Event Schedule

Buffalo City is gearing up for the 4^th edition of the popular annual Berlin November Traditional Horse Racing Festival. The event attracts horse racing enthusiasts, socialites and fashion lovers from every corner of the country.

The raceday theme "Casino Royale" will govern all the fashion, hospitality and décor elements of the big day with local designers racing to bring about the best interpretation of the day’s theme.

Berlin November attracts the country's top list celebrities, beauty queens, sporting icons, musicians and entertainers, rubbing shoulders with the captains of industry and the who's who of the political world in the Eastern Cape.

This is the Eastern Cape’s flagship sport and lifestyle event and offers a myriad of scintillating attractions such as traditional horse racing of different distances and forms, fashion, food, dance festival, music and art.

The event will take place at the Berlin Horse race course in East London, Eastern Cape on 25 November 2017. The Berlin November coalesces traditional horse racing, year-end functions, fashion shows, private maquees, craft stalls, music and dance festival, food court, children’s village and fun run.

“As always we have curated an event with a rich tapestry of VIP lounges, contemporary design couture, solid entertainment and gourmet food. We are offering a best in class experience which is unrivalled in the Eastern Cape and want to invite the private sector to use the facility on the day for their year-end and team building functions. ” explains Luthando Bara, founder of Berlin November.

“The Berlin November is a melting pot of sports, arts, leisure and recreation. It is a strategic meeting point for sports tourism and the creative economy. This medley if nurtured in time, will surely delivery on jobs and spur the economy of the province into dizzying heights.

TRADITIONAL HORSE RACING

The anchor of the Berlin November is the traditional horse racing handicap with a total prize money of R600 000, featuring different races. This will ensure that horse breeders, trainers and jockeys benefit directly from the race. The organisers have ensured that horse racing prize money increases over time from there mere R50 000 prize monies  that had defined the industry before Berlin November took the stage. This year, the “Winner takes ALL” prize for both traditional and Thouroughbreds is R200 000. This to ensure that we contribute meaningfully to the best in the industry and that this becomes the most sought out prize.

The races will include Umphalo (speed, turf or galloping races), Umhambo (trippling races), and Umkhwelo (endurance races).

RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING

The Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board, identifies with the sense of togetherness and belonging present in the event to communicate its message on responsible gambling. The Berlin November is a grand opportunity that is sensitive to our needs as the Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board to communicate honestly and deeply to the audience that is most likely exposed to some form of gambling or betting. The organisers of the Berlin November should be lauded for presenting a programme that has converted what was historically a pure socio cultural event into a socio-economic platform that does not only give back to horse owners and jockeys but promote social cohesion and combat irresponsible and problem gambling.

“The Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board we have a shared moral responsibility to drive brand awareness and education about responsible gambling through creating a presence on strategic platforms such as the Berlin November in order for us to engage and connect with our target audiences in an intriguing and positive way” Mabutho Zwane, CEO of the Eastern Cape Gambling & Betting Board.

GALAXY BINGO FUN RUN

The temptation to add athletics has always been lurking because Bara is also founder of the Legends Marathon and has a morbid fascination for athletics. Little wonder, that this year unveils the 2^nd 5km fun run designed for families, colleagues and friends. The fun run will kick off festivities and there are prizes galore to be won. Entry fee is R20 per person.  The route will be around the race-track and on the field and the first 3 males and first 3 females stand a chance to win big prizes such as television sets, fridges and Mircowave ovens.

ENTERTAINMENT

Berlin November brings to the Eastern a plethora of wildly talented hip hop, house, afropop,  kwaito artists and more. With international acts such as Swazland born Sands leading a pack of multiple award winning musos such as Amanda Black, Sjava, Prince Kaybee, Ladies of Dance Thuli P and  Ms Pru, a world-class experience is a given.  Also featured in this year’s line up is the upcoming local group SSPEL from Ndevana which has taken South Africa by storm.  Hosting the dance floor are television personalities Lusanda Mbane ( Scandal) , Motsoaledi Setumo (Generations), Thuli Phongolo (Generations) and more. With over 30 local djs the line-up is like no other before!

FASHION

The African inspired and contemporary fashion show is growing in popularity. The fashion show segment launches the careers of rising fashion designers. It is about edgy chic fashion and what runs seamlessly in their collections is raw talent. Fashionistas can expect lots of surprises in store in what promises to be an edgy glam. The segment is coordinated by Busisiwe Nodada who works for the fashion and design department at the Walter Sisulu University. The theme for the year is CASINO ROYALE.

CRAFT

The Eastern Cape is positioning itself as the Home of Craft. The unrivalled handmade products from the Eastern Cape employ colour, recycled material, line, cultural heritage, composition, and symbolism to tell a story on how they eke a living using their hands. There will be stalls by craft producers.

YEAR-END FUNCTIONS

With the austerity measures firmly in place, year-end parties can become dull affairs. As part of the entertainment package, there are year-end function themed marquees on offer at the lifestyle village. Already there are government departments, municipalities and privately owned companies that have signed up for the year-end packages. The Berlin November is an opportunity to make a fashion statement and for staff, suppliers and customers designed to be a memorable year-end function that the colleagues will talk about long after the event is over.

CHILDREN’S VILLAGE

The colourful children's play areas provide kids with a feast of fun while their parents savour a day at the lifestyle village. Professional and dedicated child minders are employed to ensure that parents are not worried about the safety of their children while enjoying themselves. The play area for the kids in the shape of jungle gyms, climbing walls and trampolines, face painting and much-more.

SPONSORS

We are pleased to announce that the Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board (ECGBB the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC), Daily Dispatch, Umhlobo Wenene, BCMM and Galaxy Bingo and Grill asthe sponsors of the event.