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Castle of Good Hope ready for bumper season

Cape Town - The Castle of Good Hope, commemorating its 350-year of existence in 2016, is a hive of activity in anticipation of a bumper 2016 festive tourism season.

The summer tourism season kicks off with the conclusion of an extensive 20-month renovation project on 26 October 2016. This leaves the 350-year old Castle looking refreshed and in great shape for summer.

This multi-million rand renovation project, which was much-needed mainly due to water and damp issues, is now beautifully restored and accessible for everyone’s viewing.

Visitors can experience the freshly refurbished Castle at its first major post-renovation lifestyle event, The Cape Town Flower Show. Mirrored on the world-renowned Chelsea Flower Show, this outdoor spectacle brings together gardens and gardening, planting trends and designs for living outdoors.

Being in such a significant surrounding, it unites notions of beauty, sanctuary and sustainability, and celebrates local food, culture and community. The construction of the gardens has started in all earnest and that in itself is a sight to behold.

“We are delighted to be hosting this spectacular event. As the oldest surviving colonial building in the entire country, the Castle has strong historical links to growing flowers, fruit, vegetables and herbs for the early colonies. To connect our history with a contemporary event that celebrates the Cape’s floral kingdom status provides us with a unique opportunity to celebrate our collective cultural heritage and tourism offerings,” says Castle control board marketing manager Doreen Hendricks.

This floral spectacle is followed by a host of major events scheduled at the Castle of Good Hope in the upcoming summer months. This includes but is not limited to a National Restitution Conference (9-10 November), All Nations Reggae Fest (12 November), Sizzled Music & Foodfest (27 November), Castle 350 Commemoration Curtain Raiser Event (6 December), Orange the World Youth Summit (10 Dece,ber), Gifts @ the Castle (20 -23 December) and End of year Community Market and Festival (27 – 31 December).

Another milestone for the Castle is the fact that it recently received a clean audit from the Auditor General of South Africa – the first in the history of the Castle Control Board, the public entity of the Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans.

The Castle was recently officially declared a National Heritage Site by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA).

“This is another momentous occasion in the life of the Caste of Good Hope that now enjoys Grade I heritage status. This is confirmation of the true value of the Castle of Good Hope in the cultural heritage and history of the country - a real feather in our cap.” says Calvyn Gilfellan, CEO of the Castle.

The next big step is the process to get the Castle listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, a process which is already underway.

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