The Port Elizabeth CBD is set to be invaded over the weekend of the 15th and 16th September for an Urban Festival, like the city has never seen before, on the cities historic Donkin Reserve.
Over 1,000 participants have already entered to tackle the City of Port Elizabeth in the annual Nelson Mandela Bay Herald Urban Run which sets off at 9:00 am on Sunday 16th September. This unique 10km urban obstacle course highlights urban renewal undertaken by the Mandela Bay Development Agency over the past decade whilst raising over R100,000 for local charities.
The Urban Festival kicks off from 9:00 am on Saturday 15th on the Donkin Reserve with African drumbeat dancers and musicians performing throughout the day. This is complemented by live music, gymnastics displays, a german shepherd dog show, Metro Gym’s free outdoor aerobics class, and a great assortment of exhibitors, vendors and craft stalls. Mitchell’s Brewery will be hosting a beer garden whilst Future Life is providing complimentary breakfast for all participants prior to the Sunday 9:00 am race start.
The Rotary Club of Port Elizabeth Sunrise will host a Kids Zone over the weekend with lots of fun activities for the kids including a junk4funk workshop where kids get to build musicial instruments from recycled materials under the guidance of the African Drumbeat staff. Kids will also get to partake in their own aerobics class as well as having Zulu dancing and drumming lessons during the day. Children 14 years and under can also enter the Kids Urban Run which is a race up the Donkin path with prizes for the top 3 boys and girls in the various age group categories.
The Urban Festival is open to everyone at no charge, further information is available on the festival website www.urbanrun.co.za
Race Director Michael Zoetmulder testing some obstacles in the build up to the 2012 event
