received a Top 10 in the World at the Chardonnay du Monde and the Decante r International Wine Regional Trophy. The cost is R65 per starter portion of soup and bread paired with a glass of wine served either in the tasting room or the restaurant. The tasting room will be serving biltong soup paired with the Durbanville Hills Chardonnay or Merlot whilst the restaurant is offering three options: - Stracciatella and herb paired with the Rhinofields Shiraz - Meatball and risoni chowder and the Durbanville Hills Merlot or - Roasted garlic and blue cheese ravioli paired with the ...

AUSSIE: The Australian Circus Spectacular at Carnival City extended to June 2016 Due to overwhelming demand, extra show dates have been added for AUSSIE: The Australian Circus Spectacular at Carnival City.  The show, which has been thrilling audiences across the country since February, will now run in the Big Top from 26 May to 5 June 2016. AUSSIE: The Australian Circus Spectacular is a modern and exclusively human, feel-good circus spectacular that blends stunning cirque style acrobatics, hilarious slapstick comedy and extreme, high-octane stunts. The Executive Producer of the show is Cape Town-born Sebastian Cassie. This is the first time that AUSSIE has visited foreign soil, and it promises to leave audiences in awe with the cast performing unbelievable feats.  Highlights of the show include one of the world’s few surviving human cannonball acts performed by an expert stuntman Luiz Daza who has literally flown over audiences seven days a week during the sel...

Celebrate Youth Day with a thumping party with The Heavyweights Buoyed by the super success of the inaugural Heavyweights music event in 2015, Carnival City is gearing up for the second installment which will feature a host of award winning Hip-hop artists and DJs on the decks on 16 June 2016 (Youth Day). The Heavyweights music festival, organized by Thikho Events, promises all the thumping music – and more – that fans enjoyed last year. This year’s event will see award winning house music heads and hip hop DJs in the mix. Amongst these is AKA, the 2016 Metro FM Award Winner for Best Hit Single and Collaboration for his hit song “Baddest” featuring Burna Boy, Khuli Chana and Yanga. Also billed to perform at the event is KWESTA (DAKAR), a Metro FM Awards 2016 Nominee, who recently released the hit singles “Ingudu” , featuring Cassper Nyovest and “Nomanyini”, as well as his long awaited double album Dakar II. Another well-known artist performing is EMTEE, one of ...

Burn The Floor is back in SA and makes its way to Sibaya this June The internationally acclaimed theatrical ballroom spectacular, Burn the Floor is back in South Africa and makes its way to Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom in KwaZulu-Natal this June. Now in its 15th year, the show has been reenergized in a new audio visual spectacular, Burn the Floor: Fire in The Ballroom. This enthralling show has earned rave reviews from audiences in Gauteng and the Western Cape and now it KwaZulu-Natal’s turn to see what all the fuss is about. “We are thrilled to confirm that Burn the Floor will be coming to our stage, adding sizzle and spice to our winter entertainment lineup. Burn the Floor promises a captivating and electrifying dance and music spectacular that will have audiences breathless. This is certain to be one of the highlights of our calendar this year,” says Belinda Jelf, the marketing Manager at Sibaya. Burn The Floor is the show that revolut...

EXCITING NEW ADDITIONS TO BODY WORLDS VITAL Exhibition introduces a first for SA and two new plastinates The BODY WORLDS Vital exhibition, now on at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown, Johannesburg until 19 June, is excited to announce the addition of an interactive Anatomical Mirror to South Africa for the first time. The Anatomical Mirror reflects a person’s body movements as he or she stands in front of an on-screen figure; revealing the layers of the underlying anatomy.  As with the other 180 or so exhibits at “Vital”, the anatomical model creatively educates visitors about their incredibly sophisticated bodies, and adds a fun dimension. As soon as the user steps on the marked point, their body movements are transmitted in real-time to a virtual anatomical 3D model. After selecting the male or female model, labels for the different body parts appear on the screen. The reflective model continues to move as a mirror image of the user while the various ...