Designer Festive Market, Cape Town

Designer Festive Market, Cape Town

2011 will see Cape Town hosting its third annual Designer Festive Market in conjunction with the Evangelical Lutheran Churchs Annual carols by candlelight. The events will be jointly hosted by the historic Evangelical Lutheran Church (which predates 1780), the oldest operating church in Cape Town, and The Freeworld Design Centre. This combined event will take place from 14 to 16 December at the Freeworld Design Centre courtyard, along Cape Towns FanWalk. The church itself will host its popular annual Carols by Candlelight, which is a nondenominational event, on the evening of 14 December (Carols by Candlelight starts at 8pm and runs for about 90minutes) and visitors to the market will be able to enter the church from the courtyard where all faiths are welcome to attend the carols. Entrance to both the market and the carols is free of charge and the market will run for a further two days after the opening carols event, and is in aid of the churchs childrens home.

Designer exhibitors, which include Heartworks, Heath Nash and Clementina van der Walt were all hand-picked by Lauren Shantall, Head of the Freeworld Design Centre, and formerly curator and manager of the Design Indaba Expo. In addition to the exquisite handmade goodies on offer, there will be a host of food offerings and the Jacques Erasmus Hemelhuijs cafe will be open for the duration of the market. This event forms part of WalkCapeTown, a post-World Cup initiative, which aims to re-energise the Fan Walk through public events and ultimately enhance the cultural life of the city.

The Designer Festive Market will be open on Wednesday 14 December from 15:30 to late, and coincides with Carols by Candelight at the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The market will also be open on Thursday 15 December from 10:30 to late (as the 16th is a public holiday) and on Friday 16 December from 10:30 to late.

The Freeworld Design Centre can be found at 71 Waterkant Street, on the fanwalk. It is nestled between the Dutch embassy, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Gold Museum and Mikes Sports on Strand Street. Between Freeworld Design Centre and the church is a wonderful courtyard with lovely fountains, trees and potted plants, as well as garden furniture (benches, tables and seats) by Hope, and some built-in benches. There is direct access to the church for Carols By Candelight from the courtyard and security officers will be in attendance.

For more information and future dates please contact:
Curatorship: Lauren Shantall
Mob: +27-72-6151560
Event Management: Zurita Moore
Mob: +27-83-5739943 Or Kim Govender
Mob: +27-82-9508282

Directions from Cape Town International Airport to the Freeworld Design Centre
Take the N2 to Cape Town. When the freeway starts to split into De Waal Drive (the road nearest the mountain) and Eastern Boulevard (nearest the sea), take the Eastern Boulevard all the way into town. The Eastern Boulevard merges into Buitengracht Street. Travel straight up Buitengracht Street toward Table Mountain until you see a pedestrian bridge just before the intersection of Buitengracht and Strand Street. The Freeworld Design Centre is the grey and maroon building on your left, at the foot of the bridge. At the traffic lights turn left into Strand Street and first left into Bree Street where you are able to park. The Freeworld Design Centre is along the Fan Walk.