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PICS: The making of Cape Town Carnival

Cape Town - With only 40 days to go until the Cape Town Carnival on 18 March, all teams are working at full steam to make the event truly spectacular. 

Many months of creative workshopping are going into the design and concepts that will bring this year's theme, AMAZA! - Ocean Odyssey, to life," says Brad Baard, creative director of the Cape Town Carnival. "A team of up to 90 people work on creating the floats, sculptures, puppets and costumes at our Maitland workshop."
 
Floatbuilding takes a sizeable team of designers, metalworkers and electricians, who break down and repurpose floats used in previous years to keep the carnival as green as possible. The problem-solving, exploration and ingenuity involved in designing and creating the intricate floats is a great teambuilding exercise and encourages social integration.
 
The costume department creates not only the outfits but also backpacks, headgear and accessories. "We have nearly 2 000 performers who need to be in costume for the carnival," says Gillian Gregg, head of the costume department.
 
The oceanic theme provides a wealth of amazing creative opportunities, with mermaids, yellow submarines, beach umbrellas and coral gardens just some of the exciting motifs that will be showcased. This year, spectators can look forward to 17 mesmerising larger-than-life floats, including a giant sea urchin, a jellyfish garden party and Atlantis, exploring the ocean from myriad angles.

Take a look at some behind-the-scenes snaps here

Cape Town Carnival

Cape Town Carnival

Cape Town Carnival

Cape Town Carnival

Cape Town Carnival

Cape Town Carnival

Cape Town Carnival

(Photo: Supplied) 

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