THREE Halala Joburg Awards finalists – SAB World of Beer, the Sci-Bono Centre and Arts on Main – are going all out to offer fun and entertainment for young and old during the month long 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
The three were competing in the Relaxing and Playing Joburg category, an award which acknowledges developments that are creative and exciting in their use of space in old and new buildings, in order to provide unique recreational experiences. In the end, it was the intrepid Jonathan Liebmann, the brain behind Arts on Main, who walked away with the laurels.
Arts on Main
Arts on Main is a surprise cocktail of art studios mixed with unconventional commercial and residential spaces, and the cherry treat is a charming al fresco restaurant, The Canteen, in a lush green courtyard, complete with lemon and olive trees.
The Canteen is a quaint little eatery in the midst of industrial JoburgThe Canteen is a quaint little eatery in the midst of industrial Joburg
All this took shape out of a dull-brown 1911 liquor warehouse sitting almost directly under a highway overpass. It is panel beater country, a fact which surprisingly only adds to the adventure of this outing to the eastern side of the inner city.
Speaking at the awards ceremony on 12 May at Turbine Hall in Newtown, Lael Bethlehem, the chief executive officer of the Johannesburg Development Agency – which hosts the awards every year – admitted she was doubtful when she heard about a young man’s plans for the Arts on Main development. “I thought, nah; lemon and olive trees – in the inner city? Not possible.”
Complementing Liebmann’s original idea of developing a creative hub, entertainment throughout the football event will be on the visual arts. German artists Detlef Hartung and Georg Trenz are presenting a light installation dealing with the Maboneng precinct -the place of light – a new development at Arts on Main, from 23 May to mid-August.
In Context, a series of exhibitions, installations, performances and interventions in Johannesburg is on from May until July. It is a collaborative effort between the Goodman Gallery, the Goethe-Institut, Culturesfrance, the French Institute of South Africa and the City of Johannesburg, among others.
Afterwards, grab a bite to eat under the young trees of The Canteen, offering anything from open sandwiches to springbok carpaccio. Parking and the entrance is in Fox Street. Visit the Arts on Main or Goethe-Institut websites for more programme details.
Sci-Bono
Heading to the extreme western side of downtown Joburg, the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown kicks off with a Science of Soccer School Festival on 31 May. The centre will host the school programme and a programme for the general public to run consecutively. Activities will include a special Phootball Physics science show and a collection of special hands-on, feet-on, minds-on exhibits that will delight even non-scientists.
The electric workshop in Newtown, built in 1906 to house the turbines for Joburg’s tram system is now the Sci-Bono Discovery CentreThe electric workshop in Newtown, built in 1906 to house the turbines for Joburg’s tram system is now the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre
The general public can also look forward to the result of Gauteng schools’ creative efforts in building soccer stadiums from Lego blocks. Selected stadiums will be on view from 12 June.
A football film festival, titled Africa on Screen, is a collection of football films and documentaries from the continent, including The Team that Never Played, Soccer Queens and Game of My Life.
Sci-Bono is a centre aimed at promoting maths, science and technology education in Gauteng province. An initiative of the national and provincial departments of education, Blue IQ, and the Johannesburg Development Agency, it is the largest science centre in Africa and consists of exhibition spaces, an auditorium, classrooms, laboratories, conference facilities, restaurants, shops, a career centre and underground parking.
It is on the corner of Miriam Makeba and President streets in Newtown. For more information, visit its website.
World of Beer
One of Joburg’s top tourist attractions is the SAB World of Beer in Newtown, with 50 000 visitors passing through every year. Developed by one of the largest brewing companies in the world, SAB Millar, World of Beer plans to open its doors seven days a week for the duration of the World Cup, starting from 7 June until 17 July. Normally visitors can take tours only from Tuesdays to Saturdays.
World of Beer offers some delightful insights into the art of beer makingWorld of Beer offers some delightful insights into the art of beer making
A guided tour takes 90 minutes and gives interesting insights into the evolution of beer making, which dates back to 6 000 years ago and takes the visitor all the way to Mesopotamia. An entire section of the tour is dedicated to Africa’s brewing traditions, with a taste in store for the adventurous.
At the end of the tour, visitors are invited to sit back and relax in the pub at The Tap Room and enjoy two complimentary beers or soft drinks of their choice. Pub lunches are also available.
“We’ve been making all sorts of exciting preparations for the huge influx of visitors we’re expecting before, during and after the Word Cup,” said marketing officer Maryke Pretorius.
In 2009, World of Beer walked away with the prestigious Welcome Awards in the tourist attractions category. The Welcome Awards are hosted in collaboration with First National Bank, the Department of Environment and Tourism, Asata, Fedhasa, Tourism Grading Council and the South African Tourism Services Association.
World of Beer is on the corner of Miriam Makeba and President streets in Newtown. For more information, visit the website or phone 011 836 4900 to book a tour.
About Halala
The annual awards are held by the Johannesburg Development Agency to acknowledge original and life-sustaining developments in the inner city, with businesses and individuals competing in seven categories: Living Joburg; Working and Buying Joburg; Relaxing and Playing Joburg; Sustaining Joburg; Caring Joburg; Believing in Joburg; and the Colosseum Award for conservation.
Story: City of Johannesburg