More than 250 000 people will attend the Rand Show this year, says Johannesburg Expo Centre CEO Craig Newman.
The show at Nasrec, Johannesburg, opens on Friday and Newman said the number of visitors this Easter holiday are expected to surge.
“We are experiencing a great vibe; there is a vibe of excitement, a feeling that we will be taking the Rand Show to something new. I am feeling that ... but in everything in South Africa we depend on the weather – if the weather is great like it is today we will reach over 250 000, 300 000 people this year because we can sense this vibe out there,” he said.
Newman said more than 200 000 people attended the show in 2017.
“We had just over 200 000 last year. This year we expect at least 250 [000], we think we can get to 300 000.”
As from Tuesday to Thursday next week the event will also host mid-week festivals which include new shows such as Castle five-a-side, a social football event, and the first ever beach tennis tournament in the country.
Another new edition is the House of Horrors experience. And visitors will have the opportunity to interact with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as well.
The SANDF confirmed their participation at the show for a further three years – 2018, 2019 and 2020.
“The SA National Defence Force will be partnering with the Rand Show and Johannesburg Expo Centre for the next three years,” said Siphiwe Dlamini, head of communications for the department of defence. “We view the Rand Show as the perfect platform at which to inform the public of the capabilities of the SANDF and to demonstrate to South Africans that the SANDF does not only engage in combat missions during wartime, but plays an important role serving communities during peacetime.”
The show is set to start on Friday (March 30) until to Sunday (April 8) and tickets can be purchased at Computicket or at the gates.