Limited seats and drinks, but great vibe: Inside the 2024 947 Joburg Day

• The
  947 Joburg Day music festival took place on Saturday and some attendees
  felt the R700 Chill Zone tickets were not worth the cost due to limited
  seating and drink options.
• Many
  attendees struggled to find seats and were disappointed with the lack of
  variety in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
• Despite
  the issues, many attendees agreed the vibe was great and food service
  inside the Chill Zone was efficient. 
• For
  more lifestyle news, go to the News24 Life front
  page.

The power of piano shone through at the 2024 947 Joburg
Day as Scorpion Kings drew crowds to the front of the stage at Crocodile Creek
Estate in Lanseria. 

Known for their signature mellow start to their sets, DJs
Maphorisa and Kabza De Small got the large crowd warmed up before they started
playing their speaker-knocking hits like Izolo
and Bopha. 

The hundreds of people jumping in unison to the beat were
testament to Maphorisa’s ability to weather the significant controversies that
continue to come his way. The DJ duo also managed to score two brief on-stage
appearances from Samsung Galaxy A Series.

Other acts that got the crowd going include Will Linley
and Mi Casa whose smash hit Jika
proved to be the highlight of the day. 

Although 947 Joburg Day is mostly about music, scores of
little ones who joined their parents for the family-friendly event enjoyed the
activations spread across the festival grounds as their parents sat by watching
them from the comfort of camp chairs beneath the tented sections. 

However, despite the great weather and vibrant
atmosphere, many attendees left feeling they didn’t get their money’s worth,
especially those who paid R700 for tickets to the exclusive Chill Zone at 947’s
Joburg Day.

“To be quite honest, it wasn’t worth it for
me,” said one attendee about the Chill Zone at 947 Joburg Day, an annual
music and family festival which took place at Crocodile Creek in Lanseria,
Johannesburg, on Saturday.

This sentiment was echoed by many who felt the experience
did not justify the R700 cost.

As one of the media houses invited, News24 was
accommodated in the Chill Zone, courtesy of KFC and Simba.

The area featured various seating arrangements, a bar,
food trucks, and exclusive toilets. However, the experience was far from
perfect.

Having arrived around noon, the weather was delightful – warm
and windy with the sun shining throughout the day.

However, most seats were
already occupied by then. By 14:00, latecomers were left with either the worst
seats or no seats at all, a situation that worsened by 15:00.

I found myself constantly checking on the seats my
colleagues and I had “reserved”, as people pleaded to squeeze in due
to the lack of available seating.

Many attendees had not
brought their own chairs or picnic mats, relying on the Chill Zone’s promise of
ample couches, benches and swing chairs for all. 

Squeezing each other on benches wasn’t the only problem.

“There aren’t enough seats, there aren’t enough
drink options,” one attendee complained.

“For you to pay R700, sit on the side, and not have
a view of the performance on stage – totally unimpressed.”

The R700 ticket promised
parking, but attendees found themselves parked with the general access crowd.

Bar inside the Chill Zone (Phumi Ramalepe/ News24)

“It’s supposed to include parking and seating, but I
don’t even have a seat, and we parked with the masses. They lied to us,”
another attendee said.

Because drink options were limited, those who didn’t
bring their own beverages had fewer than four alcoholic options, including
Smirnoff slushies and Castle Lite beer.

“I’ve given up and having water instead because most
drinks are sugary, the drinks are hot, even the water is not cold,” one
attendee said.

Another added: “I’m a
drinker, and the alcohol is horrible. I’ve never seen any of the alcohol in
there.”

Non-alcoholic options were equally disappointing. The
slushies didn’t have a non-alcoholic version, and the only other choices were
Pepsi, Mountain Dew, or Coke. Both cans I ordered at separate times were not
cool or refrigerated.

Despite the lack of seats
and drink variety, attendees agreed the music and vibes were great. However,
due to their late arrival, many couldn’t get a good view of the stage or the
screen.

“I
just need to have a view of the stage, and right now I’m viewing the stage from
afar. I can’t see the performance. If there was a screen right inside the Chill
Zone, I’d be happy,” one attendee told News24.

Food options at the Chill Zone (Phumi Ramalepe/ News24)

Food trucks inside the Chill Zone (Phumi Ramalepe/ News24)

A drink I bought from the event, which I out in my fridge at home before drinking. (Phumi Ramalepe/ News24)

Having experienced the Chill Zone firsthand, I, too, felt
they could have offered a wider variety of options.

However, the overall aesthetic of some sections was
pleasing to the eye, and the food service from the five vendors on-site was
satisfactory.