Harare:October is here,get ready to turn back the clock! Thousands of music lovers are expected at King Fisher Park, Emerald Hill, on October 31 when veteran entertainer Stanford Chibanda, popularly known as MC Stansplash, hosts the Throwback Festival.
Organisers are targeting between 2,000 and 3,000 revellers for a day of music, fashion, food, games and entertainment that cuts across generations.
The action kicks off at 5am with a Breast Cancer Awareness Fun Run and Zumba session running until 11am, before the main festival takes over from 12 noon until midnight.
For Chibanda, the festival is personal. He said his passion for the music of his generation and his desire to give entertainment pioneers greater recognition inspired the event.
“Old School is my life. I am part of the most celebrated generation, so it had to be Old School.”
The festival has grown from smaller themed events staged over the past five years, including Reggae Dancehall Throwback Thursdays at Kirytan and Tich Mataz Old School Saturdays.
This year’s line-up features Tich Mataz, Davis Mugadza, Tony Friday, MC Stansplash, Farai Shambare (Small Axe), Jackie Bango (Silverstone), Reverb 7, 2Bad, Selektah Gibbs, Allan Tha DJ, DJ Phatchild and Langton B, amongst many others.
The DJs will serve a mix of reggae dancehall, house, kwaito, urban grooves, Afrobeats and classic hits, while music from Zimbabwean icons such as Oliver Mtukudzi, Chiwoniso and Leonard Dembo will also feature.
Chibanda promised more than just music.
“It is not just music it is fashion, food, games and the brands we grew up seeing, using and wearing.”
The morning programme will cater for families, while the main event is expected to draw a mature crowd aged 28 to 80-plus.
Organisers are also using the festival to raise awareness on breast cancer through the morning run, Zumba session and screening activities.
To ensure safety of patrons , police and private security companies have been engaged to safeguard people, vehicles and personal belongings.
Looking ahead, Chibanda said the long-term vision is to take the festival to other cities and eventually beyond Zimbabwe.
