The SA Gin Festival kicked off its third annual event on Saturday 05 October, attracting just over 2000 people at the beautiful garden-style venue The GROUND in Muldersdrift.
The partnership between the SA Gin Society and Schweppes, a Coca-Cola Brand, included 25 different local gin distillers, food trucks, live bands and DJ’s, ensuring there was something to do for everybody.
“Our aim was to showcase a collection of some of the best gins South Africa has to offer, including a wide variety of locally distilled, award-winning gins,” says Kwanda Dlamini, Channel Development Manager at Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa. “The rolling lawns and the mountains in the background at GROUND provided the perfect setting for sipping gin and making new friends.”
Apart from the large variety of gin products on offer, the event boasted cocktail-making classes, with Schweppes as the sponsor. These classes were free of charge for visitors attending the festival – festivalgoers participated on a first-come-first-served basis. Others tackled the “make your own gin” class while enjoying a special performance by the African Skye pipe band. This unique experience allowed eager learners to create a gin, based on their own unique recipes and bottled with their names on it.
For motor enthusiasts, the Mercedes Benz Zone displayed the latest models from the luxury carmaker and an amazing variety of food trucks offered bespoke snacks ranging from smoked meat dishes to wood-fired pizza, and even Mexican cuisine.
Rock musician Justin Serrao got the party started in the early afternoon, warming the crowd up nicely for the headline act, the SAMA award-winning artist Holly Rey. She was followed by local DJ’s TK Tequila and DJ Neps who turned the dance floor on fire! Face painters added vibrant colour to the festivities with beautiful designs, and guest brought out blankets, camping chairs for the various picnic areas.
“As the biggest and best gin festival in the country, we expected a big turnout. But we were pleasantly surprised to see so many people who are genuinely passionate about the art, craft and skill that goes into making a quality gin,” concludes Dlamini.
