THE MARBLE-OUS WEEKEND!

A case study on how The Marble Group, Grid Worldwide, G&G Productions and Investec delivered one of the best – if not the best -two-day festivals of 2025.

The weekend of the 4th of October 2025 in South Africa was dubbed the Super Bowl of weekends. With a rich line-up of events such as Rocking The Daisies taking place in Cape Town, Homecoming Africa in Pretoria, Spring Fiesta in Boksburg, and Nedbank Youth X at the Constitutional Hill, to name a few, event promoters across the country were all vying for the attention and buy-in of many a South African.

One event that stood head and shoulders above the rest and truly captured the weekend with its enchanting execution & larger-than-life production was The Luxurious Marble Circus.

The two-day festival was the talk of the town (arguably the country!) – and for great reason.

With the dust (or should I say sparkle) having settled, the rave reviews are still reverberating on social media and in office corridors, a week after the event. The attendees wish that it never ended, while the non-attendees are still battling the apprehensive feelings of missing out (they have now vowed to attend the next edition). The Circus felt & looked like a dream – it was perfection personified.

Set in the leafy outskirts of Muldersdrift, The Ground venue set the perfect backdrop for Luxurious Marble Circus. The venue, known for its picturesque outdoor setting, blended nature’s beauty with avant-garde elegance.

Luxurious Marble Circus did not just host a two-day festival; it over-delivered on its brand promise of producing a food & music experience like no one has ever experienced before, leaving no one feeling unfulfilled. In fact, if you ask many attendees, it is hard to find superlatives to describe the excellence of the event.

The burning question on everyone’s lips (or at least certainly on mine) was how The Marble Group, Grid Worldwide, G&G Productions & Investec pulled off such a large-scale event while maintaining the ethos of luxury & ensuring, at the core, everyone had a touchpoint that they could resonate with?

Through my personal experience, one pervasive answer stuck: by magically capturing and engaging all the senses of the audience – sight, smell, taste, sound.

The Use of Visual Stimulation to create a great first impression!

As soon as I met Deen Woodman, Managing Director of Grid Worldwide Cape Town, at the media parking lot and he pushed open the gates to welcome us in, my imagination went into overdrive; feelings of nostalgia crept up on me, and it felt as if Lucy Pevensie had just opened the door of a wardrobe, leading us into a magical world. This world was contrasting to that of C.S. Lewis though, as it swapped furry coats, snowy wood, and a lamppost for luscious green lawns, striking larger than life characters and stages that were draped in hues of sweet pink.

The focal point – the Luxurious Marble Circus Stage – Main Stage – was the grand spectacle. All the stops were pulled out for this one. One would have been forgiven if they mistakenly thought they were,for a second, in Disneyland because the beauty of this stage was befitting of that location – it was whimsical. The team at Luxurious Marble Circus understood the assignment: that sight creates a sense of awe for people, and followed this brief to the tee as they used this stage to woo us at any and every opportunity. Be it through the use of creative, dramatic stage design lighting, the character teaser moments & the LMC goosebump moments, a creation of breathtaking moments was created.

*[Image courtesy of The Grid Worldwide]*

The Main Stage was not the only visual element that was used by the team to create a first impression but the use of stilt walkers, trampoline tumblers, mimes, ringmasters and others that wore brilliant colourful outfits really enhanced the mood of the festival giving it a circus feel.

One brand that also followed the brief quite well, as they set up a stand that was visually appealing was the Heineken Paddock Club. Fresh from their Heineken Polo activation, the brand swapped horses & stables for horsepower in their F1-themed stand which tied in exquisitely well with the premium, luxurious theme and had guests trying out their new F1 inspired bottle while enjoying a curated experience supported by acts such as De Mthuda & Njelic, Fifla, Glen Lewis, Ralf Gum & Heavy K to name a few.

[Image courtesy of The Grid Worldwide]

Activating the sense of smell

Maximising scent at events is one element that is often difficult to execute by event planners as smell is not something that event planners have full control over. However, the Luxurious Marble Circus, through the selection of their venue, hit a masterstroke. The Ground venue offered a fresh, natural scent to the event.

Fabiani maximised this sense by building an immersive cafe themed experience, where festival goers could pop in and grab something from their cafe, unwind by playing interactive games such as chess & crazy 8 and sold their line of signature Fabiani fragrances. They ensured that they had something for everyone – to top that off, they offered free flowers to attendees that bought their fragrances.

[Image courtesy of The Grid Worldwide]

Reinforce your message with Taste!

As a festival that had food as a key pillar, the organisers did not fail to ensure that this specific touchpoint was maximised. They had to go big – and big they went. Staying true to their opulent,luxurious theme – the Marble tents were turned into a fine-dining experience with the Grand Dining Room spearheaded by David Higgs and Reuben Riffel serving succulent eats that wooed any and every palate. Celebrity chef J-Something also joined in on the fun together with BBC and whipped up delectable dishes in the Royal Lounge.

[Image courtesy of The Grid Worldwide]

That’s not where it ended. The Playground inspired by Pantry offered a feast befitting our fantasy, from sushi, burgers, pizza and prego’s to soft serve treats, they made sure everyone’s palate was catered for!

[Image courtesy of The Grid Worldwide]

Oftentimes, food service at festivals is a pain point for most event organisers as this is the one touchpoint that comes with a lot of grumbles. Attendees often dread the wait times,the over or undercooked food and snake-like queues, contrastingly this is where the Luxurious Marble Circus team knocked it out the park.

By separating the ordering booths first by food type & then through a separate ordering and collection booth – this resulted in a seamless experience ensuring optimum efficiency leaving little to no attendees feeling hangry.

The Pantry Playground also incorporated a Tasting Station stage where guests inside and outside the lawn were treated to music by LeloWhatsGood, Shekhinah,Felo Le Tee,PH,FKA Mash & Kid Fonque – this was a nice touch as it did not make guests feel detached from the ongoing festivities while ordering food,they were treated to a perfectly curated line-up ensuring they had a ball while either waiting for their food or enjoying it.

Please Touch!

Touch is an often overlooked sense at events. However,the event organisers incorporated it into their event with a little bit of a twist. With intimacy at the top of their list – the organizers swapped formal chairs for a more relaxed event seating such as beach chairs, beanbags,couches & ottomans. This simple,yet deft touch ensured tranquility allowing for a seating that encouraged conversation amongst attendees.

Two brands did a nice rendition of touch with Johnnie Walker incorporating painting stations for influencers who sipped on Johnnie Walker cocktails while channeling their inner Picasso.

[Image courtesy of The Grid Worldwide]

Vaseline set up a beautiful activation stand to promote their new product – the Cera Glow. They had skin therapists advising attendees on which products were best for their skin and also had masseurs who offered massages too. How’s that for touch?

[Image courtesy of Vaseline]

Adjust your sound to meet your goals.

One of the most important elements of a successful event is sound. Let’s be honest, this element is either make or break. Sometimes, for the sound to be loud is not always the way to go. For instance, if the sound is too loud and attendees can barely hear themselves when having a conversation – that is not a nice touch. Equally, when it is too low and attendees can barely hear the artists or music played by the DJ’s, that’s not a good look either. So striking the perfect balance between the two is always tricky – this was something that the team at Luxurious Marble Circus did perfectly. The sound was loud enough to hear the artists and DJ’s while simultaneously allowing you to be able to carry a conversation. Additionally, the nice touch was that the activation stands were perfectly positioned allowing the different stands to have their own music while not blurring the experience or creating a chaos of sound. The short stretches of lawn from different stands were also perfect in that they created short lulls of tranquility that made you connect with the environment before taking in a differenr soundscape at your next destination.

The Luxurious Marble Circus was a success because of how well curated the above elements were executed. As Tash Marot, PR & Communications Lead for Luxurious Marble Circus, described the whimsical festival “it’s like a unique experience wherever you go, where one feels sensory overwhelmed – but in a good way”.

It truly was a festival like no other.