A classy affair

Sharon Mathala
GIMC ORGANISER:Thapelo Pabalinga
GIMC explains ‘hefty’ ticket price

A week-long music and entertainment event dubbed Gaborone International Music and Culture Week (GIMC), is arguably the most glamorous and glitzy calendar event in the country.

We speak to the event organizer, Thapelo Pabalinga after his controversial comment on the ticket price of the Champagne picnic, a fashionable soiree where top style influencers are expected to showcase stunning outfits.

Pabalinga also known as Fish in the entertainment industry took to his social media page to say, “I mean really, from Jan-Dec you never dress up or wear a suit, comes the GIMC Champagne Picnic you want to start telling me the ticket is expensive blah blah, tota ke eng o sa simolole ka go attend di picnic tse dingwe, o ta cheka Champagne ngwaga mongwe. Kana le yone flute o toga o re e tshela bojalwa jo bonnye Ba go fe beer mug.” Loosely translated to; “I mean really, from Jan-Dec you never dress up or wear a suit, comes the GIMC Champagne Picnic you want to start telling me the ticket is expensive blah blah, why not start by attending to other picnic events you will come to the champagne picnic another year. Next thing you will be telling me that the champagne flute is too small we should give you a beer mug.”

The post comes after complaints of the ticket price of P 2, 500 being a little on the hefty side.

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This week speaking to Voice Entertainment Pabalinga rubbishes some of the complaints and explains his response.

“My issue here is class, I know we don’t like to talk about it in Botswana but that is the honest truth. We have a target. We can’t target all Batswana, life doesn’t work like that. Even Toyota, VW Iphone or Nokia you can name all the brands, their products have a certain class or target people in mind,” Pabalinga said.

The man behind leapfrog advertising agency further explains that the champagne event is a premium event and as such is targeting middle to high-income earners of the working class.

“GIMC Champagne is a premium event. It is a classy event and the ambiance speaks to the experience. There will be no dancing with beers on the head or anything like that, not that there is anything wrong with that but that is not what the experience speaks to,” Pabalinga further said.

For the first time this year the champagne picnic, which will be held under the theme #summer with a touch of glam, will see live performances of local international exports singer-songwriter Mpho Sebina and Dj O’neal.

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“But the event is not about the performances for us, it is about the people who attend the event. We are generally not about the music, the main attraction is the individual,” Pabalinga further stated.

The Champagne picnic according to the organisers will also contribute to the fashion industry with patrons expected to turn up in the finest garments.

The event is on its 7th year running and will be held next weekend ( December 5th) at the Purple Paradise venue in Oodi. Patrons are required to show proof of the negative Covid-19 test.

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