Viby Zingara enchantment

Celebrating 15 years of razzle dazzle, Madame Zingara's new show, The Celebration, is now on Cape Town's Grand Parade before transferring to Montecasino in Johannesburg for the festive season.

A dinner cirque theatre experience in a magic mirror ball

It's a mind-blowing dinner cirque theatre experience that defies description, where friends flock to gather with one thing in common, to have fun, enjoy a scrumptious four-course meal overseen by top Madame Zingara chefs Heinrich Koen and Linda Beuken, and be entertained.

Its entrance offers an unusual and welcome new feature on the Grand Parade. It feels as if you've time warped from Cape Town to Belgium, and once you enter its cosy interior, you are greeted by an assembly of merry waitrons clad as penguins who merrily escort you into the luscious 'Queen of Flanders', a three-storey high 650 seater handcrafted mirrored palace, boasting upper level balconies, opulent interiors, and dripping with decadence.

Picture by Anton De Beer

This sparkling palace was built in Belgium by the acclaimed tent master Rik Klessens and Family, it is the biggest of its kind in the world. Think 3,200 mirrors, six tons of aluminium, 5.2 km of steel rods, 30 tons of galvanised steel, 70,000 floor screws, 1,800 metres of velvet and 1,200 metres of gold tassel, and you have an indication of the vast scale of the 12m high plush venue.

A vibrant roller coaster

Once you're seated and engulfed by this magic mirror ball, it's a nonstop adventure that swiftly gathers momentum from one extreme to another; it's a vibrant roller coaster ride taking you away on magic carpet ride to the light fantastic. It delivers on all levels, and its fourteen months of pre-production shows the results, with electrifying entertainment directed with flair and pizazz by Richard Griffin, the founder of Madame Zingara and the creative genius behind the iconic brand.

The Celebration showcases performers from 11 countries and SA, including breath-taking and jaw-dropping acts from solo Cirque du Soleil aerial pole artist Saulo Sarmiento from Spain, the acrobatic Diabolo Girls from China, a slick Quick Change duo from South Africa and Argentina, a Ukrainian hand balance and contortion trio, a Korean teeterboard act, the sensational singing quartet The Specifics, and so much more.

Picture by Anton De Beer

What makes these acts different from other circus shows, is its intimacy that allows you to almost soar with the artists through the mirrored palace.

The Zingara experience would not be the same without the larger-than-life presence of the uber glam aviation goddess Cathy Specific, bedecked in jewels and resplendent in gorgeous gowns.

Picture by Anton De Beer

Succumb to the spellbinding allure of The Celebration

If you want to blow your mind and share a totally dazzling evening with friends, make sure to take a trip to Madame Zingara and succumb to the spellbinding allure of The Celebration.

The Celebration runs Tuesdays to Saturdays until 26 September in Cape Town and at Montecasino in Johannesburg from 4 November to 31 December 2015. Arrival time is 18:30 with guests to be seated by 19:30 for the start of the show at 20:15. Tickets range from R650 to R1,250 per person, which includes welcome drinks, canapes and the four-course dinner.

Booking is via 0861 623 263 or moc.aragnizemadam@eciffoxob. Advance booking is highly recommended.

Please note the age restriction: 16+