Grandwest R450-Million Expansion Plan Nears Completion

The expansion has ensured that Sun International’s flag ship property is now the largest casino and leisure complex in South Africa, in addition to being the most successful. 

In seven years GrandWest has become the second most visited leisure destination in the Western Cape, attracting six million visitors, and three million vehicles, per annum to the complex.  It is placed second only to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, South Africa’s top attraction, surpassing Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch, Robben Island and the winelands. 

The arena has been custom-designed to provide versatility in respect of the type and nature of events it can host, with multiple configurations of seating and staging to cater for theatre, various types of indoor sport, concerts, exhibitions, banquets and a host of other uses.

The facility has a capacity to seat 5 000 people or 7 000 standing and this ideal size, coupled with technologically advanced acoustics, will now make it possible to host international artists who would not otherwise visit Cape Town.

In addition to the arena, the expansion has also included a new smoking casino, a new Salon Prive, additional restaurants, a ten pin bowling alley and refurbished children’s entertainment area.  The existing Market Hall venue, in addition to the new Good Hope Suites, will be suitable for accommodating meetings, exhibitions and other small to medium sized events. 

New entrances and exits have also been added to the property to ease congestion and the existing casino main floor is currently undergoing a significant upgrade.

Given that 67% of current visitors to GrandWest are attracted by the entertainment on offer over and above the casino experience, these new amenities and facilities will position the complex to build on its extraordinary success as a leisure destination since opening in 2000.

A star studded line-up of international artists, appealing to various age groups, has been planned for the arena.  Kicking off the star studded line up on 21 October is R&B artist Mary J Blige, followed by pop star Enrique Iglesias, soul diva Gladys Knight, 70’s rock legend Jethro Tull, and 80’s rock band Foreigner, Pat Metheney, Regina Bell and popular local artists such as Freshly Ground, Steve Hofmeyer and Kaapse Jol.