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Melissa Mpofu in Victoria Falls

The Victoria Falls Carnival kicked off on a high note on Sunday with party lovers from different countries thronging the bush party held at a secret location in Jafuta (a few kilometres from the resort town).

From about 2PM, the NRZ train station was a hive of activity as people were excited to board the train – some for the first time – which would ferry them to the party venue. It was clear it was not business as usual as the station was busy and nicely branded by carnival sponsors who were marketing their products and dishing out freebies. 

Just after 4PM, the first train departed and had people jamming on board to the beats from various DJs. 

At the bush party venue in Jafuta, tents which had food and beverage stalls had been erected, ready to welcome the party lovers. ZRP police and their dogs were also on standby, ready to chase away unwanted people and deal with those with rowdy behaviour. 

In no time, the party which had begun on the train, was in full swing, with people waiting for the second train to arrive. 

Back at the train station, the second batch of carnival attendees at about 8PM, this time double, if not triple the number of those who had taken the 4PM train, had gathered to catch the second train. 

Over the years, the second train has been the most exciting one as most will have arrived in the resort town late in the afternoon and will be in a hurry to catch the 8PM train, which sometimes is the last train. Some adventurous ones, after narrowly missing the train, rush and jump on it while it is in motion, adding onto the fun.

Also, at the station, those who were waiting to board the train to Bulawayo which was delayed by up to five hours, likely did not feel the pain of waiting as they were kept entertained by the party lovers who were singing and dancing while boarding their train. Their party mood was generally infectious and certainly tempted some to abort the trip to Bulawayo and hop onto the party train. 

South Africa’s DJ Maphorisa, who was one of the highlights of the party at the bush, really set the tone with his Amapiano beats, especially tunes from the album with Kabza de Small like Vula Vala, Amantombazane and Qoqoqo. His set was a vibe as he brought in amazing energy and kept the crowd on its feet, just what was needed. DJs TBass and Ryan Synth also worked wonders on the decks. 

Just before midnight, the first train made its way back to town with some continuing the party at various spots in the CBD. Some however called it a night at that point, saving their energy for activities during the day. 

Sadly though, one of the main acts of the carnival, rapper AKA from South Africa who was supposed to headline last night’s concert pulled out at the last minute and had to be replaced by South Africa-based Zimbabwean-born Amapiano sensation Sha Sha. 

“The Vic Falls Carnival regrets to inform ticketholders that AKA will no longer be performing at the carnival on the 30th of December due to reasons beyond the festival’s control.

“We have done everything possible to accommodate the artist and gone above and beyond what is contractually required,” explained carnival organisers in a statement yesterday.

Today, the party goes into overdrive as the party lovers will shut down the year in style with a concert at the Victoria Falls Farm School that will feature performances by Tamy Moyo, Flying Bantu, Prince Kaybee, Jason Leroux and Raydizz.