The festivities kicked off on Wednesday evening already, when Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis officially opened the Netball World Cup Fan Park opposite the CTICC.

A free concert on Wednesday night featured some of the country’s top musical talent including Nasty C, Simmy, Goodluck, Emo Adams, DJ Grant Lesch and Kurt Darren.

Walter Sisulu Avenue has been transformed into a netball precinct and will be closed to traffic until the last day of the tournament.

The Fan Park is free of charge for all residents and visitors, and Hill-Lewis says they want to ensure that all Capetonians can join in the fun.

Tickets to the matches inside the CTICC have been notoriously expensive, some reportedly costing as much as R700 for adults and R500 for kids.

In addition to live daily entertainment, spectators can expect Fan Park days filled with action packed activities including:

• Watch Netball World Cup games on a big screen
• Sporting Chance Street Netball Challenge Finals
• Netball exhibition matches
• Kids’ Corner with games such as Jenga, jumping castle, face painting and giant chess.
• Cape Town Carnival Floats and cultural performances
• Daily giveaways
• There will be a Food Court with outdoor seating, snacks, hot beverages and a beer garden.

Local mural artists have also transformed the pavement on Lower Loop Street into a netball-themed art piece. Members of the public will also have the opportunity to join the artists in painting the pavement.

The Fan Park will be open daily from 07:00 and close after the final match of the day.

If coming into the CBD is too much of a drive, the City has also established four public viewing areas across the greater Metropole.

Each viewing area will be equipped with seating, surround sound and live uninterrupted streaming of the games so there is no need to worry about load shedding.

Refreshments and snacks will be available for purchase at affordable rates and local entertainment will take place at each location.

The public viewing areas have been set up at:

• Proteaville Recreation Centre, c/o Peter Barlow and Abdurahman Streets, Bellville South.
• Langa Civic Hall, c/o Church and Washington (King Langalibalele).
• OR Tambo Multi-Purpose Centre, Jeff Masemola Street, Khayelitsha.
• Portland Indoor Centre, Address: c/o Merrydale & Hazeldene Avenues, Portland, Mitchells Plain.

City brings Netball World Cup action to communities.

The City’s Recreation and Parks Department is bringing Netball World Cup 2023 action to communities with four public viewing areas.

See: https://t.co/5AVzaZHSK1#CTNews #CommunityServicesandHealth pic.twitter.com/XtbiThLAzW

— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) July 25, 2023

Children under 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult and alcohol and smoking are strictly prohibited at the venues.

Meanwhile, messages wishing the SPAR Proteas everything of the best are pouring in from all over the country.

The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, says the entire country is encouraging them to go for gold.

You have represented our nation proudly on the global stage. It is not only a significant moment for the country to host the Netball World Cup, but it is also significant in that South Africa will be represented in this global showpiece by the SPAR Proteas who are the top ranked African netball team, and are ranked fifth in the world.

 

The SPAR Proteas represent what we want to see for this country – that goal of forging strong unity and social cohesion in the country. You are a team of leaders, a team of players who perform their role well as a collective. The results of this are reflected in your status as one of the best netball teams in the world.

Hey fans, it's time to turn the volume up to MAX! 📢 Our SPAR Proteas 🇿🇦 are primed for greatness, and we are their symphony of support! Let's make every moment count, as we raise our voices and paint the world with our passion. 💚💛#SPARProteas | #NWC2023 pic.twitter.com/Wzqfs8pOHk

— Netball South Africa (@Netball_SA) July 26, 2023