CAPE TOWN STADIUM TO HOST MCQP

The theme and venue for this year’s Mother City Queer Project (MCQP) costume mega-bash were revealed in Cape Town on Friday.

The event’s organisers announced quite a coup: The iconic Cape Town stadium, built for the 2010 World Cup, is to host MCQP on Saturday 18 December. And, the highly anticipated dress-up theme for this year is “Flower Power”.

“There’s so much to celebrate this year,” said MCQP director, Ian McMahon.

“As well as hosting the best ever World Cup in our brand new perlemoen-shaped stadium, we also celebrate 150 years of flower sales at the Adderley street flower market and commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival – so there’s lots to feel flowery about,” he said.

MCQP started in 1994 as a themed costume party to celebrate the birth of South Africa’s new constitution and its acknowledgment of gay rights.

Now in its 17th year, MCQP attracts up to 5,000 gay and straight partygoers – many of them from out of town – in often outrageous costumes and is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading gay parties.

The organisers said that the involvement of the City of Cape Town in securing the venue and Cape Town Tourism with funding and marketing is indicative of the touristic value that the city places on the event.

Tickets can be bought from Computicket and selected venues. They are available on an early bird special at R180 for general entry and R350 for VIP during the month of November.