Events

WICKEDLY ODD – The Night Garden

Published

8 years ago

8 November 2016

Durbanite

Durban Botanic Gardens: 1st December – 17th December 2016
Tuesday – Saturday @ 18h00

Wickedly Odd – The Night Garden is a delightful dining and innovative entertainment experience, perfect for year-end corporate functions, to be held in the Durban Botanic Gardens over the festive season.

Have you ever wondered what happens after the gates at Durban’s iconic Botanic Gardens are locked? Do the trees, birds and animals settle in silence, or is it then, when Durban sleeps, that these magnificent Gardens wake?

Welcome to Wickedly Odd – The Night Garden….

The Durban Botanic Gardens has teamed up with Emma Lockhart and Bradley Porter of Specialist Event company Experience This, award winning actor/producer Ben Voss (Beauty Ramapelepele, Spud, Green and Black Mamba) and acclaimed set designer and video producer Clint McLean to bring you a night of experiential food and festivity set in the heart of Durban’s greatest botanical wonderland.

On arrival, guests will be welcomed with a glass of champagne and taken on a whimsical amble up the garden path, to the sunken summer garden beneath the gnarled branches of South Africa’s oldest Litchi tree, for a 1930’s “garden party” welcome drink and snack.

After some champagne, floating canapes and a gin and tonic, and as the sun sets over Giant Jacarandas, Paper Trees, Figs and Banyans, patrons will be given an hour and a half to enjoy the gardens at night – sauntering through pockets of botanical curiosity and wonder individually chosen by Curator Martin Clement. The gardens will be lit up and brought to life by quirky characters, musicians, drummers, dancers and puppets with hidden bars and experiences waiting to be discovered.

At 8:30pm the performers will lead the guests to a glorious Bedouin tent for dinner. Here they will be treated to the most delightful plated menu Durban has to offer designed by Silwood Cookery School graduate Kathryn Stone & Paula Elliot. Throughout dinner, the trees, birds and hidden creatures of the gardens will permeate proceedings, morphing the night into a whimsical, bewitching and fantastical blend of luscious food, crisp champagne, magical puppetry and curious delight.

The evening will flow into an upbeat razzle in the most enchanted venue in Durban.

Wickedly Odd – The Night Garden is not a show, a dinner, or a party. It’s a gloriously unusual Christmas dining and entertainment experience. We invite you to slip behind the moss curtain of fantasy and immerse yourself in our captivating world of botanical peculiarity, four metre flamingos, marvellous praying mantis’s, aerial acrobats, beetled barmen, feathered barmaids and cantankerous crows.

This is an experience with a difference. Like nothing Durban has seen before. It’s excessive, it’s outrageous, and it’s WICKEDLY ODD.

Notes
Bring as powerful a torch as possible.
Dress elegantly but wear sensible shoes
Bring umbrellas for rainy days.
Bring a QR reader downloaded on your smart phone.
Dancing is encouraged but we are near a residential area so from 10pm onwards volume will be kept to acceptable levels.
The gardens are a Durban treasure. Treat them as your own.

Booking Details
Guest arrival 17h30 for 18h00 show starts
Recommended parking in Botanic Gardens alongside Visitors Centre.

OPTION 1: Corporate Booking
Exclusive Evening for your company’s year-end function.
Cost: R325 000.00 exclusivity of the venue.
Venue setup for up to 450 pax.
Includes unique venue experience; extraordinary entertainment; a five course menu and champagne on arrival.
Contact (031) 3133330 / rene@experiencethis.co.za / Facebook: Wickedly Odd – The Night Garden
OR buy your tickets here www.wickedlyodd.co.za

OPTION 2: Corporate Booking
Table Booking Experience for smaller groups. (shared venue)
Cost: R850 per person / tables of ten & fourteen or share a table.
Includes unique venue experience; extraordinary entertainment; a five course menu and champagne on arrival.
Contact (031) 3133330 / rene@experiencethis.co.za / Facebook: Wickedly Odd – The Night Garden
OR buy your tickets here www.wickedlyodd.co.za

————————–

WIN WIN WIN!!!

We have x2 Wickedly Odd tickets to giveaway to the value of R1,990!

To enter, like and share the Wickedly Odd Facebook page and drop a comment below telling us why you need a wickedly night out in the Garden.

Winners announced on 28 November 2016.
Don’t forget that all 3 steps need to be done in order to WIN.

This is an experience with a difference. Like nothing Durban has seen before.

It’s excessive, it’s outrageous, it’s WICKEDLY ODD.

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42 Comments

Jo-Ann Van Der Merwe

9 November 2016 at 7:51 am

Pick me! Pick me! This sounds absolutely amazing and I’m in desperate need of a fun date night.

Reply
Heidi

9 November 2016 at 8:48 am

Would love a wickedly odd evening out with hubby after the wicked happenings of 2016!

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Jessie Riddin

9 November 2016 at 8:56 am

My fiance and I NEED this prize because we’ve been planning our wedding this whole year and a much needed distraction and spoils would be really amazing! Not to mention a distraction from the fact that I only earn commission, so planning a wedding on a phantom salary….ya no! Streeeeesful!

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Harsha

9 November 2016 at 8:58 am

Botanic is fabulous during the day, would be awesome to experience this spectacular event at night and what a better way to kick of the festive season than spoil hubby with an early birthday present (Xmas Eve birthdays are sooo often put on the back burner) . Have been following the Wickedly Odd online and would be fantastic to actually experience it!!! Have already shared their FB page with friends ages ago!!!

Reply
Gonzalo

9 November 2016 at 9:08 am

I like to party 😉

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Mandy

9 November 2016 at 9:13 am

This looks incredible! I would LOVE to get lost in this magical wonderland!!

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Kendra Stoffberg

9 November 2016 at 9:15 am

Just finished reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, this sounds just like that! Would love to go and live the experience in real life!

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ANUSHA NAIDOO

9 November 2016 at 9:20 am

Wow this this will be super awesome , an incredible magical night full of fun, laughter, excitement and more, making memories to treasure in my favourites Garden. It’s my Birthday Month and this will be the best present ever.

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Mamta Thakersee

9 November 2016 at 10:12 am

this looks incredibly amazing 😀 would love to experience something so magically wicked and make wonderful memories !!!

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Robyn Furber

9 November 2016 at 10:22 am

This sounds like the perfect way to celebrate my birthday and managing to get through the year without having a mental breakdown 😛

Reply
Antonella Fyall

9 November 2016 at 10:33 am

Would love love to win a Wicked night out with my wicked old man who loves nature and experiencing something different …sounds magical and would be an absolute treat!!

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David

9 November 2016 at 11:03 am

Short and sweet …..because it took me a hour just to comment ….. I would love to go to this …. Because I am wickedly odd ask my friends that I have tagged they will vouch for me . I would love to take my wife my best friend and partner in crime . This years been down them more up for us. Was thinking this would be the best thing for me to win tickets to the Wickedly Odd . Like I said I will wash my own dishes and everyone’s just so I can see this . I will feel like I am home at the Wickedly Odd . Must I post a pic with both legs behind my head ….👀👀👀👀

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Teevashnee Bernie Munsamy

9 November 2016 at 11:15 am

Wow! This sounds like just what the doctor ordered
It will definitely be the perfect way to begin the wind-down to the festive season.

Reply
JesseCoutts

9 November 2016 at 11:37 am

Oh my goodness who wouldnt want to win this amazing prize!

I love the odd and unusual, being alowed to show off your strange, quirky, fun and exciting side is just awesome.

Who wants to be normal when its far more fun being wickedly odd.

I would love to win this prize so that my fiancé and i vould expierience the emmersive, captivating, strange and wickedly oddness of this incredible production while exploring the beauty of the botanical gardens at night. We will certainly come dressed up and bring all our unique oddness along too.

Please please pick us

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HICCUPS

9 November 2016 at 11:40 am

The only way I’m going to get my husband to stop harassing you guys is to win a pair of tickets he he. Hey David Hall ?? But honestly this is just some thing i would love to see and experience. I love all things weird, wicked and wonderful ❤️💛💚 And I deserve to win these tickets because I’ve been a #Durbanite all of my 35 years 😉

Reply
Courts24

9 November 2016 at 11:52 am

I need to win these 2 tickets please. Firstly because Trump just became the 45th American president, and I think we all deserve some cheering up. Plus the world is about to get more than 1 night’s worth of wickedly odd – and I’d like to actually enjoy the one that is minus the incessant rants of a naartjie coloured troglodyte. Also I’m pretty odd, I like to dance, flowers/trees are pretty damn awesome, and I just really want to experience this whole show… So please?? 😀

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Pauline Vincent

9 November 2016 at 12:11 pm

I would so love to win tickets.The music.The food.The ambience.The talent.The awesome experience of it.Something so very unique and different.Ah man it would be so awesome.I would love love love to win tickets to get the opportunity to come to your show!!!!

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Tracey Daniel Vieira

9 November 2016 at 12:15 pm

This is just wicked!

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Bianca Erasmus

9 November 2016 at 2:25 pm

#wickedlyodd2016 I would so love to take my Mom. ❤ She does so much for me. It is time I pay her back by taking her to this lovely event/evening.

Reply
Diane Sharon Van Wyk

9 November 2016 at 2:47 pm

After a wickedly stressful year a night like this would be a real tonic

Reply
Lizeldi Baars

9 November 2016 at 4:07 pm

My fellow creepy crawlers, my downright witchery sisters,
let this spell twist your ears and make not only my best year,
but let me win these tickets before I make things oddly wicked 😉
#wickedlyodd2016 #ObedienceSpell #Win

Reply
Verushka Naidoo

9 November 2016 at 4:43 pm

My fiance and I have spent most of this year apart due to work commitments. Apart from being together for just over a month between August and September, we have literally been in a long distance relationship 🙁 My biggest wish is that he returns home in time to spend my birthday with me on the 6th of December. It would be even more amazing if i could be treated to this wickedly night out under the Durban stars with him.. The botanic gardens is a special place for us… we had our first date there, and we also had our engagement shoot there.. we would love to be able to create more memories there..please pick us!!

Reply
- Verushka Naidoo
  
  9 November 2016 at 4:45 pm
  
  https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4a39ce6583943dd0045e577ce766ea340d9b178fb6da4c1689e40142e4877b90.jpg
  
  Reply
Sharon Lawson Brown

9 November 2016 at 8:04 pm

A wickedly wonderful whacky whimsical evening of waggery while wafting round the gardens on a warm Durban night would make me wiggle with delight!!!

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Courteney Wentzel

9 November 2016 at 9:22 pm

I would love this! I need this fun filled evening after matric exams

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Priscilla Burkinshaw Boscombe

10 November 2016 at 8:44 am

Oooooooooo. How awesome. Mom is visiting from PE and she would absolutely love this treat. To see four metre flamingos, marvellous praying mantis’s, aerial acrobats, beetled barmen, feathered barmaids and cantankerous crows would be just up her alley. 💖💖💖👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

Reply
Yashupal

10 November 2016 at 5:25 pm

I’m a alice in wonderland/alice through the looking glass fan, this sounds like that.

Reply
Carmen Du Plessis Buckle

10 November 2016 at 7:45 pm

I would love to go to this magical affair at one of my favourite places…the Botanical Gardens

Reply
Tash Burton

13 November 2016 at 8:41 pm

I’m just up for an awesome, out of the ordinary, whacky PARTY!! I’m ready to enjoy a night out with the most fabulous Durban peeps, meet some new people, create some memories and jol the night away! I love a good dress up party…I will definitely be creative in my attire, as will my gorgeous hubby who is game for anything! LOVE IT! 🦄 Fantastical oddness…just up my alley! #wickedlyodd

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Jennet Brown

15 November 2016 at 7:16 pm

A large rose tree stood near the entrance of the garden the roses growing on it whehdre white, but there were three gardeners at it, busy painting them red and the flamingoes are being unmanageable… I want to fall down this hole to the gardens…

Reply
Jennet Brown

15 November 2016 at 7:28 pm

A large rose tree stood near the entrance of the garden the roses growing on it whehdre white, but there were three gardeners at it, busy painting them red and the flamingoes are being unmanageable… I want to fall down this hole to the gardens…

Reply
Larrinae Ballantyne

17 November 2016 at 10:12 am

I would love to spend my b’day at this fantastic event. Watching the videos and seeing the photos is inspiring so many wonderful outfits I could conjure up. If I were lucky enough to win this amazing prize I would share it with my best friend, who I have not seen in two years. She will be home from China for the festive season – how #wickedlyodd would it be to experience this with her.

Reply
Tarryn-Jayne Dunkley

19 November 2016 at 8:26 am

When it comes Wickedly Odd…no one quite embodies the phrase like we do. 30 something couple (artist and musicia posing as normal parents and coworkers …well lets just say its time that the inner crazy was set free for a night. Support a good cause… we are desperate for tickets!

Reply
Angela T

21 November 2016 at 12:15 pm

A Wickedly Odd garden event at night,
Is just the thing for this Durbanite!
The splendor and pure fantasy of it all,
Means we are guaranteed to have a ball!
To go out & celebrate our 10 year anniversary,
Instead of taking turns in our child’s nursery!
A blessing we were told was not be,
But hahaha, we beat the odds with our new baby!
An evening that sounds truly magical,
Let us be delighted in this theatrical!
A night that I imagine for everyone,
To be Wicked and Odd and just have fun!

Reply
Sharon Friedland

28 November 2016 at 9:18 am

I would love to win and have a long overdue date night with my husband!

Reply
anisha_singh

28 November 2016 at 9:30 am

Normal is boring! Having said that to be able to enjoy a soirée in Durbans best asset at night.. The botanical gardens, would be dreamy! I have always been enchanted with gardens especially after literally spending most of my childhood in my granddad a massive garden! I have spent my childhood at the Botanical gardens, so there’s loads of wonderful memories there! My daughter & I are quite a wicked and strange pair. We would feel right at home at this iconic event! So please pretty please wave that magical wand so that these odd divas can feel wickedly amazing for one night?

Reply
Jessie Riddin

28 November 2016 at 11:24 am

I would LOVE to go to Wickedly Odd because it sounds like an amazing adventurous night out filled with spooky scares and talented performers. I would also like to WIN tickets because i am planning a wedding and have to save as much money as I can! Which sucks! But it will all be SO worth it 😀 Please pick me!

Reply
Karen

28 November 2016 at 12:24 pm

I’m a little CUCKOO myself nowadays… Lol

I am a full time mom of 2…kids are 2 and 4… And THEY ARE BUSY!! I really need time to relax and let loose! Would love to win.

I’ve never been… But would love the experience xx https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a82966f2d913acf6c7aaac216b088102b88bde0b4af6b19852448c8e02ad732c.png

Reply
Farla Simon Ribbonaar

28 November 2016 at 12:37 pm

I haven’t had much luck with these competitions but have a good feeling about this one! So 3rd time lucky would be nice! I am a drama teacher and I would absolutely love to experience this! Unfortunately the ticket prices are a little out of my range! I would really love a night out with my friend and would love to have the chance of having a wickedly odd evening! Drama and performance is my life. Everyday I teach kids the importance of performing arts and how it can transform your life! Ahhhhh it would be soooooooo cool! Farla

Reply
Chandre Jones

28 November 2016 at 4:47 pm

I desperately need a wickedly Odd night out as it seems to be the time of year that everything seems to go haywire 😫 My washing machine decided to die on me, my garden is over grown from all the rain (when you the untidy house in the entire street), meaning we spend our weekends gardening while our friends go out for lunches 😫 and my car makes a terribly embarrassing screeching noise when I start it… I need a night out to let my hair down, be entertained by amazing WEIRD and wonderful stunts and of course delicious food…

Reply
Tanith

28 November 2016 at 8:37 pm

I would like to win the 2 tickets and take my older sister as we have recently just reconnected after not speaking for 5 years. I think it would be a great bonding experience for us!!!!!! Thank you!!!!

Reply
Larochelle Landsberg

28 November 2016 at 10:27 pm

After a horrible weekend of being pick pocketed and going through a tough time to apply for bank cards and ID and everything else stolen I think winning 2 tickets to wickedly Odd will brighten up my week. Great time to just have fun and enjoy time with my partner 💙❤️️

Reply

Events

Trail of Lights 2024

Published

2 months ago

11 November 2024

Shelley

If it’s Durban and it’s December… it has to be Trail of Lights time!

CELEBRATION is this year’s theme for South Africa’s largest and most popular festive light extravaganza! Celebrating eight years of brilliant awe and wonder, this year’s luminous event offers a double-whammy to visitors – the Durban Botanic Gardens is proud to mark their 175th anniversary milestone, in collaboration with the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust and the Trail of Lights, which is the Trust’s biggest annual fundraiser.

Bringing enchantment and joy to visitors of all ages in Africa’s oldest surviving botanic garden, the show runs from 6 December 2024 to 3 January 2025. Organisers are promising a host of sparkling new attractions, from a re-imagined Santa’s Workshop and Grotto and Build-A-Bear Workshop, to a variety of themed areas, including the iconic Whale Tails created by SAAMBR (SA Association of Marine Biology Research).

The popular Paws and Claus evenings are also back in the mix for 2024, with the nights of 8 and 12 December earmarked for when visitors can bring along their ‘fur babies’ (sorry, dogs only), to join in the festive fun! Ticket sales from these evenings go to Feeding the Furballs charity. Tickets on the Paws and Claus nights are R50 per pet, when booked with a full-paying adult ticket.

While the technical and lighting teams have already started laying the groundwork for one of the City’s biggest seasonal events, visitors can start planning their holiday schedules around the enhanced offering the family-focused show will bring to all ages – from the really young, to the young at heart!

Entertainment and live music each evening
Festive characters and spectacular live ‘selfie spots’ across the Gardens
Two food gardens offering food and beverages to suit every palate
Mail off your Christmas Wish List at the North Pole Mailbox
Festive shopping with some of Durban’s most talented makers
Wheelchairs will be available to hire on a first come first served basis

Ticket prices range from R70 – R90 per person, depending on the time you visit and are available through Webtickets or at select Pick n Pay outlets.
Tickets are available at the door, subject to availability, at R120 pp (card payments only) and are limited, so early booking is advised in order to secure your preferred date. Pensioners tickets are R60 per person (Proof of ID required).

The Trail of Lights runs from 6 December 2024 to 3 January 2025 from 18:00-22:00 each evening and will be closed on 9, 10, 11, 25 & 31 December.

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Art

Field Notes (an exhibition): 1 – 17 November 2024

Published

3 months ago

22 October 2024

Shelley

Field Notes (an exhibition)
Presented by Contemporary Archive Project
Opening: 1 November 2024 at 6 PM
Venue: The Chairman, Durban.

In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, stories are marked like pins scattered across a map. These pins cluster in the city of eThekwini or are more sparsely spread through the landscapes of Nquthu, Tugela, and Amaotana. By mapping out and noting where the photographs were made, the explorers’ tracks reveal a wide, eclectic range of stories, each reflecting individual narratives. In these collections, the photographers are the explorers of their own stories, presenting clips and field notes that present an Insider’s view.

Subverting old tropes of Outsiders looking in, disconnected from a culture or space, the photographs that make this exhibition present intimate representations of faith and religion, culture and rituals, life and death, solitude and community. The collective way of seeing a city and space are all informed by each photographer’s way of seeing.
In this gathering, we present moments from each photographer’s archive. Guided by the visual connections of the photographs, the exhibition’s content invites you to reflect on the themes of fragility, power, togetherness, and the significance of the spaces we call home.

The group exhibition features work from CAP’s archive, inclusive of:
Andile Ndunge, Andre Swart, Mandisa Buthelezi, Myllo Menorah, Niamh Walsh-Vorster, Paulo Menezes, Robyn Perros, Seraz Abrahams, Sibusiso Gcaba, and Thobani Khumalo.
This exhibition is made possible by the National Lotteries Commission.

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Entertainment

Jeremy Loops to perform at Old Mutual Music at the Lake Concert at the Durban Botanic Gardens on Saturday 19 October.

Published

3 months ago

7 October 2024

Shelley

Durban, September 11^th, 2024 – Get ready for an epic Spring celebration as South Africa’s beloved singer-songwriter, Jeremy Loops, returns to Durban for the Old Mutual Music at the Lake concert series. On Saturday, 19 October, the iconic Durban Botanic Gardens will be transformed into a vibrant festival of live music and fun for the whole family.

Gates open at 2 PM, with the concert wrapping up by 7 PM, making it a perfect afternoon of music in one of Durban’s most stunning outdoor venues. Tickets are limited and available on Webtickets – grab yours before they’re gone!

“Old Mutual’s sponsorship of the Music at the Lake series showcases our deep-rooted commitment to nurturing community spirit and celebrating both local and international talent. We believe in the power of music to bring people together and create lasting memories. Our support for this series is our way of supporting the arts and the communities we serve. We are proud to create platforms where talent, family and joy can flourish in the heart of Durban’s historic Botanic Gardens,” said Thobile Tshabalala, Head of Brand at Old Mutual.

Jeremy Loops brings more than just his live performance magic—he’s back with brand-new music!
His latest single, “Go Again,” gives fans a fresh anthem to vibe to before the show. Featuring his signature blend of soulful lyrics and upbeat melodies, “Go Again” is an empowering track about facing life’s challenges head-on.

In Jeremy’s words, “Go Again is my declaration to lean into positivity, to find strength in the storm, and to bring the sunshine, even when it’s raining.” The song, co-written and produced with Edd Holloway (known for his work with Dean Lewis and Lewis Capaldi), marks Jeremy’s second release this year following “Dust Over Dunes” (August 2nd) and gives fans a taste of what to expect from his forthcoming album.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to experience Jeremy Loops live at the Durban Botanic Gardens. Enjoy the perfect family outing, surrounded by nature and incredible music. Book your tickets now!

Event Details:

Old Mutual Music at the Lake with Jeremy Loops

Date: Saturday, 19 October
Location: Durban Botanic Gardens
Tickets: Available now via Webtickets
Capacity: Limited to 2500 attendees
Times: Gates open 14h00 – Show ends 19h00.