UPDATE: New Rage dates for Class of 2020 are 29 Jan – 06 Feb 2021
The Rage Festival is that long-awaited holiday break between late November and the first week of December, when school leavers are in the mood to celebrate the end of their school career before embarking on the next phase of their life journey. The Plett Rage is the ‘granddaddy’ of all student rages in South Africa in that it is the oldest and most desirable end of year post-matric celebration destination for South African students.
As the local destination marketing organization in Plettenberg Bay, it is part of Plett Tourism’s function to not only assist with the facilitation of events such as the Plett Rage, but to monitor tourism development in the Bitou area, along the Garden Route, in South Africa generally and internationally to keep abreast of current trends and stay ahead of the ever changing kaleidoscope that comprises the tourism industry. As such, the feedback from Ronen Klugman, a director of Student Rage Events, via Plett Tourism Chairman, Bruce Richardson was that “Plett Rage 2019 was the most successful Plett Rage ever, with a flawless performance both organisationally and in keeping the young people safe.”
Richardson went on to say that the students were thrilled with the Plett Rage venues and entertainment on offer and to re-affirm that every effort was made to ensure that Plett remains by far the safest venue for Rage students to attend as a result of detailed co-ordinated security planning and a great deal of hard work and commitment across the spectrum by those involved.
The unqualified success of Rage 2019 bodes well for the future growth of the festival and Patty Butterworth, media spokesperson for Plett Tourism, stated “initial indications in terms of accommodation bookings for Rage 2020 are that the numbers seem to be up, way up. Parents are already calling our office because they are struggling to find available accommodation in the most popular areas for student accommodation. As a result, we urge parents to commence the planning of their young people’s arrangements as early as possible so as to ensure that they are able to find suitable accommodation”.
While the matric rage concept has been growing for a number of years in a number of centres, Plett Rage 2020 is experiencing unprecedented growth because of the demand by parents for a safe and streamlined student experience which includes extensive coordinated security arrangements to ensure student safety together with amazing and imaginative Rage venues, top level entertainment, safe transport arrangements, food, lodging and activities. An added value product for 2020 will be the launch of the new Rage Travel offering by the organisers. Plett Rage has partnered with local businesses to offer package deals for students to make the Rage experience in Plett even more streamlined and accessible.
Recognizing that peace-of-mind is a top priority for parents, the organisers work with local authorities and safety and security organisations to streamline the safety and security of the students.
Plett Rage security consultants, Bruce Richardson and Marius Venter, both members of the executive committee of the Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association, work together with all key role players in both the public and private sectors when it comes to the safety and security of the students in terms of a comprehensively prepared, documented and executed security plan . This includes planning and implementation with the SAP Station Commander, Bitou Municipality Head of Public Safety, and a number of private security companies and voluntary associations.
Says Richardson, “All security information and plans of action are distributed to key role players, the motivation being to put all participants in contact with each other so that in the event of a problem, the parties know who to contact and how to contact them. It is a massive exercise involving many aspects including an assessment of the current state of criminality in the town to ensure that all bases are covered. As a result, we have had no serious incidents involving Rage students for the past seven years.”
Richardson also comments, “As an added bonus for the town, a percentage of the income earned from the Plett Rage by Student Rage Events is paid into the “Plett Rage Trust” which supports worthy beneficiaries within the Bitou area. A primary focus is to contribute towards keeping visitors safe during Plett Rage but the Trust also makes contributions to a number of charitable and social support organisations in the area. In the past, donations have been made to the Shepherds (get students home safely) Rage programme, the Red Frogs, the PBCPA, the Community Policing Forum. Other beneficiaries include Masizame Children’s Shelter, the Crags Drill Squad youth outreach and the Adopt-a-Swimmer programme together with making a contribution towards the refurbishment of the municipal lifesaving huts.”
NOTE: The official dates for Plett Rage 2020 have been postponed to 29 Jan – 06 Feb 2021 due to the Corona Virus Pandemic. Find out latest information here.
Refer to Plett Rage digital channels and the official website for ticket sales: plettrage.co.za
