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While the beachfront is usually filled with festivities during the launch of the Summer Season from the 16th of December, this year was different as the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) did not host any of its traditional programmes.
This follows the legal dispute between the Municipality and events service provider, Soul Good over the annual Summer Season tender.
The dispute was settled out of court by the two parties, but the Metro says unfortunately the duration of the legal process didn't allow enough time for the conclusion of the procurement and appointment of an events service provider.
Executive Mayor, Retief Odendaal, says the Municipality will support and sponsor flagship events including the Uitenhage Picnic at Willow Dam on the 23rd of December and the Ebubeleni Festival at the NMB Stadium on the 30th.
He says supporting these flagship events is a clear indication and commitment by the Metro to boost tourism.
"The support of these flagship events is a clear indication and commitment by Nelson Mandela Bay to boost tourism, support the arts industry, position the City as an events destination of choice and give tourists and visitors a memorable holiday experience," he added.
The Metro says it encourages residents and holidaymakers to join the festivities but with caution that there will be a zero approach to lawlessness.
Odendaal says this will be achieved by roving roadblocks, two mobile alcohol testing trucks and a Metro Police crime prevention operation.
"We urge residents not to drive recklessly the destinations will not move. We must curb accidents within our City that often take away lives and we urge parents travelling with children to ensure that infants are put in car seats", he said.
Meanwhile, in an ongoing radio campaign on Algoa FM Odendaal has appealed to residents and visitors to be mindful and use water sparingly as every drop counts.
The current overall water dam levels are sitting at 16.01%.
