Without further ado, here are some of the people and the sights that supplied the “wow” factor to Cape Town’s Welcome Party tonight. Wearing their colours with pride, people off all shapes and sizes pulled through for what was the first in a line of awesome parties to come. Ayoba! Photos by Ingrid Sinclair.

Spirited fans joined in the Cape Town celebrations tonight. Photos by Ingrid Sinclair

It was a party that only Cape Town could deliver – a thousand vuvuzelas blown by revellers who were dressed up to represent South Africa, to support Bafana Bafana and to show the world, to “show ‘dem”, how it is done here at the southern tip of Africa. Big and small, old and young, ugly and not, it was an incredibly diverse crowd (as cosmopolitan as the Mother City herself) united under one banner – South Africa is ready to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup™!

Not to be outdone by our sister in the north, Cape Town came out in full support and gates to the Welcome Party, which was held at the Grand Parade (also the site of the FIFA Fan Fest), were closed earlier in the afternoon when the grounds reached capacity.

Facilities at the Fan Fest are top notch, with more than enough bar staff, plenty of visible security and a comfortable amount of space for everyone. If this is a sign of things to come, we are in for one doozy of a party! No-one had anything to complain about and, in fact, complete strangers came together to build an amazing camaraderie. 

We even got to take a get a photograph of Cape Town’s favourite weatherman, eTV’s Derek van Dam. A procession of TV characters and mascots, Cape minstrels and other over-the-top but ripe-for-a-celebration individuals were making their way up Darling Street and beyond to complete the Fan Walk in front of thousands of cheering locals and internationals.

But these were not the only interesting characters around tonight. People were sporting their Bafana Bafana shirts, their loudest (and biggest, and most colourful) hats, flags were big and flags were small … It was a festival of colour and sound unlike anything the city has seen. Even babies and toddlers were dressed up in beanies and bright yellow jackets to show their support.

eTV’s Derek van Dam gave the Welcome Party the thumbs-up!

What had been a beautiful winter’s day turned into a gorgeous winter’s night; there was no wind, the sky was clear, Table Mountain was lit up in all her glory, and not a sign of rain.

These are exciting times indeed as Cape Town’s biggest event – and the country’s proudest moment – comes to life. And the best part? It’s all happening here at home. We welcome all the visitors from far and not-so-far away, and we say … Ayoba!

Check out some of the photos from the night here.

See also:

•    Welcome the World party in full swing
•    Welcome party injects Cape Town with 2010 FIFA World Cup fever
•    Awesome concert kicks off 2010 FIFA World Cup

Dutch Football Association boss Henk Kesler (right) thanks Cape Town deputy executive mayor, Alderman Tim Nielsen, for the hospitality Cape Town has shown Dutch fans. Photos by Roy Barford

An estimated 8 000 Dutch football fans partied at the FIFA Fan Fest™ outside Cape Town City Hall this afternoon, providing the most colourful array of fans Cape Town has seen during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ so far.

The Netherlands take on Cameroon at Cape Town Stadium tonight at 20h30 and will have much support behind them.

At the FIFA Fan Fest™ this afternoon, Henk Kesler, head of the Royal Netherlands Football Association, thanked Cape Town for its hospitality. He said: “I very much hope that we can come back here for the semi-final.”

Cape Town deputy executive mayor, Alderman Tim Nielsen, wearing an orange scarf, welcomed the Dutch fans to Cape Town. “We are really glad to have you here,” he said.

The Dutch have had ties with Cape Town since 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck arrived to set up a half-way post for the Dutch East Indian Company.

Below are some photos of the festivities at the FIFA Fan Fest™ earlier.

Grand Parade and City Hall. Photo courtesy coda

Cape Town will host the “biggest party ever” on June 10, the evening before the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ begins, Executive Mayor Alderman Dan Plato announced during today’s 30 Days to Kick-off celebrations at City Hall.

The packed hall erupted in cheers and blew vuvuzelas when they were told about the party that would take place at the FIFA Fan Fest outside at the Grand Parade. Popular South African rapper, JR, took the stage shortly after the announcement and set the scene with his hit song Show Dem (Make the Circle Bigger), which has also been used in various television commercials.

Other festivities at City Hall included a brass band and dance performances.

Mayor Plato said the party on June 10 would be used to “say to the sporting world out there, ‘thank you very much’”.

He said the event would be a celebration for visitors and locals alike. “We want to show that Cape Town is just as safe as anywhere in the world,” he said.

Those who do not have tickets to watch 2010 FIFA World Cup™ matches at Cape Town Stadium can instead watch the games for free, live on big screens at the FIFA Fan Fest, which will be able to accommodate up to 25 000 people. Mayor Plato will be attending the FIFA Fan Fest to soak up the atmosphere.

The mayor added that almost all infrastructure developments in the city in preparation for the World Cup were now complete and that there would be an inspection of these next Tuesday.

JR, one of the artists performing at the June 10 party, said “Cape Town is a beautiful place.”

Capetonians will no doubt be there in their numbers to support him and other acts, showing their hospitality by indeed making the circle bigger.

Below is the video for Show Dem (Make the Circle Bigger) by JR.

Staff have some outside the Green Goal structure at the FIFA Fan Fest™. Photo provided by City of Cape Town

The Green Goal exhibition at the FIFA Fan Fest™ is a must-visit for anyone who is interested in environmentally-friendly activities, architecture or green housing.

The scaffold structure (pictured) outside the City Hall on Darling Street, features a pine interior and an exterior made up of 1 500 milk crates, which contain 18 000 milk bottles filled with water.

Stephen Lamb of Touching the Earth Lightly said the structure was put together within five days, within a budget of R280 000. “I really want to say a big thank-you to everyone involved in this project,” he said, explaining how teams worked around the clock.

Andre Rademeyer of ST&AR Architects explained that the structure was build with materials sourced within 10km of the FIFA Fan Fest™, to minimise carbon emissions caused by transporting them.

“The concept was to clad a scaffold cube using multicoloured re-usable plastic milk crates filled with empty milk bottles, all tied to the scaffolding frame,” he said in a City of Cape Town media release.

“Low energy lighting behind the crates would illuminate the entire structure at night, turning it into a glowing ‘jewel box’ promoting sustainability. The interior would contrast with the exterior waste world, being clad entirely in timber from trees pruned and felled during the construction of the Cape Town Stadium, fixed with twine to allow later re-use. The interior is lit from above with translucent roof panels and is filled with fragrant Fynbos from the Cape Floral Kingdom. At roof level the organic interior metaphorically ‘grows’ out of the crates in the form of a forest of wooden poles which wave in the breeze, giving the structure a kinetic and sculptural presence.”

He explained that when the structure is dismantled after the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, all the materials will be recycled.

Visit the Green Goal structure at the FIFA Fan Fest™ to learn about what you can do to be more environmentally friendly, and about sustainable development after the tournament.

Green Goal was also the environmental concept for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ held in Germany. The programme aimed to address the environmental impact of hosting the event and offset the associated carbon emissions.

The Green Goal exhibition area is to the right of the stage at the FIFA Fan Fest™ as you face it, behind the bar.

The Green Goal structure. Photo by Roy Barford