The V&A Waterfront’s first Ocean Life Festival will take place from Monday 27 November to Friday 8 December 2017. The festival coincides with the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race to Cape Town.
“The V&A Waterfront’s Ocean Life Festival will be held on the property every year as one of the ways in which we are looking to celebrate all that is related to the ocean,” said V&A Waterfront CEO David Green. This year, the festival will have a strong sustainability message, with many activities focusing on the harm that plastics and other foreign materials do to the world’s maritime assets. The educational programmes that form part of the festival will highlight the deteriorating state of the world’s oceans, and explore innovative solutions to protect the future of our waters. And what better or more beautiful place is there to highlight these issues, than the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town?
The inaugural Ocean Life Festival programme is jam-packed with events, talks and yes, a great beach cleanup which we're co-hosting! Have a look at the highlights below and “must attend” events of the Festival. For the full programme please visit the V&A Waterfront's website.
Join us for the Festival's beach cleanup as we each do our bit to look after our marine environment:
V&A Ocean Life Festival Beach Cleanup in Association with the Two Oceans Aquarium
- Date: Saturday, 2 December
- Time: 10h00 to 12h00
- Venue: Sea Point Beach (meet at the parking lot closest to the Sea Point Swimming Pool)
- Cost: Free
- Contact: V&A Info Centre on info@waterfront.co.za or 021 408 7600
Pollution, in particular plastic pollution, is one of the biggest threats faced by our marine environment today. Estimates are that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean, by weight, than fish. Considering that 80% of pollution in the ocean originates on land, cleaning up our coastline should definitely be one of our highest priorities. No festival celebrating our beautiful and fragile oceans would therefore be complete without a hands-on cleanup session.
Everyone is welcome to join us on 2 December as we walk the beach, collecting litter and preventing it from entering the ocean. Bags will be provided, but please remember to bring your own gloves, hat, sunscreen and water in a reusable bottle. We will meet at Sea Point beach at 10h00 and should wrap up around 12h00.
Other great events during the festival include:
V&A Ocean Film Festival, curated by Wavescape: 29 November – 1 December at the Ster Kinekor Nouveau, Victoria Warf
Three nights of amazing ocean-orientated movies with screenings of A Plastic Ocean, Chasing the Coral, Blue and The Smog of the Sea. Tickets available through Ster Kinekor.
TEDxCapeTown Salon | Oceans: 6 – 8 December at the Volvo Ocean Race Village, VOR Dome, Jetty 2, V&A Waterfront
Be sure to get your tickets to this highly anticipated event and catch Two Oceans Aquarium Environmental Campaigner Hayley McClellan speaking about our Rethink the Bag campaign. Tickets available through Quicket.
