This December, the festive spirit is set to explode at Bay Harbour Market at the first-ever Unity Music Festival, in association with KWV.

Celebrating Reconciliation Day, the inaugural Unity Music Festival brings together an eclectic mix of talent from across Africa to perform on Monday, 16 December. The festivities will include local dance crews, as well as the famous Bay Harbour food and beverage stalls.

The festival will be headlined by multiple-SAMA nominee Jesse Clegg, one of South Africa’s foremost alternative rock artists. An official ambassador for the Nelson Mandela 46664 Foundation, Jesse has performed alongside the likes of Stevie Wonder, Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys and many others.

Adding an authentic flavour of reggae, hip hop and electro to the mix, Trenton and Free Radical is a musical partnership between Birch and writing collaborator Marco Wielander, who are joined by local bassist Thabo Mobo, keyboardist Clem Carr and drummer Ruby Crowie.

Cape Town-based band Hotel Iris, presents the talents of Mel Osborne on vocals and guitar. Her powerful voice is matched by the talented Marius Peek on guitar and drummer Joy Millar. Jay Moyo completes the band's lower tone needs with her skills and swagger on the bass. Hotel Iris’s music falls under the Pop-Rock genre, but also contains soulful, “bluesy” undertones making their performance something quiet unique and special.  

Langa-based Abavuki deliver their unique flavour of marimba to the mix. Audiences are in for a treat with this bands’ unique brand of African Jazz using marimbas, percussion, brass instruments and even an operatic trained voice, weaving traditional African rhythms and melodies into a contemporary format, perfectly suited to infuse a truly South African flavour to the day.

Guitarist and bassists from the DRC, Chris Bakalanga delivers Central and West African folk music fused with Afro-Latin beats. This seasoned guitarist and passionate performer creates musical fusion unlike any other. .

This excitingly eclectic line-up is rounded off with local Hangberg outfit Harbour Groove, who will be bringing their unique smooth mix of reggae, folk and jazz to the Bay Harbour Sound Stage, this drawing on the influences of their township upbringing and the musical roots of their forefathers.

Bay Harbour Market is a melting-pot of art, culture, food and fashion. It’s a place where people from all walks of life come together to enjoy local talents and share happy moments with friends and family.

Says Anthony Stroebel, co-founder of Bay Harbour Market, “Reconciliation Day is momentous in the history of South Africa; it is a day when we all share our common, unified spirit as one nation; and there is no better way to express this unity than through music.”

Selected food stalls will be open as well as a full bar, promising an entertaining event with world-class entertainment in a warm and vibrant setting. Limited tickets are available.

Venue: Bay Harbour Market, Hout Bay

Artists: Jesse Clegg, Trenton and Free Radical, Hotel Iris, Abavuki, Chris Bakalanga and Harbour Groove.

Address: 31 Harbour Road, Hout Bay, Cape Town, 7806

Date: 16 December 2013

Tickets: R150, available on http://www.bayharbour.co.za/quicket.aspx

Time: Festival times: 12 pm - 6 pm

Website: http://www.bayharbour.co.za

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bayharbour

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bayharbourmkt

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