(Pic by Val Adamson: Mandla Biyela, the guide on the Arts and Heritage buses)Popular project housed by the Ethekwini Municipality, Durban Tourism and The Visual Arts Network of South Africa.
Especially for the Celebrate Durban season, the popular Arts Bus and its sister, the Heritage Bus - will alternate weekly, offering two different cultural experiences with a free hop-on, hop-off city bus which allows arts lovers to visit eight of the city’s premier galleries and some of the city’s top heritage attractions in a day.
The Celebrate Durban season will see the bus travel every Saturday with the two buses alternating: the Arts bus on September 4 and 18 and the Heritage bus on September 11 and 25. The idea is for residents to explore their city with comfort and ease; and for visitors to discover some of the arts and heritage treasures which the city has to offer. Packaging day trips makes visits easier with no transport, navigation or parking issues.
A major benefit is that the bus has an onboard guide to explain the attractions en route and to provide a narrative context to all the places to be visited. The bus for both routes will depart at 09h00 at the KZNSA Gallery in Glenwood for those wanting to park their cars in the KNZSA car park.
The Arts Bus takes visitors to some of the premier galleries in the city. The route includes the KZNSA Gallery; Durban Art Gallery; BAT Centre; Artisan Gallery; African Art Centre; Durban University of Technology Gallery, ArtSPACE Durban and Crouse Art Gallery.
The Heritage route includes Mazisi Kunene Museum; KwaMuhle Museum; Old Court House Museum; Durban Botanic Gardens, Juma Masjid Mosque and Emmanuel Cathedral. An in-depth guided tour through the precious artefacts of the Phansi Museum has also been organized for bus commuters.
En-route passengers will be shown various civic attractions such as the John Ross statue; Vasco Da Gama clock; Dick King statue; Fernando Pessoa statue; Port Natal Maritime Museum, the Victoria St Indian Market and City Hall / Post Office precinct.
This will be the third year that the Arts Bus has been running. It has previously been an integral part of the Celebrate Durban September season, and was part of the World Cup season in July this year.
Bus entry is free and all are welcome. There will be lunch stops factored into the itinerary for passengers to purchase a light meal. Seats are limited so booking is advisable. Enquiries and bookings to Domy Cortes on 078 161 2092 or email: domcortes@gmail.com or online booking on www.pubmat.co.za
(NB: Routes and attractions are subject to change!)
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