Corona Sunsets Festival World Tour hits all the right notes with festival goers

The Corona Sunsets Festival World Tour hit all the right notes with festival goers at the weekend.  

The first-of-its-kind event kicked off in Cape Town in front of a sold-out crowd at Glen Country Club in Clifton. It featured American Grammy award-winning DJ Louie Vega, with local superstars Sun-El Musician, Black Motion and Msaki. 

South Africa was among 14 countries — Chile, Peru, Colombia, Italy, Japan, Canada, UK, China, Greece, Brazil, Dominican Republic, India and Uruguay — that will host the year-long festival on beaches chosen for their iconic sunsets.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Antonella Babino, global brand director: Corona, said among other things, the tour played a part in addressing plastic pollution and sustainability, while helping to preserve nature. 

“In 2021 Corona became the first brand to achieve a net-zero plastic footprint. What this means is we recover from the environment every bit of plastic we use. We measure all the plastic we are using, recover it and recycle it. 

“Avoiding plastic is impossible, but if we can have a net-zero plastic impact and leave no plastic trails, then we can invite people to do the same.”

After the success of the festival in South Africa, Cape Town and Johannesburg will continue to be the country's flagship cities, Babino added. 

“We have something really exciting that's happening on World Ocean Day and it's around how the Corona brand can expand the focus from protection to prevention of plastic in the oceans. If we can intercept the plastic that's in the river, then we are able to prevent it from making its way to the ocean,” she said. 

Focused on music and relaxation, the festival gave attendees a front-row seat to breathtaking sunsets. 

“We are thrilled to have been able to host the first event in the Corona Sunsets Festival World Tour in Cape Town and to have welcomed the world in a truly Corona and African way. The festival was an unforgettable experience that tapped into the power of the sun and the South African sunset, allowing us all to slow down, unwind and relax. Importantly, sustainability was at its heart,” said Marsha Kumire, marketing director: Corona South Africa.

“As a brand born at the beach, Corona is committed to preserving and celebrating the natural world and the Corona Sunsets Festival World Tour aims at bringing people together through extraordinary events which also inspire action and more sustainable ways of living in the community.

“We are serious about sustainability and how we impact the planet with our activities, and it makes such a difference when we do it together.” 

The continued collaboration with environmentalists was also extended into the music, with award-winning Msaki and Sun-El Musician remaking their smash hit Ubomi Abumanga. It features sounds of Llandudno Beach in Cape Town as the voice of nature.

“Whenever I come to the sea, I always feel like when the sun sets, a song is waiting for me. This was a very special moment for me to be able to have done this version of the song at this time in my life,” said Msaki.

The original version of Ubomi Abumanga was the second single off Sun-El’s 2020 album, To the World and Beyond. 

“It intrigued me — the idea of what nature would sound like in a song — and when Corona suggested we find out, I couldn’t resist. So we took natural sounds that moved us when we were on the beach and used them to help define an entirely new mood and production style on Ubomi Abumanga. It’s a totally reimagined song,” said Sun-El Musician.