As we Spring-in2-Summer the stage is set for the annual Rock Da Shades Spring picnic taking place this weekend at Dries Niemandt Park.

This Tourism month, the City of Ekurhuleni will host an array of events to showcase its gems, heritage sites, cultural experiences for family and friends to have fun and create memories.

In igniting Ekurhuleni’s domestic tourism industry, the Ekurhuleni Travel and Tourism Association (ETTA) will host a Fun Run on Saturday, 10 September to explore Tembisa as a tourism and heritage destination site.

An inaugural Ekurhuleni Tourism Conference will be held from Tuesday, 13 to 14 September at the Lakes Hotel and Conference Centre under the theme; Why Tourism Matters in Ekurhuleni. This will see the City of Ekurhuleni engage its public and private stakeholders on missed tourism opportunities.

In celebrating fine arts, the prestigious and nationally acclaimed Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 24 at the Coen Scholtz Art Gallery in Kempton Park to crown the best of the best in fine arts.

On Sunday, September 25 jazz music lovers will be serenaded by the rich jazzy sounds of a contemporary mosaic of instruments played by Nduduzo Makhathini and many more artists during the Ekasi Jazz festival at Vosloorus Civic Centre.

The City’s tourism month events are intended to promote domestic tourism and to attract visitors to Ekurhuleni. This in turn contributes to the city’s economy and encourages citizens to participate in the leisure offerings in their own backyard.

Details of the event are as follows:

• Rock the shades music festival are as follows:

Date: 3 September

Time: Gates open at 11am – 11:30pm

Venue: Dries Niemandt Park (Kempton Park)

Theme: Denim and White

• Fun Run

Date:   10 September

Time:   08:00 – 14:00

Venue: Tembisa High School, Tembisa

• Ekurhuleni Tourism Conference

Date:   13-14 September

Time:   08:00 – 17:00

Venue: The Lakes Hotel and Conference Centre

• Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Awards

Date:   24 September

Time:   18:00 – 22:00

Venue: Coen Scholtz Art Gallery, Kempton Park