On the evening of 28 January 2010, the be Rag Debutantes Crowning Function will take place, which is a glamorous and exciting with nearly 150 young women from the University of Pretoria’s community competing in a beauty pageant and one finally being crowned as the new Tuks Rag Queen.

On 29 January 2010, there will be a musical festival called “UP Beat Festival”, which is a spectacular concert where various artists will perform and provide entertainment for a diverse audience. The concert will continue to rock on the night of 30 January 2010 following the rag procession and will take place at Hatfield Plaza.

On a Saturday 30 January 2010, the Tuks Rag Procession will be held by the students of the University of Pretoria to showcase their creative and technical design skills to the public by parading their floats through the streets.

The procession is made up of 7 000 students escorting 16 floats interspersed with a variety of performing groups, and it draws on average 30 000 members of the public, thus making it one of the biggest events of its kind in Southern Africa.

Not only will the public enjoy the fun and the spectacle of student wit during the procession, they will also be opening their hearts and purses and giving generously. With the proceeds of this fundraising event, a considerable contribution has been made over the previous years to worthy causes such as the poly-clinic, soup kitchens for the elderly, homes for children, clothes for the needy, funds to help needy students to pursue their studies and numerous other charity organisations. More than R4 million was donated to charity organisations in the past two years, and various community projects have also been helped to sustain themselves.

An environmental concept of this year’s Rag is called “Going Green”. Recycling and re-using some of the materials used in creating the floats is also encouraged among the students, and this forms an integral part of the “Going Green” campaign.

The route of the procession is through a large portion of Eastern Pretoria and it will begin in Lynwood Road. The procession will move down Lynnwood Road and will turn left into University Road. As it proceeds with University Road, it will reach the intersection where it will turn left into Queen Wilhemina. Up with Queen Wilhemina Road, the procession will then turn left into Middle Road, which leads up to Duncan Street. From Duncan Street, it will move on to Burnett Street, where the procession will end.

Members of the community are urged to be patient during the course of the procession and members of Tshwane Metro Police Department will also be present to ensure free flow of traffic, and to also re-direct traffic to alternative routes.

The 2010 Tuks Rag Chairperson, Amohelang Mpiriane, says this year’s procession is going to be interesting and a lot of fun. She appealed to Tukkies students to attend the event as it is going to be more exciting than ever. “Each and every one of them should be there! They don’t want to miss out,” said Mpiriane.

DETAILS OF THE PROCESSION:
Date: 30 January 2010

Time: 17:00

Location Start: Lynnwood Road, Hatfield

Location End: Hatfield Square, Burnett Street, Hatfield

Theme: Proudly African